Days 87-90 - Just foolin' around...

After arriving in Steamboat four days ahead of schedule (snicker...Liz thinks it was an accident), we had several days to kill. Misers that we are, we decided two of our favorite haunts, Steamboat and Estes Park, were too expensive. So we concocted an elaborate travel plan to see some cool stuff we hadn't seen before and safe some cash while so doing. Little did we know what a treasure trove of groovy sights we'd see.

After splurging at the Holiday Inn Express in Steamboat after our 20 hr. Jeep-trek, we decided to make our dutiful annual passage though Rocky Mountain NP. We left the BMW parked in the lot of our condo in "The Boat" while we did RMNP by Jeep. Seeking adventure, we explored a couple of new roads we'd never traveled. Much to our unbridled glee, we were more than delighted that we did. Perhaps you have traveled these roads, but not us.

Devils Gultch/CR-27/Rist Canyon

Instead of heading through Estes Park following the traditional West/East RMNP route, we took the northernmost exit out of RMNP and turned north on MacGregor Ave. You can follow the route on the text portion of the map slide above. Anyhow...Devil's Gulch is just killer! Next you turn north on CR-27 and it gets equally, if not more spectacular. I would have included pictures, but we were too mesmerized to think about stopping and snapping. Sorry, 'bout that, but you really need to see this countryside first hand. The right turn onto Rist Canyon Road is yet another delightful change of scenery as well. Hey...if you're into canyon blasting in Colorado, be my guest! Be forewarned, however that the speed limits are posted for tourists and not for "Isle Of Man" practice. Traffic was moderate to light.

On the return trip we went even further north along the Cache la Pouvre. That, historically speaking, means powder cache and has roots in Colorado lore. It was really cool in the Jeep, but we realized instantaneously that it was a moto-road. Our original plan was to head past Steamboat to Craig Colorado and then into Wyoming the following day. We were so impressed by the beauty we experienced we changed our plans into a 2-day bike return trip from Craig back to Fort Collins instead. Are we ever glad we did! An early morning east to west sojourn along the Cache la Poudre with the sun at your back ranks among our all-time favorite rides ever!! Here's the route:

Cache la Pouvre

I can't tell you how many times we've planned to ride this highway and something has always altered our plans. Now, it ranks so high we'll be certain to ride it again and again. In fact, I'm quite certain Lizzy left her traveling pillow at the Days Inn at For Collins so we'll have to return there via Cache la Pouvre sooner rather than later. Talk about a sneaky lady...I swanny. 

Speaking of Fort Collins...what a delightful little hippie town! Upon arriving, and before we checked into our motel, we lingered a while in the Fort Collins Heritage District. Here's a couple of snaps:

As I write, we're now nestled into our comfy abode in "The Boat." Already we feel right at home. There are some exciting spectator events upcoming including a Wednesday, "Bulls and Bands" at the rodeo arena. It's a night devoted to rodeo clowns that have a hankering to be bull-fighters. So, Steamboat says, "It's your night...have at it!" We can't wait to see these crazies do their stuff. 

Thanks for stopping by and checking in. Stay tuned for more adventures to follow!!

As always, please write to us...we miss you and love hearing from you, too!!