Benjamin and I just returned from another glorious roadtrip -- this time 8 days in southern Colorado with a mountain-bike theme.We first stopped at Joyful Journey Hot Springs in the amazing San Luis Valley. Here we used the desert landscape as biking warm up terrain, followed by long soaks in mineral baths. All in preparation for the adventures that lay ahead ......
... first at the Great Sand Dunes National Park, absolutely one of our most favorite places. The Dunes are a w
ell-kept secret, an extraordinary landscape, and just loads of fun. We camped at the base, climbed to the very top (Star Dune), then laughed loudly as we tumbled down cushioned by 500 feet of soft sand. We then followed the Mendano Creek until it was absorbed into the sandy surrounds, rode our mountain bikes up as far as possible on a 4WD trail (until it just got too soft!), and slept under the stars at the meteor shower's peak.(photos are from others -- our camera ran out of batteries!)
The Sand Dunes truly are stunning.
We then moved on to the Inn at the Rio Grande, in Alamosa, otherwise labeled by Benjamin as the "Fancy Motel." It gets his top 5-star rating due to the availability of ping pong and billiard tables as well as the indoor water park. I even braved the 2-story slide, with intense coaching provided by my ever-so-wise-and-expert 9-year old companion. We also rode our mountain bikes along Alamosa's "ranch trails" again for warm up ....
... for our extreme wilderness mountain adventure in beautiful Telluride. Nestled amidst the high peaks of the southern San Juan mountains, Telluride is a lovely mountain community famous for winter skiing -- but those mountain slopes offer amazing biking opportunities "off-season!"In addition to the scenery and the fun, the classic mining town and Victorian architecture is a tremendous draw for me -- and because of the town's relative inaccessibility, it's not as overrun by tourists as many of the charming historic mining communities/resorts.
We camped in the "Town Park" in a riverside spot tucked into the willows yet 3 blocks from top-notch cafes, bakeries, and restaurants. Now, that's civilized !Our mountain biking adventures included mostly
novice trails just outside of town, but we then ventured with bikes on the gondola to try our hands (and feet, legs, and lungs) at some mountain-top trails. We muddled our way through about a mile of single-track intermediate when we returned to the novice trails -- but with a strong determination to boost our skills and tackle the trails again next season!
The ride home was top down, open air,
favorite music playing,
faces in the wind and sun.
(A truly candid shot)Thank you summer.
Welcome home to Colorado.
