But anyways back to the blogging! When I last left off, I was in Fort Collins on Saturday night through Sunday morning. The night in Fort Collins was mostly laid back… my dad and I decided to get some good Mexican food since we finally got to an area where it’s pretty good. After some Mexican food and margaritas, we peaced out back to the Marriot to get some sleep before the final day of the road trip. The next morning we went out for a nice breakfast for Father’s Day and then explored a bit of Fort Collins. It was a nice town with a neat downtown but as I’m starting to realize about western cities, they are very spread out due to massive amounts of open land and thus there was no need felt by these cities to consolidate and build with density in mind. Following that bit of exploration, we headed an hour south to Denver along the highway that is pretty much the major divide between the Plains and the Rocky Mountains. It was a sweet drive being able to see the foothills of the Rockies juxtaposed with the Great Plains. Nearby in the mountains is Estes Park which is supposedly very scenic, so hopefully at some point I will make the trip out there to check it out.
Soon we arrived in Denver to meet up with my cousin, Fletcher, for lunch downtown. Denver was bustling with activity and people were walking around the pedestrian only streets having a good time. And yes, there was even a bike share program there (I got you covered WBBB)! After a nice lunch we carpooled over to the airport to drop-off my dad as that was the end of the road for him, so he could fly back to Philly. I had a great week with my dad, and even though there were some frustrations typical of a long road trip in confined quarters, the experience was unforgettable and we really got to do and see a lot of crazy things. After that airport drop-off we returned to Denver briefly to grab my car and complete the final leg of the road trip to Snowmass, CO. While my dad and I had many scenic drives, the drive in on I-70 from Denver to Snowmass (near Aspen) takes the cake in terms of scenery by far. It’s such a diverse drive in terms of weather and scenery. In Denver it was in the mid-70’s but by the time you made the initial climb up into the mountains the temperature dipped down into the lower 50’s.
Going up into the mountains was just plain awesome as you see the snow-capped Rockies start to surround you as all the cars struggle a little bit to get up into the mountains. Once up in the mountains the roads would dip, curve, and swerve, and go back up, constantly making you focus on the road while trying to not let the scenery distract you. After going through a mountain tunnel, you come out into the valley where the temperature slowly rose to the 60’s and eventually the 70’s. The first stop along the valley is the famous Breckenridge resort town which was just amazing looking and then you eventually come across the also famous Vail resort town. It’s at these towns where you are sort of deep in the valley of the Rockies and you a real sense of scale of the mountains that tower above you on all sides. I’m not sure what it was, maybe it was from being out in the wide open plains for the previous few days, but the mountains hanging around the highway made me feel slightly claustrophobic, but mostly just in awe of its scale. Eventually things start getting a little more open as the valley stretches out and start to see fast flowing rivers parallel and criss-cross the highway such as the Colorado River, Eagle River, and White River. It’s really an awesome sight with the snow-capped mountains as a backdrop. Then one of my personal favorite parts of the drive comes up as you enter Glenwood Canyon. While I’ve been to the Grand Canyon and The Badlands, there is something very unique about driving through this canyon. Out of nowhere the mountains turn to rock and have sheer cliffs, and then the mountains close in on each other like they are trying to squeeze the road out. Cliffs eventually soar above you and the White River is right by the highway flowing at a rapid pace. The sun was beaming down on the canyon and really lit it up in such an amazing way. While I shouldn’t have been snapping pictures on such a windy road, I did anyways, for your benefit, so you could see what I was seeing. I think only pictures will do it justice, unless you can actually go to it, which I highly recommend!
After about 100 miles worth of driving and weaving through the mountains, you turn off at Glenwood Springs to head down towards Aspen. This portion of the drive is through the valley and it offers a view of my favorite mountain, Mount Sopris (picture below), due to its incredible prominence. It just towers above anything else in this part of the valley (even though there are 14,000 footers off in the distance). After a little more driving, I finally arrived at my final destination in Snowmass, CO, 2800 miles and 55hrs+ of driving later. Where my uncle and cousin lives is in this valley that is surrounded by snow-capped mountains (pictured below) which I can see from my room here. It’s definitely nice to wake up to compared to the hustle and bustle of the northeast. Very serene, but very isolated. The isolation is sort of setting in on me but after some time to adjust and acclimate (to the surroundings, the lifestyle, and the thin air!), I’m sure I’ll fit in just fine.
On Monday I had my first day of work in Aspen which I’ll describe a bit in an upcoming post and I’ll also be sure to take pictures of the town to share with you all. Just waiting for the rain and clouds from the past two days to clear up and then I’ll snap some photos. By the time this entry is submitted, it will be summer here officially, and the mountains will still be snow-capped (which is apparently a rarity for this time of year… even for here)! I got to practice some Kung Fu for the first time in a while here, and I’d say it’s pretty awesome having the Rockies as a backdrop. Anyways, tomorrow is my second day of work and I need sleep (yes, I know this is a recurring theme). I hope you all have enjoyed the road trip part of the blog and I hope you will stay with it as it switches over to the Aspen side of things and whatever other adventures I partake in while I’m out here.
Hope everyone is well on the east coast and I’ll be thinking of you all. And I know what you all are thinking; I will NOT be eating any Rocky Mountain Oysters!
- Jacob
P.S. It’s my girlfriend, Katie’s, birthday in the Philippines (June 22nd there) and I just want to wish her a very happy birthday! Miss you!
Thanks, Jacob :-) I miss you, too! And your pictures are incredible. What an impressive place to spend the next 7 weeks. Hope you enjoy it!
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