A solo trip to Colorado

I've always loved Colorado, I've driven through it on the way to California and have enjoyed skiing several of its peaks and yet I've never truly experienced the state.

Last week I flew into Denver, tried desperately to avoid toll road E470, navigated the dark roads at night trying to find the Holiday Inn Express only to find the one I wanted was in Golden Colorado 36 minutes away. I learned about excessive baggage fees and reserving a hotel room while not directly speaking to the hotel, big travel lessons.

That first night, I was exhausted, I don't get to fly much, it's something you need to get used to. The car to the airport, the shuttle to the gate, security check, barefoot and awkward, flight to a strange airport, train to the rental car, shuttle to the rental car offsite and finally driving at night.


The next day I must say I was a bit overwhelmed but ready to get out of Denver. It's a gritty city, lots of interesting people walking, riding bikes, skateboards-but I was eager to get to the mountains. You could see them all around and I was excited about getting lost in them.

My initial plan was to visit the zoo, the aquarium and the cave of the winds but you need to be flexible. I planned on seeing them on the way back but Rocky Mountain National Park got the best of me, no complaints.

My first stop was Castle Rock, I was able to take a short hike up a mountain under the view of a large square structure of stone. I intended on getting as far as I could without committing to a full hike. I had no water, still feeling a bit of the altitude and just curious more than driven to see the peak. Instead I walked along two of the trails and just enjoyed being alone on a hiking trail.



Back on the road, my next stop was Colorado Springs, Garden of the Gods. I've been through the area when I drove to California when I was eighteen but what I missed than I more than made up for this time. Huge sandstone Figures dwarf the groups of people walking along the roads that weave between the Sandstone Gods.

The blue sky vibrates against the rich orange sandstone and the yellow wildflowers surround the landscape. It was a bit warmer than I was comfortable with, I'm in Colorado, what happened to the cool mountain air? I would soon find my autumn oasis-I would eventually need a hoody to get through the rest of my trip. For now enjoy the Garden of the Gods and Castle Rock-more of the trip to come. Stay tuned.