We love the Rockies! Not only the mountains and the forest but the riding is awesome and this trip did not disappoint!
Central City, CO
In the past when we rode to the Rockies, we always stayed in Estes Park but I wanted to change things up! I wanted to be south of Estes where we haven’t stayed before so I chose Central City – but it came at a price.
The views were stunning and the location was awesome but I didn’t take an important factor into consideration – elevation. Central City is approximately 8,500 feet above sea level. The RV park was above 9,000 feet and I felt it. It was hard to do anything without feeling out of breath. I also was constantly dizzy. We were staying at a KOA and they are well aware of this problem so they sell oxygen bottles. Think of it as an over sized inhaler. I used it often and sometimes it worked but overall it didn’t really help me out. I just kept hydrated and over time, started to acclimate to the elevation. We won’t stay at this elevation again….
New friends…..
When we stay at RV parks, we always meet interesting people and have some amazing experiences….
You might remember from an earlier post, Tori had a great idea to get Patti a new guitar for her birthday (in May). Patti was thrilled to get one that was smaller and easier to play. One day in Central City, she was outside practicing and our next-door neighbors wanted to join in! It was awesome! He was great on the guitar (he used to play professionally) and sang (even while on oxygen!) and she played the Dobro – a unique steel guitar she would play on her lap. Patti joined in and they had a great time playing & singing familiar Christian hymns!
We also met Maureen and Scott Gibson who are traveling the country in an RV over the next 5 months. They live in Florida and share the passion we have in RVing! Their coach is gently used and in fabulous condition. The original owner kept it stored inside and out of the sun. Scott and I would talk about RVs (he is very knowledgeable) and Maureen and Patti became fast friends talking about cooking on the road. We plan to stay in touch with them!
Estes Park, CO
We rode to Estes many times during this stay and we love this town in the Rockies. So much to do and the restaurants are awesome (especially the rib place!). It is surrounded by mountains and has a great river walk. It used to have a great trolley system but sadly that has been watered down with less stops. So Patti and I did some walking!!! I did notice heavy traffic in and out of town so this place has become very popular. If you are in the area, you have to check out Estes Park. Especially the drive on route 34 from Loveland, the canyon is spectacular!
Golden, CO
We have never been to Golden and it was awesome! One of the few cities who have “modernized” and kept their old western style. I highly recommend Woody’s pizza – it was fantastic!
Coors Brewery
We went on a free tour of the Coors brewery in Golden. We learned sooo much about the brewing process and how the different beers are produced. Our favorite part was the beer tasting. Patti wanted seconds but they wouldn’t oblige. It was understandable because she started singing drinking songs!
Anyway it was a self guided tour of the process and how Coors was the first to invent the aluminum beer can. They also were the first to ship the beer in refrigerated trains and trailers. It was very fascinating. I remember my Father driving trucks across the country and “hiding” Coors beer in the trailer and bringing it home! During that time, you couldn’t buy Coors east of the Mississippi. So he was thrilled to get Coors!
