World United States Colorado Grand Lake

Ginny's Journeys Ginny's Adventures 2009

Roads to Arapaho National Forest Jun 21, 2009

I-70 East from Fruita to my first stop at Glenwood Springs was smooth and pretty level - quite enjoyable on a Sunday morning. I wish I had time to check out the hot springs pools they have. They look like regular swimming pools, but the water supply comes from underground hot springs. The smaller pool is at 104 degrees, like a jacuzzi, and the big pool is at a warm 90 degrees.

I talked to my friend, Mary, while stopped here and she told me what I was about to see. I have been following the Colorado River, seeing rapids and calm areas while in a wide canyon. But Glenwood Canyon is quite narrow with high rock walls on either side. There are a couple of tunnels, but mostly the westbound traffic is cut into the canyon while the eastbound traffic goes along the river and a couple of times curves out over the river! This went on for almost 20 miles and was a section of road to remember! There was no way to take a picture of it, so you will just have to come out here to see it for yourself! If you stay at Glenwood Springs, you can earn your trip to the pools by biking the path that goes at water's edge for most of those miles! That looks exciting to me! Across the river is a railroad track but I didn't see any trains today.

Shortly after that, the Colorado was north of me. I went by the winter hotspot of Vail and then the road climbed up and up. I ended up climbing that mountain at 25 mph or less and found out that I was at 10,666 feet at the summit or pass. I think it was Avon that said I was at 5280 feet - a mile high. After that, the road got rough and I wondered if they have problems with permafrost here, like in Alaska! Things on my table and couch in the coach fell to the floor - that didn't happen in Alaska!

I was glad when I turned north onto Route 9, as it afforded me a very pleasant drive. Once I reached Kremmling and went east on 134, I found the Colorado again! I was missing that river that's been with me for about a month now!

I am camped about 7 miles from the western entrance to the Rocky Mountain NP. I can see snow-capped mountains to East and south of me. I am on big Granby Lake, but not far is Grand Lake. This is the biggest natural lake in Colorado. Granby Lake is really a reservoir. The Colorado starts at the Continental Divide in the middle of Rocky Mtn NP but there is no road to it. I will look to see what kind of hiking trail, if any, takes me there. I'll do my best to at least see the spot where the river flows into the lake!