Colorado
September 21st - October 27th
Colorado
Fresh Air and Fond Memories Served Daily
Denver
While we were in Canada, Jazmin was able to get Jackson and I some temporary work with her company, Apothecanna. Apothecanna was a cool compnay with fun people. Jazmin was also kind enough to let us all crash at her apartment! We had a blast seeing Claude Vanstroke, who is a DJ that has crazy funky beats! Jackson stayed for a week, Graham for three, and I stayed for a month. Jazmin, Graham and I went climbing at Movement Climbing Gym and at Eldorado Canyon. Eldorado Canyon has a ton of fun looking routes. We climbed the Bastile Crack which is a Trad climb with 5 pitches. The route consists mainly of crack climbing. It was a super fun route!
I went up to Golden, CO for a day to check it out. I drove up to Lookout Mountain to get a good view of Golden. From the top you can also see most of Denver. After that I headed toward downtown Golden. I arrived only to see the end of a Chili Cookoff. I grabbed a beer at Golden City Brewery and met some cool people. I bounced around a couple more bars and grabbed dinner before I headed back to Denver.
Fort Collins
I went up to Fort Collins to visit an old childhood friend, Taylor. Taylor is a big cyclist and races at the professional level. He had a big ride planned so I went for a hike with an old college friend, Maddie. We did a hike in Estes Park which then led us into Rocky Mountain National Park.
We went on a fun mountain bike ride with his roomate. We were able to roll out of his house on our bikes, get a bike trail at the end of the street, and we were able to take that all the way to the mountain bike trails. It was a beautiful ride through Horsetooth Resevoir. The ride kicked my ass! Trying to keep up with those guys and the elevation really got to me. Although I felt like I was dying, the scenery was amazing!
After exploring Duncan Ridge and meeting a couple climbers the day before, I arranged to go climbing with one of the guys I had met. We climbed Duncan Ridge which is only about 40 feet high at the highest point. But it sits on top of this ridge overlooking a beautiful view of Horsetooth Reservoir. It was cool to see both outdoor climbing and great mountain biking within a 10 minute drive from my friend’s house! I had a blast seeing friends and exploring Fort Collins.
Back to Denver
I went back down to Denver to pick up my parents who were flying out to visit me. We had a great weekend hanging out and exploring. We went to Denver Botanical Gardens, which was really fun! It’s a beautiful garden with a variety of plants and mini ecosystems.
My parents and I drove up to St. Mary’s Glacier for a hike. It was a fun mellow hike that led up to the glacier. The melting glacier collects just below it to create a beautiful lake. We had lunch in Nederland and drove through Boulder on our way back to Denver. I had a great time spending the weekend with my parents!
I had a blast in Denver and am so grateful to Jazmin for hooking me up with a job, allowing me to make some money, and for hosting me for a month!
Fruita
After my parents left, I headed west to Fruita, CO. Fruita has some amazing mountain bike trails. This was one of my top biking destinations for my trip. I camped out at the 18 Road Campground and rode those trails. I met a guy from Saskatchwan, AB. He was also on a road trip around the US exploring and mountain biking. We rode together the next day, and did the Western Zippity loop which a fun singletrack trail that rolls up and down these huge ridges. At some points you can see the trail rolling and winding through the ridges for miles, it’s pretty fascinatng! We also did a couple loops on the P.B.R. Trail (Which stands for Pumps, Berms and Rollers). This trail was a blast! Just like its name, the trail is super pumpy and flowy trail that went on for a couple miles. After riding we headed up to the Hot Tomato Cafe for $2 beers and a calzone. Fruita has some awesome riding and plenty more for me to explore next time!
