Saturday, August 20, 2022

Road Trip to Field of Dreams - Day 2 - Cedar City, Utah to Glenwood Springs, Colorado

 
From Cedar City, we headed up Interstate 15 for about 70 miles then turned right onto Interstate 70 heading east.  Our destination for the day was Glenwood Springs, Colorado, which was 422 miles away or 6 hours of straight driving.  

Most of the day we traversed a high desert area known as the Colorado Plateau.  This is an area of Utah, Colorado, Arizona and New Mexico marked with fascinating rock formations and canyons.  The Grand Canyon, Bryce, Zion, Arches and the Petrified Forest (which we would visit on our way home) are part of the vast Plateau.   

There are several scenic stops along I 70, with names like Ghost Rock, Black Dragon and Sand Bench.  We stopped at an overlook of part of San Rafael Swell where I took the picture above. In some future trip, I would like to understand more about this area. I did learn this -- the term "swell" does not refer to a gentle wave at Huntington Beach, but rather to a massive upheaval of rock that occurred millions of years ago.  Also someone has figured out the San Rafael Swell resembles terrain on Mars, so there is a research center there that simulates life on Mars.   Maybe another day.

As interesting as the rock formations were, we were also fascinated by the Utah sky. Dark clouds were rolling in over the desert punctuated with lightning and thunder, all of which was fun stuff for a couple of southern California kids.  Soon we would be in the middle of a downpour. With wipers going full blast, we left the scenic stop and resumed our trip east.  


We passed out of Utah and continued into Colorado and up the western slope of the Rocky Mountains.  With the Colorado River running along-side I-70, we gradually gained elevation until we made it to Glenwood Springs, which sits at 5,761 feet.  

We stayed two nights at the Hotel Colorado, which dates back to 1893 and is on the National Historic Register.  The hotel has a fun history (including presidential visits from Teddy Roosevelt and William Taft) and the first-floor walls are lined with old photographs and memorabilia.  The hotel also lays claim to the original "teddy bear," which hotel staff formed of scraps of fine fabric and gave to President Roosevelt to raise his spirits when he returned from bear hunting empty handed.  One quirk about the Hotel Colorado though -- as wonderful as the hotel's first floor and courtyard were, our 4th floor room was on the Spartan side with a comically small bathroom, nothing on the walls, window hung a-c and funky wiring leading to a television. Apparently, the old hotel is being renovated, from the ground up and upper floors have not yet been addressed.   

Across the street from the hotel is the Glenwood Hot Springs Resort Pool, which they say is the world's largest hot springs pool.  The resort, which is pictured above, was fun and, had we spent more time there say with a good book, would have been very relaxing.  The setting is incredible with the redbrick of the resort buildings and mountain backdrop.  There are two pools -- a smaller pool with super-hot mineral water and the very large pool with warm mineral water.  A lot of families there. 

From the Hot Springs Resort, you can walk on a bridge that takes you over the I 70 freeway and Colorado River into the town of Glenwood Springs. The downtown is a very lively few blocks of restaurants and shops.  There is a Doc Holiday Museum at the corner of 8th and Grand.  The good doctor had a dual career (dentist and gunslinger) and had travelled to Glenwood Springs hoping the springs and vapors would cure his tuberculosis.  He died there in 1887

We had dinner at Glenwood Canyon Brewpub, which was excellent and a fun time. We were joined by dozens of hockey fans who were there to watch their Colorado Avalanche play for the Stanley Cup.  The Avalanche won and the Brewpub erupted. 

We had planned for two days, with some time at a mineral spa with vapor caves.  But, they were booked, and we were told that another place in town had closed during Covid and not reopened. So, we went with Plan B and drove 40 miles down to Aspen to see the John Denver Sanctuary.  It is truly a beautiful spot running along the Roaring Fork River.  Lyrics to several of Denver's songs are carved into large rocks along the trail. 


In another part of the John Denver Sanctuary the rocks contain thought provoking statements by others, including the one above from John Muir. 

Nearly dark, we headed back to Hotel Colorado where we got a glass of wine and enjoyed the hotel's courtyard with other guests.  

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