Hiking the Rock Shelter Loop Trail

Posted on October 17, 2013 by Travel Spirit

I love hiking and so do my girlfriends, so on our recent girls’ weekend, we went hiking on the Rock Shelter Loop Trail in Morgan Monroe State Forest, Indiana. I had researched hiking trails in the area, and this trail seemed to be a good choice. The trail was only supposed to be 20 minutes away from our Vacation Rental by Owner (VRBO), but getting lost on those back country roads made it seem much farther. We couldn’t find the trail head once we were in the State Forest, but luckily I had the phone number for Morgan Monroe State Forest with me, so we called its location. We weren’t going crazy…there was no sign for it. The large sign said Low Gap Trail and then once you park and start that trail, there is a small sign (see below) indicating that the Rock Shelter Loop Trail is part of that trail.

Anyway, it was supposed to be a three-mile hike, but ended up being four miles. I took a photograph of this leaf that was on a slick rocky portion of the trail. The sunlight was illuminating it…

Continue reading →

Girls Gone Wild

Posted on October 16, 2013 by Travel Spirit

OK…so we’re not really girls anymore…more like ladies…but we did get a little wild! Here are some photos from the 24 hours we spent together (excluding sleeping time).

Dee (the Chiropractor…the 2nd photo down on the right) gave us a partial Pilates class Saturday morning, so Cindy put on an outfit she had bought recently that makes her look like I Dream of Jeannie.

I can’t divulge what story Gina (in the middle) was telling us, but it was obviously very funny! Cindy (on the left) was also a bit appalled!

Continue reading →

Hiking at Elm House

Posted on October 15, 2013 by Travel Spirit

For my annual girls’ weekend, I found a Vacation Rental by Owner in Bloomington, Indiana (aka Elm House) that had everything we were looking for—a home located on 100 acres with hiking trails, three bedrooms for five of us, two bathrooms (a must), a hot tub, and two wineries located within five miles! If you read yesterday’s post, you’ll recall our first stop was a winery located five minutes from the property. From there we found the house, unpacked the car and took a quick tour of the house. Elm House has three short maintained hiking trails on the grounds, so we laced our hiking boots and headed for the longest trail…a one-miler. There were only three of us at this point. Two of the ladies weren’t arriving until around 6:00pm.

Here’s a beautiful view from the house looking down at the sawmill that is located on the property.

Continue reading →

Lunch in Golden, Colorado

Posted on September 28, 2013 by Travel Spirit

The little town of Golden, Colorado is situated less than 30 minutes drive from Denver. My friend and I stopped there for a late lunch/early dinner after hiking up to St. Mary’s Glacier. We were headed to see The Local Natives and The National Bands at Red Rock Amphitheater. After walking a few blocks through town and taking some photographs…we stopped at The Bridgewater Grill for our meal. We were seated on the outside patio with a view of the small river/large creek. It’s attached to the Golden Hotel. The food was good…I would recommend it.

This statue of a man fly fishing is cool. At first I thought he had a bull whip…

The sign as you enter town, “Howdy Folks, Welcome to Golden, Where the West lives” is a nice touch!

Continue reading →

Colorado has Glaciers

Posted on September 27, 2013 by Travel Spirit

One of the cool things about traveling and having a blog is it forces you to do research and learn things…like…how many glaciers are in Colorado. Well not specifically how many…but is there more than the one I hiked which was St. Mary’s Glacier in Idaho Springs which is only an hour from Denver. If you read my last post you know St. Mary’s Glacier is only about a mile round trip–that it’s uphill and at an elevation of around 10,000 ft.

Here are some photos of the glacier and my girlfriend and I.

Continue reading →

Hiking St. Mary’s Glacier

Posted on September 26, 2013 by Travel Spirit

Located only an hour from Denver, St. Mary’s Glacier in Idaho Springs, Colorado is a beautiful hike and at 1 mile round trip is perfect if you’re looking for a shorter length hike and as an added bonus…you can enjoy a 10 mile scenic drive from I-70 to reach it. Having spent six wonderful days in Colorado (except for having to escape Estes Park flooding), my girlfriend and I had a full last day planned before we left and flew home to Cincinnati. We stopped at the magnificent Red Rock Amphitheater to take photos before returning later that evening for a concert and were stopping in the quaint town of Golden to have a late lunch after our St. Mary’s Glacier hike.

Here I am taking in the view on the hike…

I couldn’t stop taking photos…it was so pretty!

Continue reading →

Attending a Concert at Red Rock Amphitheater is a Must Do While in Denver

Posted on September 25, 2013 by Travel Spirit

Attending a concert at Red Rock Amphitheater is a “must do” if you visit Denver or the surrounding areas! As you can see from the photos, it’s magnificent. Construction began in 1936 and finished in 1941. My friend Gina and I stopped there Tuesday on our way to go hiking at St. Mary’s Glacier to take photos and check it out, even though we were coming back later that evening to attend a concert with Frightened Rabbit, Local Natives, and The Nationals. They’re Indy bands and our favorite was the Local Natives. I’ve seen an opera at the Santa Fe Opera House…also an amazing outdoor venue…but Red Rock Amphitheater is simply amazing! In addition to the scenery, the acoustics are wonderful and you can bring in your own cooler with non-alcoholic beverages and snacks.

You’ll notice people running and doing exercises during the day and it’s free to enter when there aren’t concerts. Located only 30 minutes from Denver, it’s an ideal place to visit!

I didn’t take my camera later that evening because they prohibit cameras with detachable lens. At night there are lights situated to illuminate the rocks and it’s simply gorgeous. Even the bands were commenting on how they felt honored to play there! We had reserved seats in row 52, but fortunately a guy that works there gave us the tip that the first 25 rows are general admission (first come/first serve), so we sat in row 20 towards the middle and had an excellent view! We made friends with the two couples on both sides of us and one of them even shared their homemade mozzarella cheese and homemade bread with us.

Continue reading →

Make Music Denver at 16th Street Mall

Posted on September 24, 2013 by Travel Spirit

16th Street Mall is a mile long pedestrian only street (16th Street) in Downtown Denver that has tons of restaurants, bars, and shops and loads of character! Actually there are buses that are free and take you up and down the mile. They have pianos situated at intervals in the street for anyone to sit down and play and call it the “Make Music Denver” project. I was able to photograph a few of them.

I took two photos of the guy on the left and he looked at me for the second one.

Continue reading →

Bike Denver

Posted on September 23, 2013 by Travel Spirit

My girlfriend and I arrived in Denver on Sunday from spending two nights in Breckenridge, where we had a great time at the Octoberfest. It was raining, so after we got the keys from our Airbnb host to her condo near the Santa Fe Art District, we settled in and basically relaxed the remainder of the day. She had DVDs, so we watched a couple of chick flicks and ordered pizza. It was nice to have a chill out day after being on the go. Monday we were ready to see Denver! Although we were only a mile or two from the 16th Street Mall area, I had researched renting a bicycle and discovered a cool system called Denver B Cycle. There are stations or kiosks located all over Denver where you can use your credit card and for just $8 (good for the day) rent a bicycle for 30 minutes. If you return the bike to a station within the 30 minutes there is no extra charge. If you return it within 30-60 minutes it’s an extra $1.00 and for each additional 30 minutes it’s $4.00. We ended up spending $10 total per person. I wanted to check out Cheesman Park which was about 2 miles away, so off we went. Some of it was uphill, so we got a small workout. We both liked having a basket in the front to store our things. Next we went to the Denver Botanic Gardens…which I posted about yesterday. Our final stop before turning the bikes in at the Convention Center was the 16th Street Mall area…a mile long pedestrian only area with tons of shops and restaurants. I have a separate post about that also. I have a few unique photographs of life in Denver to share with you here.

Not only are the Denver chipmunks friendly…so are the squirrels!

Continue reading →

Denver Botanic Gardens

Posted on September 22, 2013 by Travel Spirit

Denver Botanic Gardens is massive and unbelievably lush and beautiful! My friend Gina and I were on a week-long trip in Colorado and our first day out and about in Denver, we rented bicycles and rode a couple of miles to Cheesman Park. We were told how lovely the Denver Botanic Gardens are while asking a lady directions to downtown Denver, so we made our way over and started taking photographs. Within a few minutes we both were wondering why there was no charge or fee to enter the gardens. We thought perhaps since it was Monday. Later after leaving, I researched and discovered there is a $12.50 charge per adult. Oh well…I’ll chalk it up to good karma!

Anyway, love this building’s reflection in the pond…

This particular lily pad appeared quite artistic to me…

Continue reading →

Oktoberfest Fun in Breckenridge

Posted on September 21, 2013 by Travel Spirit

Breckenridge, Colorado sure knows how to celebrate Oktoberfest! In Cincinnati, where I’m from, Oktoberfest is serious business–given the large percentage of German heritage residents. Just a week ago, my friend Gina and I walked a few blocks down from Beaver Run Resort, where we were staying, to the festivities. We arrived rather early at 10:30am and by 11:00am had a dark beer in our hands.

We stopped for a few photo ops…

I was surprised at how large of an event it is in Breckenridge. Even with occasional misty rain, it became quite crowded later in the day (double the people shown below).

Continue reading →

Breckenridge, Colorado has it All!

Posted on September 20, 2013 by Travel Spirit

For my week-long trip to Colorado, I had a detailed itinerary prepared, but after the terrible flooding across Colorado, having a positive and flexible attitude was essential. If you’ve been following along, you’ll remember we spent one night in Estes Park before evacuating to Grand Lake, where we spent one night. On Friday we hit the road to Breckenridge and here’s some of the beautiful scenery we passed on the way…

Continue reading →

Hot Sulphur Springs Resort via Grand Lake, Colorado

Posted on September 19, 2013 by Travel Spirit

Saying goodbye to Grand Lake in Colorado was difficult! My friend Gina and I only stayed one night at the Grand Lake Lodge and decided to drive to Breckenridge for their Octoberfest. We started our week long adventure in Estes Park but had to escape the flooding. There was some fog out when I walked outside to look at gorgeous Grand Lake before leaving, which just created more atmosphere!

Continue reading →

Meeting New Friends in Grand Lake, Colorado

Posted on September 18, 2013 by Travel Spirit

After hiking down the big hill from Grand Lake Lodge, my friend Gina and I walked through the quaint town of Grand Lake, Colorado.

It reminded me somewhat of the town of Silverton, Colorado. Lots of colorful shops and restaurants with the western look!

Continue reading →

Hiking from Grand Lake Lodge

Posted on September 17, 2013 by Travel Spirit

Grand Lake Lodge in Grand Lake, Colorado has an absolutely stunning view of the lake. After checking in on Thursday, my girlfriend Gina and I decided to take a hike down the hillside to the town to check it out. Here’s the beginning of the trail and that’s Gina up ahead…

We were delighted it wasn’t raining having left the flooding in Estes Park earlier that morning! The path forks off to the left but is not well-marked.

Continue reading →