The End Of A Monthlong Road Trip – One Week In Denver

Photo is of a sculpture in downtown Denver – a giant bear peering into the convention center.

After just over two weeks in New Mexico, visiting Albuquerque, Santa Fe and Taos, and viewing the total lunar eclipse, we drove to Denver, CO. It was a beautiful, clear Saturday, and it was so green on the way to Colorado, it reminded me of our trip to Ireland. Colorado was higher on Scott’s travel wish list than mine (I think of Colorado as mountains and beer, and I’m neither a hiker nor a drinker), but it really exceeded my expectations.

We stayed just outside of Denver in Westminster, CO. We looked at AirBNB options but settled on a Residence Inn, as we did in Santa Fe. This one was not nearly as roomy or well-equipped as Santa Fe. We had a one-bedroom with a sofabed, which our youngest described as more uncomfortable than college furniture, including sleeping on the floor! The living space and kitchen area were extremely tight, and I ended up doing all of my work in the hotel reception area, which had a lot of space. The breakfast offering in Santa Fe also topped this one, as we had hot tamales and chilaquiles there (a nice local treat!) but the Westminster breakfast was just the standard continental fare.

Still, the location enabled us to explore several different areas of Colorado, and we took advantage on every day that we were there.

Rocky Flats, Golden, CO, Lookout Mountain

Rocky Flats is a National Wildlife Refuge maintained by the US Fish & Wildlife Service. It offers a nice view of the Rocky Mountains, and the flat prairie is an accessible, meditative area to stroll and enjoy the different wildflowers. We followed a loop trail that was just over a mile, and since we visited first thing in the morning, the weather was manageable.

We then headed into Golden, CO, which had a right-sized downtown area. It was quaint enough to be manageable in an afternoon, but busy enough to have shops and attractions, even with the Coors brewery closed for the pandemic.

We finished our first day with a drive to Lookout Mountain, which offers a nice view of downtown Denver. You could spend the day there, as there are several trails and attractions. Lookout Mountain is where Buffalo Bill is said to be buried, and there is a museum dedicated to his story. We just took in the drive and the view, though we did visit the Buffalo Bill Café for some excellent homemade fudge.

Estes Park, CO

Our next full day was spent in Estes Park, which is about 90 minutes from where we were staying. It is close to Rocky Mountain National Park, so you could easily spend a couple of days in that area. We weren’t going to do any hiking or camping, so we stuck with a leisurely day of eating and shopping at Estes Park.

It was much more crowded than we expected, since we arrived pretty early on a Monday. Our first pick for breakfast had a small crowd already brewing outside, so we opted for Mountain Home Café, which turned out to be an excellent choice. I had their homemade corned beef hash, which I highly recommend.

Estes Park has a river running through it, so you get this fun dichotomy of a bustling, built-out downtown with spots of rushing river throughout.

Mount Evans Scenic Byway

The Mount Evans Scenic Byway is the highest paved road in North America. You ascend over 7,000 feet as you drive approximately 28 miles and end up at 14,130 feet. This was the highlight of the trip, though I don’t know that I could do this ride again. Scott absolutely loved it, while I only loved the parts when we could get out of the car and enjoy the views.

Just before the toll booth for the scenic byway, at about 10,000 feet, is alpine lake, which just seemed extra bright and shiny in the high altitude and with a sunny day.

I didn’t realize I was afraid of heights till we did this drive. it is curvy, and there are multiple narrow stretches with no guardrails. As you ascend, it looks like you are driving off the mountain – think the last scene of Thelma and Louise, over and over. It’s striking, but not for the faint of heart.

As you get closer to the top, you hit snowfall.

There are multiple points to stop and hike trails, including the peak where multiple people elected to ramble up the rocks. We just took in the views.

Rocky Mountain Arsenal Wildlife Refuge and Sloan’s Leak Lake

By contrast, the Rocky Mountain Arsenal is a much tamer drive. You’re squarely on flat ground, though there are warnings throughout to stay in your car and avoid the bison. The Arsenal is a wildlife refuge with land maintained for bison, multiple species of birds, and other animals. My favorite were the prairie dogs which you could see standing guard over little mounds.

Scott downloaded a free audio tour of The Arsenal, which I highly recommend so you can appreciate what you’re looking at. I’m sure I would have missed the small prairie dogs without the tour prompting us to be on the lookout.

Later that evening, we went to Sloan’s Lake to see the sunset. We didn’t get a great sunset view, but we did discover a lively park with nice benches right by the water. Apparently Sloan’s Lake is also referred to as Sloan’s Leak because it was discovered accidently by a farmer trying to dig a well and instead hitting an aquifer. Sloan’s Lake has a 2.8-mile walking/ biking path all the way around, in case you’re looking for a nice work out on your next trip.

Downtown Denver

Even though our first-choice attractions were to see the nature site, we did hit downtown Denver to check out Laramie Square and the performance centers. We didn’t want to visit Colorado and not see a metropolis like Denver firsthand. There was less variety in the stores and restaurants than I was expecting for Denver’s size, but Laramie Square was bustling.

We enjoyed the sculptures we found downtown. The photo at the top of the post is a giant blue bear peering into the convention center, and below is the iconic ‘dancers’ sculpture, located at the performing arts complex.

Hudson Gardens

On our last full day, we intended to see the Red Rocks Park and Amphitheatre, but it was closed. We did, however, catch the delightful and totally admission-free Hudson Gardens. There are multiple smaller gardens and walking paths within Hudson Gardens, and I could easily spend the day there, journaling and reading by the water garden or among the vegetable beds or by the roses. We had tried to see the Denver Botanic Gardens earlier in the week but there was limited admission due to the pandemic, and it was already sold out. I can’t compare the two, but Hudson Gardens is definitely worth a visit.

Ending the trip through Missouri, Alabama and back to Florida

By the time we checked out of our Colorado hotel, we had been away from home for 28 days. Anxious to get back (mail only gets held for a month!), we spent a full three days on driving and didn’t stop to enjoy the interim states. But we had nice stopovers in Kansas City on the MO side and Birmingham, AL.

The most interesting place we passed through was Lebanon, KS, which is the geographical center of the contiguous 48 states.

We spent just under $7,200 for the full month, with hotel/ AirBNB being the biggest line item at 59% of our spend. Food came in second at 26%. Interestingly, our cheapest expense was our excursions, as so many of our activities were free. We spent just over $200 on entrance fees. We spent twice as much on souvenirs as we did on the excursions!

Arguably, transportation could be considered an excursion expense because so much of what we did was scenic driving, but gas, parking and tolls totaled just over $400. We did drive ~7,000 miles throughout the trip. If you apply the IRS standard for car expense (56 cents for 2021), that adds $3,920 to the transportation cost for a total over $4,300. That’s enough for transportation to overtake housing as the biggest expense of the trip. It is a ROAD trip after all.

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We loved our time out West so much that we would love to do an annual trip. I have my sights on Oregon and Nevada. We also love Western Canada. What would you recommend?