Week 3: The Hippies Were Right

Cue John Denver's greatest hits, we made it to Colorado!

From Gering, NE to Boulder, Crested Butte, and Ouray. We cranked the tunes, rolled down the windows, and started cruising. Sunshine and open road!

Our first destination was the Foot of the Mountain Motel, which boasts the distinction of being the oldest operating motel in Boulder (est. 1934). You wouldn't guess its age by its appearance; the colorful string of roadside rooms was rustic-chic, the oldest feature being the very groovy retro red mini fridge.

The motel sits across the street from Boulder Creek, a popular tubing spot alongside a trail that goes into town. We took advantage of the dog-friendly path, and walked to Boulder's popular Dushanbe tea house one evening. Popular for a good reason, here we had the best drinks and food to date!

One morning we drove up the mountain to the small town of Nederland for a hike. This was our first Colorado hike, and you just know Erin was belting Rocky Mountain High as we walked along (to keep the bears away). After our hike, we explored town and stopped by the farmer's market to listen to some live music. We did some jamming with the Grateful Dead cover band, and then hit the road when the rain came in.

After a few relaxing nights in Boulder, we drove to Crested Butte. Here we stayed at the Purple Mountain Bed & Breakfast, a few blocks from downtown. Our travel agent, Papa Sollo, had a suspicion (accurate) that Crested Butte would be our favorite, so he booked us at this B&B for a good five days. It felt great to be off the road for a while, and Crested Butte was the perfect place to stretch our legs!

Every morning, Chris, the owner of Purple Mountain, kindly treated us to a homemade & handcrafted breakfast. The smell of bacon cooking woke us up most days. We'd make our way downstairs to meet the other guests at the dining room table where Chris would present his culinary creation of the morning. At the table, we exchanged lively conversation with our neighbors between bites. I mean seriously I still dream about those blueberry buckwheat pancakes...

Breakfast wasn't the only social event at the inn. Every evening, Chris gathered us for the Beer of the Day, a short communal happy hour for the guests. We tried local red pepper beer, espresso beer, and pineapple beer! All surprisingly good.

We loved having a breakfast chef and a beer connoisseur, but mostly we loved having Chris's plethora of local knowledge at our disposal! He had endless hiking recommendations, wildflower advice, and mountain biking insights. We took him up on some of his suggestions, exploring the Oh Be Joyful trail and eventually gaining the courage to hit the single track for some serious mountain biking on the Walk in the Woods trail.

We also visited the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratories, up the mountain in the abandoned mining town of Gothic. RMBL is a high-altitude biological field station est. 1928. Pollination biology is a historical research strength of the lab (aka yay for bees)!

After nearly a week exploring the nooks and crannies of CB, we packed up (took one final jacuzzi), and drove to Ouray (YOU-ray). Unfortunately, it was not the quick cruise down the 50 we had envisioned, and by the time we got to Ouray, we had to scramble to secure a campsite.

Inevitably, all the car camp sites were taken when we arrived, so we opted to explore the hike-in sites. We trekked up the rocky terrain carrying far too much stuff, passing four already occupied sites. The woods grew thick and our options were looking grim. We were about to give up when suddenly the underbrush turned to thistle. Vibrant rows of violet asters ceremoniously lined the path giving way to the final campsite, unoccupied! We quickly set up camp so as to claim our spot, then returned to town for a delish burger dinner.

Back at camp, ominous thunderclouds loomed overhead. They say there's only one way to test the waterproofness of your tent, and Erin's second-hand tent circa 1995 performed about as well as you'd expect. Pro-tip: bandaids are a very mediocre temporary fix for tent holes. Despite the puddles and leaks, we were stoked and ready to hit the trails the next morning.

There are many hiking trails in the area, most of them part of the Ouray Perimeter Trail. We picked one we thought would be easy, but as it turns out, there are no easy hiking trails in Ouray. Our stay in this part of Colorado was filled with tough hikes, but rewarded by campfire dinners and Scrabble games in the mountains.

Colorado surely did not disappoint! We loved each unique town, and embraced the fresh mountain air and greenery. As we wrap up this portion of our trip, we take some time to appreciate the abundance and delicacy of nature.

The mountains welcomed us with intense storms that brought water to the creeks, but also blissful sunshine that bathed the valleys. We marveled at tiny wildflowers sprouting from the earth, but also stood in awe beneath towering aspens swaying in the breeze.

In this dance of contrasts, we found a deeper connection to the wild. A reminder to honor the entire cycle of life, live in harmony with nature, nurture the earth as it nurtures us, and ensure that our planet lives on. Colorado reminded us of something we already knew; the hippies were right.