Colorado - "must sees" - DPChallenge Forums

05/30/2006 12:16:15 PM · #26

Originally posted by blemt:

Guys, keep in mind that not everyone wants to spend their vacation in Colorado driving. :) And the roads that for us are not a big deal to navigate for people not used to 3000+ foot vertical drops can be a tad intimidating. :)

But driving Colorado mountain roads is part of the beauty of Colorado! And, besides, there aren't 3,000ft vertical drops everywhere you go. Driving up Pikes peak highway is a different story though.

I RE-discovered Garden of the Gods this past weekend. I've been there countless times but I've never really taken any of the trails besides the paved ones or the roads themselves. Once you start hiking through it takes on another feel and you realize just how beautilful and unique a place it is. Look, there are forests, mountains and lakes all over this country but there is nothing like Garden of the Gods. Truly, you can't miss it.

If you do happen to go to Garden of the Gods, or Colorad Springs in general, let me know. I work 10 minutes away from GOG and can show you around if you'd like. Send me a PM if you want my contact information.

Another Tip: If you do decide to go to Pikes Peak I suggest taking the Cog Railway. The highway to the top can be breathtaking but can scare the bujeesus out of you if you've never done it. And you have to be VERY careful with your brakes on the way down. The Cog will allow you to take in the sites and relax with less wear and tear on your car.

Message edited by author 2006-05-30 12:18:50.

UNTITLED

Tamron AF 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 XR Di II for Canon

05/30/2006 12:17:02 PM · #27

Originally posted by Cutter:

Originally posted by blemt:

Yeah, it's fun for us natives to take people from out of state up Wolf Creek Pass. I've had friends BEG me to let them out of the car, and known people who curled up in the floorboards of the car so they wouldn't have to see. :)

I don't think I have been there. Sounds like my kinda place...If I have any kind of fear it is acrophobia, so I try to challenge myself at all turns.

I guess you'll be enjoying a Mt. Evans GTG!

05/30/2006 12:19:32 PM · #28

Originally posted by pekesty:

Originally posted by ButterflySis:
On somewhat of a sidenote...talking about phobias and all...how often do you Coloradans(?) see snakes? I don't mean the little 2 foot kind...I mean the man-eating kind. Maybe I don't even want to know...

On the plains you can often see Rattle snakes. In the mountains, almost never!

Oh thank you! You made my day. I am terrified of snakes and if I were to see one I don't think I'd get out to walk again for the whole trip...which would be sad.

Thanks again! :-D

05/30/2006 12:21:52 PM · #29

Originally posted by ButterflySis:

On somewhat of a sidenote...talking about phobias and all...how often do you Coloradans(?) see snakes? I don't mean the little 2 foot kind...I mean the man-eating kind. Maybe I don't even want to know...

I've been living here for 12 years and have only seen 1.

05/30/2006 12:22:58 PM · #30

Originally posted by K-Rob:

Another Tip: If you do decide to go to Pikes Peak I suggest taking the Cog Railway. The highway to the top can be breathtaking but can scare the bujeesus out of you if you've never done it. And you have to be VERY careful with your brakes on the way down. The Cog will allow you to take in the sites and relax with less wear and tear on your car.

I was told to take the road because I'd get to see more than with the cog. True? I don't mind the driving...and it will be a rental.

Nikon AF Zoom-Nikkor 18-135mm f/3.5- 5.6G ED DX

05/30/2006 12:23:41 PM · #31

Originally posted by K-Rob:

Originally posted by ButterflySis:
On somewhat of a sidenote...talking about phobias and all...how often do you Coloradans(?) see snakes? I don't mean the little 2 foot kind...I mean the man-eating kind. Maybe I don't even want to know...

I've been living here for 12 years and have only seen 1.

Yay! Thank you. :-D :-D

Rebecca

Nikon D80

05/30/2006 12:27:50 PM · #32

Snakes... I have never actually seen one, but in the Summer it is good advice not to wander into tall grass. The lower elevations are home to plenty of rattlers.

blemt

Nikon D70

Tamron SP AF 28-75mm f/2.8 XR Di for Nikon

05/30/2006 12:28:40 PM · #33

I lived there 20+ years an only ever encountered a pet bull snake.

Now I have seen cougar up close more than once. But that's also pretty rare for most folks.

05/30/2006 12:36:22 PM · #34

Originally posted by ButterflySis:

I was told to take the road because I'd get to see more than with the cog. True? I don't mind the driving...and it will be a rental.

Well, I've driven up the mountain about 7 times, hiked it once and took the Cog once. The Cog is by far my favorite choice. I was always just too worried about going over that I didn't get to enjoy the sites. One particularly nice bonus about the cog is that you get to see the spot that "presumably" inspired Kathy Lee Bates to write the poem "America the Beautiful". You do get more wide open views if you drive it yourself but I think the cog is more scenic.

Message edited by author 2006-05-30 12:45:06.

jeweliek

Canon EOS-300D Rebel

05/30/2006 12:41:48 PM · #35

I have to add my 2 cents. I lived in Colorado for a while and just got back from vacationing there my self.

Estes Park is awesome. It's about 2 hours north. Plan on spending the day and having a blast in all of the stores. Make sure to tour the Stanley Hotel. It is where the Shining was filmed and is great. If you look; along the roads there you will find hiking trails...free and beautiful. There is a nature trail that will take you about 1 hour and then a harder trail, plan on about 4 hours for that, but bring your camera!

South of Denver I echo everyone else. You should go to the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo. I loved it more than the Denver Zoo. Bring a light jacket, it can get cold as you go up the mountain side. The Cave of the Winds tour is well worth the time and money. These are both in Colorado Springs.

Canon City....loved the Sky Coaster at the Royal Gorge. My 6 year old even did it and fell in LOVE! The dinosaur depot was cool and I really liked Buckskin Joes. It is an off site Hollywood movie set that they use for tourism. They act out gun fights and hangings. My boys loved it and so did I.

I agree that a lot of the beauty of Colorado is the wonderful ride. There is just SO MUCH to see. Enjoy yourself and make sure to bring sunblock! Even if it's overcast you will burn.

Jewelie

UNTITLED

Tamron AF 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 XR Di II for Canon

05/30/2006 12:42:20 PM · #36

Originally posted by blemt:

I lived there 20+ years an only ever encountered a pet bull snake.

Now I have seen cougar up close more than once. But that's also pretty rare for most folks.

More than once is very unsual. I've been here 35 years and never seen even one.

As far as snakes...Karma is right about tall grass, but also beware around rock formations. They have dens there, and they also like to bask in the sun. I'm almost stepped on once when I nearly lost my balance biking through some rocks and had to put my foot down. Lucky for me, he was the forgiving sort!

ursula

Fujifilm X-T2

Fujifilm XF 55-200mm f/3.5-4.8 R LM OIS

05/30/2006 12:45:38 PM · #37

Originally posted by pekesty:

Originally posted by blemt:
I lived there 20+ years an only ever encountered a pet bull snake.

Now I have seen cougar up close more than once. But that's also pretty rare for most folks.

More than once is very unsual. I've been here 35 years and never seen even one.

As far as snakes...Karma is right about tall grass, but also beware around rock formations. They have dens there, and they also like to bask in the sun. I'm almost stepped on once when I nearly lost my balance biking through some rocks and had to put my foot down. Lucky for me, he was the forgiving sort!

Snakes? And I'd been worrying about bears :)))

Tamron SP AF 28-75mm f/2.8 XR Di for Nikon

05/30/2006 12:48:28 PM · #38

Originally posted by jeweliek:

Make sure to tour the Stanley Hotel. It is where the Shining was filmed and is great.

I don't mean to be a forum troll but I just want to point out that the movie was not actually filmed there. Stephen King stayed there and the hotel inspired him to write "The Shining". So he based it off of the hotel. =)

blemt

Nikon D70

05/30/2006 12:49:16 PM · #39

Originally posted by pekesty:

My high school was down in the foothills. Couple times we went down to the lacrosse field and found an uninvited goalie. :) Since he was busy sleeping, we adjourned practice to another field.

Most snakes get clear way before you ever see em. They will hear/feel you coming miles before you see em. Just don't stick your hands into areas you can't see. :)

Pentax DA 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 AF

05/30/2006 12:50:50 PM · #40

And just because these are fresh in my memory, let me share these pics I took about a week ago at Garden of the Gods.

Message edited by author 2006-05-30 12:51:12.

vxpra

Pentax K100D

05/30/2006 01:22:40 PM · #41

Originally posted by blemt:

Originally posted by Flash:

Originally posted by blemt:
...for people not used to 3000+ foot vertical drops [it] can be a tad intimidating. :)

you've got that right.

*grin*

Yeah, it's fun for us natives to take people from out of state up Wolf Creek Pass. I've had friends BEG me to let them out of the car, and known people who curled up in the floorboards of the car so they wouldn't have to see. :)

Wolf Creek is cake, its basically a 4 lane super highway at this point (unless you're crazy enough to travel it in a blizzard). I love taking friends over Red Mountain Pass and pointing out the green and orange painted cars at the bottom of the canyon. Colorado Transportation paints the cars that have gone over the edge to cut down on the number of panicked phone calls about cars crashing off the road.

NstiG8tr

Canon EOS-5D Mark IV

Canon EF 85mm f/1.2L II USM

05/30/2006 01:31:12 PM · #42

Nice photos Robert. Here are some more.

Message edited by author 2006-05-30 13:34:28.

Cutter

Nikon D700

Nikon AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor 17-55mm f/2.8G IF-ED

05/30/2006 01:48:05 PM · #43

Snakes...

I have a ton of them in 2 years. Some really big nasty green ones, and rattles. But they are more scared of you etc etc etc. I lot of times it is while I am searching for my golf ball along the TALL grass.

Pekesty...

I don't have a fear of heights, but only when I am walking up something see-thru. If I am not physically doing it I am cool. Like the stairs at Seven Falls. Killer for me. Driving, hiking, or whatever is fine. No problem. Eiffel Tower, fine. Looking out of a skyscraper straight down flush against the window, eh, not so fine.

Mountain Lions...

Never seen one. But there have been a few incidents as close as Boulder recently, so as always be alert but have fun.

Sidenote: Anyone not already responded interested in Denver GTG?

There is another thread going, but thought I would chime up to let some new people know about it if they didn't already. We are going up to Mt. Evans on June 17th. Will post more in other thread in coming days.

vtruan

Nikon D5100

Tamron AF 28-80mm f/3.5-5.6 Aspherical for Nikon

05/30/2006 02:25:45 PM · #44

The pass with the highest drop off is Independence Pass, also highest over 12,000 ft. (not counting Mt. Evans or Pike's Peak) I remember when I was a kid, it was dirt and somwhat two laned, no guard rails just big rocks, and having fog so thick we had to have someone sit on the front of the car yelling back to go left or right. All knowing there was a drop-off of over 3,000 ft and potential on comming vehicles. That's the Colorado I liked. Wolf Creek Pass is easy except for 18 wheelers without brakes. Van

Rebecca

Nikon D80

Nikon AF Zoom-Nikkor 18-135mm f/3.5- 5.6G ED DX

05/30/2006 02:35:57 PM · #45

You will never see mountain lions, but if you're out and about, keep very close tabs on anyone under 4 ft. tall. It's not unheard of for a kid to lag a few feet behind the adults on the trail, only for the parents to turn around and find the kid gone. It happened at Roxborough the year I moved out here, which is practically in the city.

Bears, well, keep your eyes open and the second you see one just turn around and start walking away. I've yet to see a bear in 3 1/2 years that wasn't behind bars in the zoo, though. I have seen a moose, and let me tell you, a moose is NOT a friendly animal. Do not approach the moose. It's the size of a small Volvo, it is perennially grumpy, it is not afraid of you and it runs a heck of a lot faster than you in the race back to the car. The photo is not worth it.

Sammie

Olympus OM-D E-M5

Canon EF 28-200mm f/3.5-5.6 USM

05/30/2006 02:36:22 PM · #46

The San Luis Valley in Colorado (where I live) is very beautiful. The Sand Dunes National Park is here - it is very dramatic and different. There are lots of pictures of it on my profile page and in my portfolio - almost all of my high scoring pictures were taken there!