Roadtrip 2024: Week 5 "Colorful Colorado"

The red sandstones in the west, the black rocks at the Black Canyon and the aspen groves just turning from green to bright yellow really made Colorado come true to its name - Colorful Colorado!

After a nice mountain bike ride in Moab - maybe the rider and bike could've been in better shape - I went back to Colorado and stayed the night at Colorado National Monument close to Grand Junction. Very beautiful place. Next day a ton of bikers went through that area as I was heading south to the Black Canyon National Park. The photos don't do this park justice. It is definitely worth seeing! Then headed east and north towards Leadville where I camped two nights in the "wild" at Twin Lakes to summit Mt. Elbert the second highest peak in the lower 48 behind Mt. Whitney in California. Then drove past Copper Mountain where I biked some and Fresco where I visited the brewery and ate fantastic asian fried chicken. I stayed for two hours at Hot Sulphur Springs in varous pools of different temperatures and mineral contents. It smelled just like the geysers at Yellowstone - me too as you weren't supposed to shower afterwards as this stuff is healthy to your skin. Then continued to just south of the Rocky Mountain National Park where the Colorado River is born and camped there at Lake Granby. Next day summited Mt. Ida in the park in the morning - a 4 hour hike. Then the weather turned bad with some rain as I was visiting the mandatory touristy Bear Lake (disappointing) in the park. Camped that night wild again in the woods next to a road and headed south past Denver to Colorado Springs where I took an hour hike at the Garden of the Gods. Continued some more south to a campground in Colorado City. I also ran there 3 miles the next morning, the first time since late July and my knee felt good. Then crossed into New Mexico to see Capulin Volcano National Monument and into Texas to Amarillo where I ate early dinner at the famous Big Texan Steak Ranch (free 72oz steak if you can eat it in an hour). I stayed at the KOA there with pool and laundry. This is where I am posting this from. I'm back in the south! People are hard to understand, it's 100 degrees and I'm being called "sweetheart". It's time to head back home, slowly! Thinking of going along US-40 corridor. I've driven 6,000 miles so far. The next two days will be hot.

Moab mountain biking. Loved the part of riding on the bare rock. Didn't like the deep sandy spots.

Colorado National Monument

Colorado National Monument in the morning

Black Canyon National Park

My car has a tough time getting up there with its 2L engine.

Aspen trees turning yellow

Sunset at Twin Lakes

Mt. Elbert I would summit the next day.

Twin Lakes

Sunrise early morning on way up to the summit.

Made it! Altitude wasn't a big issue, but the hike ended up to be very long with 16 miles. I was beat!

Looking west from the summit

Back down towards Twin Lakes

More of those beautiful aspens.

Bike ride at Copper Mountain

I was really thinking about doing the CDT for a while, but maybe next year I'll do the Colorado Trail. It's a bit shorter 😀.

My camping spot at Lake Granby just south of Rocky Mountain National Park.

Sunset at Lake Granby

Poudre Lake. Starting point to Mt. Ida

View from Mt. Ida

The lake in the very back is where I camped the previous night.

Made it up Mt. Ida

You will be called bushy-tailed mini-beaver.

Sprague Lake still in Rocky Mountain National Park. Bad weather coming in.

There is always hope

Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs

I loved this campsite in Colorado City. The camp host told me that site is often visited by a cougar at night. I put out some red wine, but nothing happened.