Completing the Rocky Mountain Road Trip
After finishing in Arches National Park, my wife, Lynne, and I started heading east toward home. The final days of our Rocky Mountain Road Trip consisted of quick pit stops in the mountains of Colorado and on the plains of Kansas as well as in familiar places like Missouri.
We moved relatively quickly along I-70, but we managed to take in plenty of Americana along the way. I definitely plan a return to explore the mountain areas more deeply. I’m not sure I can say the same about the plains, but I do know you need to see them to render a judgment. My hope is these pictures and ideas will whet your whistle for some pit stops of your own, wherever the road may lead you.
Red Rocks
Our drive through western Colorado was full of interesting landscapes. We followed the Colorado River as it meandered and cut its way through the mountains, exposing all sort of different rock formations, including many different types of red rocks throughout the region (picture below, top left). I found it interesting how these red rocks so different in appearance from other red rocks we observed, like those in Wyoming, Montana, Utah, and, Wyoming (clockwise, from top right).
The rocks are one example of the beauty of taking a road trip. You have the opportunity to see so many unique things. These sights are not always amazing but they do hold your attention and pique your interest, if you let them. Areas that you may anticipate as boring, frequently surprise you and hold your attention for miles. I can attest to this with the mountains. I love to think about the centuries it took the Colorado River to carve a chasm. Additionally, the manpower, thinking, and technology required to pave a road through this mountain pass is astounding to ponder. These ideas engage and entertain my mind for many hours of driving.
Glenwood Springs
Around one of those bends in the Colorado River, we entered Glenwood Springs for the first of our pit stops. The famous landmark here is the hot springs pool on the property of the Glenwood Hot Springs Resort. It is located very close to the interstate, which seemed to diminish the tranquility effect, although many did not seem to mind. Instead of the pool, we decided to spend our time browsing around the adorable downtown district. We checked into one of the numerous chain hotels and headed out on foot.
We started across the Colorado River bridge to the downtown area. Unique shops, foodstuffs, bars and eateries abound for browsing, indulging and enjoyment. We dined on outstanding food at the Pullman Restaurant, an American eatery. We shared a delightful brussel sprout appetizer. A steak salad and broasted chicken were the main courses. There is plenty to do in this area for a couple of days, including white water rafting, hiking and all varieties of outdoor sport.
The next morning, we intended to hike to the Hanging Lake on the way out of town. Unfortunately, we did not want to get up at the crack of dawn to do it. The limited parking fills before 8 AM and that was the case for this day, as the amber highway sign conveyed that the “PARKING LOT IS FULL”. It’s sad when you miss something you really want to encounter, but it is now a reason to return for a stop. Not to be deterred, we continued on toward Denver and now had a bit more time to stop in Vail.
Vail
Visiting Vail in the summer is clearly the “wrong” season, but we still wanted to stop in for a quick visit. It was totally worth it. What a cool village! It is clearly geared toward the chic and wealthy in season. We found some bargains shopping around and we enjoyed the beautiful alpine views. The town also has many statues around town to learn more about history as well as entertaining photo ops. Our visit definitely created an appetite to visit one of these ski villages in season, even though I do not ski. It’s a unique and beautiful environment.
Golden
Back on the road, we passed several ski areas, beautiful lakes and mountain passes. Just west of Denver, we jumped off on US-6 headed toward Golden. The road follows Clear Creek about 15 miles through a canyon. It is a beautiful stretch of country. It is exactly what you envision when you think of the mountains of Colorado.
Clear Creek rolls directly into Golden, right to the Coors Brewing Company. We toured the factory and grounds. From there, we strolled into town and had tacos for lunch at El Callejon. We enjoyed the food and next door was a deli, called D’Deli, which had a line out the door. I must be tremendous. I will try it next time I get to Golden.
East Side of Denver
Heading east out of Denver toward Kansas is one boring stretch of road. Within 15 minutes outside of town, everything flattens out and the mountains were gone. We were left looking at flat farmland, mostly ranches. I could not believe how the landscape changed. Of the 5,500 miles we covered on this trip, this was the most unappealing and mundane stretch we drove.
Entering Kansas
We entered Kansas and fought through an obligatory thunderstorm. It was not to the scale of Wizard of Oz, but there were tornado warnings posted. I have to admit I was a bit uneasy based on all of the videos you see. We managed to push through and pull into Hays, KS around dinner time. We had time for food and a beer. Luckily, we found the perfect marriage of the two at Gella’s Diner & Lb Brewing Company.
Hays
When you are traveling through unfamiliar territory and looking for a good place for the night, I have found towns with a good-sized college to be the best bet for pit stops. They have the infrastructure to support competition amongst hotels, restaurants, plus, in recent years, local breweries. Hays was the only town in western Kansas with a good-sized college, Fort Hays State University, and my bet paid off.
The food at Gella’s was standard brewpub fare. It was done well. The beer was the best part. I tried two different stouts. They were both flavorful and not bitter. Lynne tried the lemon ale and LOVED it. She has been looking for its equal since that visit. A lemon Radler is close, but it is not quite as perfect. It’s equal would be a beer reminiscent of a lemon drop. It was divine!
Abilene
A couple hours across the state from Hays lands you in Abilene, which is home to the WW II General and 34th President of the United States, Dwight D Eisenhower. We stopped and walked the grounds, including his boyhood home. The property also includes a presidential library and museum. If you enjoy presidential lives or who great leaders emerged, it’s definitely worth a stop for an hour or an afternoon.
Across the street, the Greyhound Hall of Fame recounts the history of this dog breed and its legacy. The curators have several dogs to greet visitors and has plenty to learn about Greyhound racing, if that interests you. The admission is free so you can stop for just a couple of minutes and say hello to the dogs.
Missouri
Back on the road, we cruised through the rest of Kansas into Missouri. We did not have time for a day in Kansas City, but this would have made a terrific stopping point. The city boasts a WWI Museum, Legoland, zoo and Aquarium plus great food, shopping and brewery options. Here is a fun list of potential tourist stops. I plan to visit when I am able to give the city my full attention, perhaps on Fountain Day, when all 48 publicly-operated fountains spring back to life.
Instead, we busted over to eastern Missouri to stop and visit friends. I have traveled to this area before. You can read highlights of fun things to see and do in my article, Road Trip to Big MO! Give it a read. There are some great things to see and do in Missouri.
Back Home
The next day, we drove in the rain through Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky and Ohio. We could have made pit stops in St. Louis for food or Louisville to check out the bourbon trail, but we were excited to finish the road trip. As you can see below, I pulled into the driveway and snapped a photo. We drove exactly 5,555 miles round trip and what an awesome trip it was. Thanks for joining me and do not miss other points of interest from our trip. Link to the Rocky Mountain Road Trip page right here.
It’s coming! We traveled 5500 miles to visit great attractions, eat the local cuisine, stay in many different places, and much, much more. Which places won the Gold Medal? Find out soon!