Dana and I set off with Little Red on Thursday, traveling 2.5 hours southwest of Denver via highway 285. We drove through South Park, a flat grassland in the basin of the mountain ranges. The vast and windy area serves as the setting of the animated television series, South Park. As we reached Buena Vista, the snowy "collegiate peaks" loomed in front of us. This area has the highest concentration of 14,000' peaks in the U.S. The most notable include Mt. Princeton, Mt. Colombia, Mt. Yale, and Mt. Harvard.
We stopped at the Mt. Princeton Hot Springs for an afternoon soak. Though very cold outside (single-digit cold), the natural hot spring water was hot! The historic bath house has pools reaching up to 105 F while the network of creekside pools vary in temperature. Dana and I spent most of our time "pool hopping" in Chalk Creek until our skin shriveled up into raisins.
We arrived in Salida after just a short drive through Poncha Springs. Dana's mom, Alison, and cat, Xena, greeted us, and the three of us went to Amicas Pizzeria and Microbrewery.
On Friday, Dana and I skied Monarch Mountain. With only a 30-minute drive ahead of us, we were able to sleep in before heading out--a luxury not possible in Denver.
It was another frigid day, but the sun provided some warmth. Still, I resolved to warming up in the lodge after every couple of runs.
Monarch has received a ton of snow this winter, boasting a 90" base. This was seen in the pine trees that were caked with snow. And because it's not a high-volume mountain relative to those closer to the Front Range, it's possible to powder ski several days after a dumping.
Spanning the Continental Divide at close to 12,000', the views from the top of the mountain were breathtaking.
Despite the cold weather, I had a positive first impression of Monarch, and would be eager to return. It is a good size, not crowded, and well-suited to my skill level.
On our way down, Dana and I earned our victory beers at Elevation Beer Co., before sharing a home-cooked dinner with Alison.
Saturday was slightly warmer, so Dana and I went for a morning jog. We met his step-father for lunch and spent the afternoon in historic downtown. At 7,000', the small mountain town sits at the base of Tenderfoot Hill ("S-Mountain"). Salid is structured in such a way that its street names make up the letters of the alphabet.
The Arkansas River attracts many tourists during the summer months for rafting and kayaking.
Dana and I stopped at Moonlight Pizza & Brewpub (#28 on my list) before sharing tapas and drinks with Alison at the Fritz.
On Sunday, we watched Roger Federer claim the Australian Open title before meeting Dana's friend, Anna, for breakfast at Shallots. Then it was back to Denver, where we were greeted by temperatures reaching 60 F!
