I planned a trip to the Rocky Mountains with my boyfriend in 2016. I didn't realize it at the time but the last time I travelled without him, solo, was to Costa Rica, over a year prior (our whole relationship). So, when we broke up, I still decided to go on the trip to Colorado. I really needed to get high, not that kind of "high" silly (even though it is easy to do in CO), but get to a high altitude and into the mountains. I needed to reflect on the relationship ending and have gratitude that I was no longer in a manipulative / controlling relationship.
What is the best part about visiting Colorado? Well, my sister and her boyfriend live in Steamboat Springs. I planned this trip to do a circle around and over the Rocky Mountains. I would fly into Denver, visit Boulder, stay in Estes Park, hike Rocky Mountain National Park for a few days, then head to my sisters to celebrate our birthdays (July babies) and the 4th of July then back to Denver to fly home. Of course, I was a little scared to hike by myself and it was shocking to be single again, but I reminded myself that I had the most amazing trips by with me, myself, and I so this trip would be no different.
What is the worst past about visiting Colorado? The rental cars in the Denver airport are sooooooo expensive! I figured out if I took an Uber to an offsite location (10 minutes away) then I could get the same type of rental car for 1/4 of the price. Well, duh, that is a no brainer. If you know me well, you know I love saving money and finding the best deal. When I was younger, my father always listened to Clark Howard and his tips on cheap travel. To this day, I still listen to Clark and his guidance. He has expanded beyond just travel, but I wouldn't be where I'm at financially, without some of his advice. Side note: I met Clark in the Jacksonville, FL airport (he has a house there) sometime around this same trip getting off of a Southwest flight which I was about to get on. I was star struck to say the least. Yes, Southwest is one of my favorite airlines with no change fees which I took advantage of for this trip so I could change the dates to July.
If you are still reading after the side notes, I am now in Colorado, landed in Denver, and got my rental car offsite. Now it was time to drive to Boulder. If you haven't ever visited this town, it is a must. It is so quaint. The downtown has great shopping and restaurants. It is the home of the University of Colorado and National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR). I took a Meteorology course in college, which was hard as crap, by the way, that got me hooked on weather and cloud watching. The NCAR museum was so interesting. I especially enjoyed all the interactive exhibits. Also, while in Boulder, I visited the Boulder Dushanbe Teahouse. I am a huge fan of tea so this place was perfect for me. The architecture, art, and atmosphere didn't disappoint either. After some shopping downtown, I headed to Estes Park.
If you thought Boulder was cute and quaint, Estes Park is similar. I stayed 2 nights here in a Bed and Breakfast. The owner of the B&B made great breakfast and was quite a unique individual. He was very chatty and told me about this book he just wrote. It was a romance novel about witches trying to find love and other things, haha. I still have the man's card somewhere; the book cover really does make someone chuckle. The restaurants in Estes Park were quite tasty. They had food from Mexican to Italian to steak. I also visited the local yoga studio for a slow flow practice. It ended up being very playful and for the first time in my life I went from crow to headstand and back to crow. I have yet to do it again so it must have been the high altitude and fresh air to lift me back up into crow pose.
Estes Park is a great town to stay in because Rocky Mountain National Park is so close by. I got tips from the B&B owner and through my own research on what trails I wanted to hike in the park. The next 2 days, all I did was wake up, eat breakfast, get sandwiches at the local deli, hike, shower, eat, and go to bed. It was great. The trails were not too crowded and being outside was just amazing. One thing that stumped me in Colorado was the use of the word "lake". In the South, a lake you can put boats on and they are quite huge. In Colorado, I found the lakes to be more like ponds or small bodies of water. Whatever their size, the park was beautiful and easy to navigate. I hiked the following: Copeland Falls, Dream Lake, Emerald Lake, Sprague Lake Trail, Bear Lake, and Adam Falls Trail. Of course, like most national parks you have to get there early to get decent parking. I highly recommend visiting here.
Now, if you read the Costa Rica blog post, you may have realized that I love wildlife and flora. Colorado has tons of creatures to see. I saw lots of things during my hikes. My favorite thing was when I was attempting to take a solo photo near the national park sign at the entrance, a group of elk decided to graze by. It was so exciting!! I just stood back and watched them leisurely walk by with no care in the world.
Rocky Mountain National Park is known for their long road / highway to drive through the park, Trail Ridge Road. It is a very scenic drive and I enjoyed it very much but when the park calls it the "highway to the sky" it makes you think before you make the drive. Per the park website: "The road takes you through lowland meadows and aspen groves, along swift-flowing rivers and up through subalpine forest to more than 12,000 feet in elevation. No other national park roads offer the dramatic experience". Dramatic is one word for it. I was a little scared to make the drive to get to my sisters house. There was still snow on the ground at the top. I also took Old Fall River Road which was the first auto route in the park since 1920. There were no guard rails on this road and it was slower-paced with many switchbacks. Both are well worth the time to drive.
After a few hours drive, I was in Steamboat Springs, CO where my sister was living. Steamboat is great fun in the winter with the snow skiing but also amazing in the summer. I also have to say that they have the best tasting water around (and I'm forced to drink a large quantity of it so I don't get altitude sickness). No joke, I wanted to take multiple Nalgene bottles of it home with me but the airline would not let me on with all that liquid. The 2 days I was in Steamboat was fun spending time with my sister. Her boyfriend and I took her out to dinner for her birthday, we ate at my favorite breakfast spot, shopped in their cute downtown, rode bikes around town, and did a hike of Rabbit Ears Peak Trail. For our hike we got sandwiches at my favorite deli and trekked up the mountain. It had some tough parts and I was panting quite bad. What do you expect from someone that lives at sea level??? Sheesh people. We rode our bikes to see fireworks for the fourth of July and have a sparkler party on top of a hill. Go to Steamboat in the summer, it comes highly recommended.
My solo trip to Colorado was wonderful. I met great people, learned new things, and had plenty of time forest bathing. The scenery was beautiful and the experience was one I will never forget (especially the B&B host).
Things I learned during this trip:
It is okay to travel solo. Just watch your surroundings and be alert. Hiking alone is no different than hiking in a group. The solitude sometimes is just what someone needs after a breakup or large event in your life.
People may look at you funny when you are eating alone, hiking by yourself, or having a tea party for one. It is okay, you do you. It really allows you to be present in the moment and further enjoy your experience without distractions (except maybe your thoughts).
Reflect on your relationships regularly, recognize the signs of a bad relationship, and set boundaries as quick as possible. This could be a significant other, friendship, coworker, or even family relationship. It is okay to say the relationship is not working for you. Setting boundaries is healthy and needed in every relationship during your lifetime. This trip helped me recognize the manipulation and emotional distress that happened and notice the warning signs I had during the time with my X.
Learn something or try something new regularly. I'm not a big fan of museums but the science museum was so much fun. Also, hiking alone was not on my list but it was fun to hike in solitude. I think learning something new or trying something new is a necessity.
Things I will bring to Glamp GVL:
Fresh water - we will have fill up stations to encourage drinking water during your stay. It is important to stay hydrated especially if you are doing things outdoors and being active. Of course, this will hopefully encourage multi-use water bottles as well instead of plastic ones.
Start your day with breakfast - we hope to pair with local vendors in order to provide breakfast for the glampers. We will have a coffee and tea bar in the social area as well.
Pack a lunch - we again, hope to pair with local vendors in order for you to have a nice, brown bag lunch to take with you on the trails or during your daily activities. We may also have a sandwich making bar and lunch bag snacks to choose from in order to build your own lunch. Having food with you on the hiking trail is a must have.
Holiday celebrations - we would love for people to come stay with use during the holidays. We will have a listing of local event to help you celebrate national holidays. We will also have birthday or anniversary tent packs for sale in order to decorate and celebrate in your tent or at the glampsite.
Outdoor / Hiking gear for rent - we know that it is hard to travel with all your outdoor gear, so we plan to have gear rental available just in case something was left at home or not part of your current closet of gear.
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