To say summer is hot in Phoenix, is an understatement. Winter is great! We can sit by the pool during the day and the outdoor fireplace at night. We can wear the fashionable Fall clothing that hits the racks, we can even go snow skiing a couple of hours north of the valley. But, it is summer and summer is HOT. The kind of hot that feels like you stepped into an oven turned on high. For those of us that live here, we know that it means it is time to leave. Adios!
Now, I do not have the luxury of staying gone on all summer, but I do live close to some pretty areas that are much cooler, such as northern Arizona. But, I have explored that area a lot and wanted something different this summer. Last year I told my husband, Shad, that now that we have lived in Phoenix for two years, I wanted to make it a goal to get out of the city every year on forth of July, and explore a state we have never been to.
I grew up in a small town and we had so much fun on the Fourth. Our town fireworks were so pretty and the street dance brought a sense of community that small towns can do so easily. I miss that. Phoenix is a fire hazard in the summer, which means my favorite holiday is not celebrated the way I would like to: fireworks all night. I love watching the fireworks!
I had originally chosen Idaho as the state I would visit this year. But, my cousin Chrissy invited us to go to her friend’s cabin in Telluride and that sounded like a great idea even though I have been to Colorado many times. But, I have never been to Telluride. Honestly, I did not know much about it and it was not high on my travel radar. It’s about a seven hour drive though, and that was appealing enough.
Then the magic happened. I googled “Telluride”. I got so excited when I looked at the photos. Wow! One thing I know is that unfiltered pictures are rarely as good as the real thing and these photos were amazing! I counted down the days until we could hit the road. I have to admit, that we left a few hours later than we typically do. I regret that. Had I known how truly beautiful this place is, I would have left the night before just to spend as much time as possible in this majestic village nestled between large, snow capped mountains.
When you enter Colorado, there is a sign that says, “Welcome to Colorful Colorado”. I remember that sign as a child, when my dad would take us to different parks between Colorado Springs and Denver. What I did not remember is WHY the state of Colorado calls themselves “colorful”. Whoever came up with that slogan, pegged it perfectly.
My husband was driving the curvy road into Telluride, while Chrissy and I were enjoying the views and constantly saying, “Oh my God, look over there”. I was also saying, “Shad, keep your eyes on the road and hands on the wheel”. Poor guy. He was not getting to experience it the way were were. But, he got his turn because I did drive while we were here so he could stare in awe at the shades of green covering the rolling hills and the tall mountains that still have snow on them in July!
The contrast between the Sedona red color mountains on one side of the road and the millions of various evergreens and aspen trees on the other side, was magnificent. The fast flowing river that followed the road for miles and miles, was dotted with tents and campgrounds. Plus, the night sky was covered in zillions of stars! The window in our bedroom gave us a perfect view of the little dipper. The best part: seeing about a hundred elk every day, hanging out in a meadow staring at everyone, myself included, as we took photos and videos of them. My dream this year was to see an elk. I was so grateful to God that it happened. I never expected to see that many. Although, none of them had huge antlers, or any antlers that I could tell. Ha! Now, I am just being picky. There is still time though. We have to drive by there on our way out tomorrow.
When you live in the desert, vacationing near water is a must. I had researched a couple of lakes I wanted to hike to. One is called Blue Lake and the other is Blue Lakes. I saw pictures and decided that I was going. Well, that did not happen as planned, because I did not even think to look at the elevation of the lake. I just saw pretty and pretty won. Off I go!
Stunning Bridal Veil Falls
We headed to the lake early in the morning. First stop was Bridal Veil Falls. It’s Colorado’s second largest waterfall, and did not disappoint. The lake is past that, but I got altitude sickness: nausea and headache around 10,200 feet. I could have pushed through but the headache had started the day we arrived and was lingering and getting worse. I have read that altitude sickness is dangerous, so we headed back down. I think we still had about 8 miles to go and 2,000 ft more in elevation gain. I’ll get there next time, after I have acclimated; it took 3 days before my head felt better. Safety first!
We then decided to head to Ouray. One of my patients told me to go there. My cousin had also told me about the most “beautiful” drive she had ever been on. It just happened to be the same place. I LOVED that drive, especially going further, towards Silverton. We did not go all the way though because we had been driving for awhile, stopping to take photos and it was getting late. The road from Ouray to Silverton is scary! I was pressing my feet into the floorboard while Shad took each curve slowly. I tried to look down over the cliff but it was too much for my anxiety brain to handle! Instead, we turned around and went hiking up a gorgeous mountain, then sat at a rooftop restaurant to watch people walking around the cute little town. By the time we got to bed that night, I had decided that Ouray was my favorite place so far.
But, I changed my mind after exploring more of Telluride the next day. The houses are so darn cute!!! We hiked Bear Creek Trail, which is ridiculously beautiful! If I lived here, I would hike that fairly easy trail every day. No matter where I looked, there was stunning views. A lot of mosquitos too! I was not prepared for that. Thankfully some trail angels heard us talking and let us use theirs. Bye, bye suckers! Mosquitos, not kind people that helped us.
To end our day here, we drove to the small town of Dolores to go boating with my cousin’s friends. The drive there was of course….you guessed it…beautiful. Trout Lake was like a postcard. I don’t know if I have ever been to a lake that magnificent. I am sure Blue Lakes is even prettier because the water is truly blue, but until I get there, this is my number one lake.
Discovering Colorado from my adult eyes has been an incredible experience! If you know me, you have probably heard me say that I will not go to the same place twice. But, this section of Colorado has so much to be explored. I feel like I was at a buffet and just got a little taste of everything.
Times like these, I wish I could go back to my thirties and know what I know now, and do things different. I spent ten years never traveling because I was so focused on other things. If I could have those ten years back, I would have kept on traveling like I had been before I moved to Georgia. The world is so beautiful. Our own country is so beautiful. I love international travel so much, but when that is not feasible, I plan on hitting our roads a lot more. Each year a new state or two. Yes, if I could go back to my thirties, I would realize how short life is. How fragile our bodies become. I would know that you are what you eat and nutrition matters. I would look in the mirror and say, “Gurl…what are you doing? Get up, pack your bags and Let’s Go!”
