The Springs Resort, Pagosa Springs Colorado

The Spring Resort was great.  If you are into hot springs of all different temps then this is your place! It is pricey- we paid $244.00 -tax included- no meals- a night for a room in The Hertiage section (read between the lines- Heritage means old section-lol. It was clean, the beds were comfy, but for that much money I was expecting a better room. HOWEVER...once you go out and soak in the spring tubs and dip your feet in the river- you don't want to do anything in your room...the plus to the Heritage rooms is they are the closest to the spring tubs- so when the temp dips at night you are just steps from your room.

 

The only thing I found strange about The Springs was that there were no onsite restaurants-( there is a snack bar by the pool).  You must walk to town to get food.  I was told that the management wanted you walk to town for food so you would spend some money there and keep people employed in the town.  I think this is terrific. and because of this they have some really great small- non-chain- places to eat and shop.

 

http://farragomarketcafe.com/  This was my favorite- amazing salmon tacos- enough to feed two people. My husband had the lamb/beef gyro- again- enough for 2- and the prices were around $9.00

 

In the same strip center as Farrago was a small Wine Bar http://thebackroomwinebar.com/ that had good wine, great beet and goat cheese salad, and terrific lamb pizza.  There was also a sushi place in the strip.  They were closed Mon and Tues. All 3 of these share the same kitchen.  It is a great idea. The place has covered eating, space heaters, and a fire pit.

 

Most people walked across the bridge at The Springs to get breakfast -just look for the sign that says waffles.  There was free coffee in the lobby and we just ate some protein bars and apples for breakfast. I wish there had been a frig in the room for some yogurt.

 

We loved the store Handcrafted Interiors http://handcraftedinteriors.net/  They had the most unusual handmade one of a kind items. AMAZING ARTISTS!

 

I thought it was great that each pool was named and the temp was given

 

Being a ginger...lol..I appreciated the sun shades over many of the pools.

 

The kids and parents gravitated toward this pool at night where they would show g-rated movies on a large screen...soak and watch a movie- pretty cool

 

There is an 18 and over section for those people who don't want to see/hear /be with kids-lol

 

I loved the fire pit at night to warm up my tootsies- plus they lend you softy robes to wear around the resort.  Made me feel like a millionaire!

There is a cool walkway to a tub- when you walk on it you are ankle deep in warm water.

 



 

There are plenty of hikes around this area, but it was hot while we were in Pagosa so we chose to do a tubing on the river float  http://pagosaoutside.com/pagosa-springs-tubing/

$15.00 pp. got us 2 excellent tubes for 2 hours.  The company drops you off about a mile upstream.  You float down, carry your tubes back up to the store and hop on the shuttle bus for another run. The water was pretty low, so we had enough time for 2 runs.  It was super fun. The company has their act together!

 

 

 



Ouray, Colorado

First off it is pronounced "YOUR"-ray...lol...found that out quickly. It is nicknamed the Switzerland of the USA.  It really is that beautiful and mountain-y. There are very few chain restaurants or hotels in town which is great.  All the motels are motor court style and are kept up so well.  Flowers were everywhere.  The downtown area is too cute- with shops, bars and a big local hot spring fed pool ($12.00 for adults- all day until 10pm)

The hotel we stayed at was the Box Canyon Lodge. http://info.boxcanyonouray.com/colorado-vacation/  It was $150.00 per night including tax. light breakfast- muffins, juice and apple. The rooms were older but VERY clean. The beds were comfy and the sheets were super soft. There is a self service laundry. There are 4 hot tubs filled with hot spring water- they are the small-4 person- cedar type hot tubs. The hotel was full when we were there so the tubs filled up quickly. It felt a little strange climbing into small tubs with 2 other strangers.  The next day we went back in the early afternoon and had the tubs to ourselves.

 

In town we ate a "420(lol) burger" at Maggie's Burgers http://www.yelp.com/biz/maggies-kitchen-ouray-2- (we should have split it- it was amazing- so we ate it all) and grabbed a beer at The Grumpypants Beer House right next to Maggies http://ouraylehouse.com/. We ate on the porch, shared a table with another couple.  It was a great way to end a hike!

There were 2 hikes in town worthy of your time. The first was the super easy Box Canyon Park
http://www.ouraycolorado.com/ouray-activities/Box-Canon-Falls-Park.php. $4.00 is the admission to see the water flowing through the town's slot canyon.  There were walkways and stairs that let you get up close and personal with the slot canyon!

The other hike we enjoyed was the Perimeter Trail.  The online guide says that it is 5 miles- I say "bull".  My Jawbone https://jawbone.com/up?gclid=CIjViO7opcACFeZd7Aodk20ACQ&gclsrc=ds
showed it as about 7 miles- 7 tough miles- but worth it- but bring rain gear- an unexpected rain episode left us very wet.  We did the whole trail in 2 days- about 6 hours total (we broke it into 2 parts). See pictures below.  The trail was varied and most of it was shady.

 The trail went through the rock.

 Bridges were built over creeks.

 Cascade Falls (lower) was a easy hike off the main trail.

                     Lots of steps up^

Beautiful slot canyons- This trail deserves an award. There are many other trails that begin off of this trail and go into the back country. http://www.gjhikes.com/2012/09/ouray-perimeter-trail.html
You can go to trip advisor and see comments about the altitude and time it would take.

If you want me to help you plan travel - contact me at jackiebarnes217@hotmail.com 

Mt. Princeton Hot Springs Resort, Nathrop, Colorado

 

Mt. Princeton Hot Springs and Spa Resort http://www.mtprinceton.com/

was an amazing place to stay. The cost was $170. a night including tax.  Our room (hillside- up by water slide) had a king sized bed (comfy) (you could also have 2 queens) and a refrig. no breakfast included- we ate breakfast one morning for about $12.00 pp..it was good food with nice views.

^^ This pic shows the bridge leading to the guest/adult only section of the resort!

The pools down here are open until 10pm. You can be a day pass only bather and have access to two large pools on the north side of the river- one of which is the original historic pool, the river and the water slide area up the hill. Day use people include local people and campers who are at Chalk Lake Campground (sites 2-8 are the best) and Mt. Princeton Campground -(sites 3,5,7, 9 and 11 are best)< I included this because the next time we will combine camping and a hotel stay in our visit!

 

 

 Water slide- it was fun even for "old" folks like us! (pool open until 6pm)^^

 If you stay at the hotel, and are an adult, you have access to the hot cascading pools. There are three pools in the cascade. The top pool is about 110 degrees, middle, 102 degrees and bottom pool 99 degrees. There is also a full sized pool 99-100 degrees for adults only.  The spa is located in this section of the resort.

The best part of the resort, in my opinion, are the "build your own" river pools. The river is COLD water, but all along the bank of the river are HOT spring seeps. It is your job to capture the hot water and make your own pool. If your dam breaks the river water comes in. Here is my husband floating in his own pool.


The closest town is Salida. We LOVED this town. It had a vibe that I can't describe- I could so live there- no chain stores at all- kind of a mini Austin, TX.  There was a river walk in town, a great restaurant called The Boathouse http://boathousecantina.com/home/  great food, great service, great view. Picture below is at the Boathouse.

 Below is the view of young people, kayaking and rafting in a man made water chute.  They stayed until dark- I wish I could have joined them.

 

An easy hike about 5 miles RT (out and back) was on the old railroad bed. You turn around at the highway- but cross the highway first to see the beautiful water falls!

 easy grade hiking...decomposed granite hiking surface

end of the hike highway- cross it to see the falls

If you want me to help you plan travel - contact me at jackiebarnes217@hotmail.com 

Frisco, Colorado

Frisco Colorado is just an hour and a half from Denver.  It is a quaint town with great restaurants.
 5th Ave Grill... http://www.5thavegrille.com/  > ask for their pineapple/Serrano pepper/ tequila shot on ice- and all their food is terrific! Appetizers are $6-$10 and meals are $15-$20.

Though the Butterhorn bakery is the most popular for breakfast in Frisco  http://butterhornbakery.com/  
 This time we ate at  Bread and Salt http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g33433-d6767675-Reviews-Bread_and_Salt-Frisco_Colorado.html


 Breakfast in Frisco will run you about 12.00 dollars- but you are given so much food at both places you will not be hungry for hours. At Bread and Salt I had the sesame bagel breakfast sandwich which was an over-hard egg, awesome bacon, ham, cream cheese, avocado, jalapenos (I got them on the side). It was so filling and so delicious.  The coffee and the service was great as well.

 

We stayed at the Hotel Frisco http://www.hotels.com/ho421500/hotel-frisco-frisco-united-states/?PSRC=G21&dateless=true&hotelid=421500&rffrid=sem.hcom.US.bing.003.00.02..kwrd%3DZzZz.yG51CC8O.0.5376453476.10208b518766

It is about the least expensive place to stay.  We stayed in room 101. I wouldn't stay in this room again. Big walk-in closet, but small room with small window. No a/c (but a good fan) but it got stuffy at night.  I would want a second floor room next time to get more ventilation. But it is excellently located so I can't complain.

 

Frisco has a marina.  They rent sailboats, motorboats, party barges, kayaks, canoes, skulls stand-up paddle boards (SUP)- even offer S.U.P.yoga twice a week. And they offer lessons or guided trips for all the above as well.

 

Frisco has a great history museum and old time cabin set up.  The museum gives you an overview of the area at the gold rush time and the cabins have recordings about the historical significance of the area.  It is all well done and there is a picnic area for a nice lunch on Main Street.

Here I am hamming it up inside the Frisco Historical museum!

The next great thing about Frisco is Rebel bike rentals. http://www.rebelsportsrentals.com/bicycle-rentals/ for $42.00 (for 24-hours) this outfitter will give you  a ride to the top of Vail Pass and give you a great bike to ride downhill on a paved path all the way back to Frisco.(14 miles- EASY)

They also tell you cool places to stop, get off your bike and hike or picnic. Like this rock garden created by a couple to celebrate their marriage.  They come every year and add to it (42 years of marriage) Everyone is encouraged to build a rock creation for everyone to enjoy!

We even stopped at Copper Mountain, parked our bikes (ask for a lock- I would have felt better- but we left them unlocked and it was fine) and took the chairlift to the top. If you spend $10 in the village your lift ticket is free- we got some snacks and socks and got 2 tickets to the top.  There is a cute hike about 1 mile at the top to stretch your legs.

BUT the best part is you can make a reservation online at Rebel Sport, but if it rains or you can't make it just call them and no penalty! They are the best company.

 

Just a short distance from Frisco are two great hikes. I would rate both as moderate (meaning- I had to stop and catch my breath frequently) Both are about 3-5 miles.

The first is Shrine Ridge. http://www.trails.com/tcatalog_trail.aspx?trailid=HGR207-042

 

 They were holding a wedding neat the Shrine at the ridge of the mountain!^^^

The second hike was Black Powder. http://www.summitcountyexplorer.com/HIKES/Black%20Powder%20Trail%20-%20Hiking%20Trail.htm

 

We also loved going to The South Park history Museum in/near Fairplay.  The $10.00 admission seemed steep, but it was very well done.  Each cabin/house/business was re-done and had all the "things" that people of the time used.  My husband loved all the old air compressors and drill presses.

                                         ^Glad air compressors are smaller now

Ye old Pharmacy!

There were about 30 homes/cabins/ businesses restored!

If you want me to help you plan travel - contact me at jackiebarnes217@hotmail.com 

Denver, Colorado- rent-a-bike

You can rent bikes all over Denver. We rented ours behind The Cherry Creek Mall. We entered the bike path along the river and rode down hill towards downtown. The cost was $8.00 for the day per bike- credit card only. You can go to this website https://denver.bcycle.com/About/howitworks.aspx for info.  There is even an app for your phone that tells you how many bikes are available at each station and if there is room to return your bike at the station you wish to return it. Helmets not included- we just rode with no helmets.

 The bike path is paved. You share the path with pedestrians for awhile and then the trail splits and is bikes only on one side. I loved going from the neighborhood of Cherry Creek through the industrial area and then riding into downtown Denver.

 We went pretty early on a Saturday morning- MISTAKE-lol..every weekend warrior bike rider was on the path whizzing by us. I felt bad because we were sight-seeing and they were clearly out for exercise- they had to really watch out for all the slow-pokes! Coming back in the early afternoon was much better, fewer people on the path. But we wanted to make sure we got bikes for the day.  When I do this again, it won't be on a weekend.

 They even had bike grooves in the staircases for "portaging" your bikes...though there were elevators as well.. I just wanted to see if I could do it!

 On Sunday bikes are allowed on the 16th Street Pedestrian Mall on Sundays...We just walked our bikes through this area and looked at shops.  Free shuttle buses ran all the time to take you up and down the streets to shops and restaurants.

 We rode past the Capital Building.

We rode past the Mint.  The bike included a lock, but we didn't use it. We just enjoyed the day cruising through Denver.
  I recommend you try these rental bikes, they were great fun for very little money!

If you want me to help you plan travel in Denver or elsewhere -

 contact me at jackiebarnes217@hotmail.com