We crossed into Colorado the first week of June, 2021 and it was almost immediately apparent that we made the right decision in choosing Colorado for this trip. Green everywhere we looked. Blue skies. Cool temperatures with steady light breezes. Snow still on the ground in some places. Roaring rivers. This land is almost an exact opposite of our life in the Sonoran Desert and I think that is why we so appreciate and are drawn to this area.

While in Cortez, CO we visited Mesa Verde National Park for the first time. What a gem! We arrived early and Tony biked up to the top of the mountain and I hiked the Mesa Verde Point Lookout trail. We had only planned a few hours in the park and it was evident we needed much more time in order to explore properly so we will be back in the future. After both returning hot and sweaty from our bike/hike, we decided to finally become real “vanlifers” by showering outside. We rigged up a sheet between the back doors for some privacy, hung our dromedary bags, stripped down and had one of the best showers of our lives! There is something about showering outside that is so freeing and with such a positive first experience we are now outdoor shower enthusiasts.

The drive between Cortez, CO and Telluride, CO on the San Juan Skyway Scenic Parkway is exquisite, and the photographs just do not do this place justice. Green and lush following along a roaring river on twisty mountain road is our preferred way of travel. We do everything we can to stay off the Interstates and take the back and country roads and this section of the San Juan did not disappoint. We will complete the 263 mile loop on our way back home in a few weeks.

On our journey north, the weather continued to cool, the air turned what I term “crisp” and the colors seem more vivid. We stopped briefly in Grand Mesa National Forest and hiked a portion of the Crag Crest trail. At that elevation, there was still snow patches on the ground in many places. Our hike involved having to transverse snow and mud sections, but the hike was lovely as it was quite scenic and there were no another hikers on the trail. We stopped at an overlook to check our AllTrails app just to make sure we were still on trail when Tony spotted 2 small baby (<1 year) old bear less the 50 feet from  us in the brush. Knowing that mama bear was probably not far away, we quietly and quickly turned around and ended our hike early. We had bear mace with us, but we would never want to use it unless it was a last resort. This land belongs to the bears and we are their guests, but hopefully not their lunch. With our adrenaline pumping, we made it back to Tofu in record time. We had parked along Egelston Lake and had a lovely lunch with Tracey even dipping her feet in the freezing lake in attempt to soothe her aching plantar fasciitis from hiking with so much elevation gain in the Colorado Mountains. New Superfeet orthotics await her at the Amazon locker in Aspen.

We belong to Harvest Hosts which is an inexpensive membership program where members are permitted to stay overnight at various farms, wineries, distilleries, tourist attractions and most recently added golf courses. You are expected to patronize these small businesses in exchange for staying on their property overnight. It is really a win-win for both parties. Overall, our experience with Harvest Hosts has been mostly positive since we initially joined in 2012 and just recently rejoined in 2020.. We stayed at a winery in Cortez, CO but our favorite this trip has been Devil’s Thumb Golf Course in Delta, CO. This place was amazing. They set us up overlooking the 9th green and after the golfers were done, we were given free reign of the golf course where we took a spectacular sunset walk and saw herds of pronghorns. The golf course is set on top of badlands and it feels like you are on the moon but with the snow-capped Rocky Mountains in the distance. We had a wonderful night of sleep but a 7:50 AM tee the following morning. Tony and I both agreed this might be the most fun we have had playing golf in a long time. I know it is not classy to gloat, but I gave Tony a serious ass-whooping in our match play tournament on this course but with full transparency it did include a 2 stroke per hole handicap for me, but a win is a win in my book!

Up next, we continue to push north with our arrival in Aspen in a few days. Aspen is one of our favorite places and we are aching to get there ASAP but trying to remember the journey is the destination.