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Toward the end of the school year, I started a Pinterest board for all the places I wanted to visit in Colorado this summer before I head to England. Many of those included cities that I wanted to visit or re-visit, and I made quite a dent in that list, visiting Aspen, Boulder, Fort Collins, and Vail. Some of items were places around Colorado Springs, that I've just never had a chance to visit in the three and a half years I've been here. Some friends and I have been hard at work at changing that! A few weeks ago, I visited Willy's British Emporium (again) for tea. Afterward, I visited the Ghost Town Museum. I have driven past it numerous times since I moved here, but for some reason never made it over to visit. I'm glad I finally changed that! It contained many artifacts from the gold rush era, including a stagecoach that looked like it was right out of The Infernal Devices! I was irrationally excited about that!  This past weekend was jam-packed with exploring around Colorado Springs! I visited Willy's British Emporium yet again on Friday. On Saturday, I visited Cave of the Winds, which was probably the last main tourist attraction that I had yet to visit. Though I did not actually go in the cave, I greatly enjoyed the ropes course. I was surprised at how far off the ground it was though! It started to storm between completing the ropes course and going on the zip line, so we went to Willy's British Emporium (my second day in a row), to wait out the rain.  Since it is Colorado and the weather is always crazy, the storm finished rather quickly and we went back to ride the zip line over the canyon. It was such a pretty ride! They have a more extreme zip ling, which almost looks like a bungee, but that wasn't included with the admission fee...maybe if I'm feeling particularly brave next time, I'll give it a try!  After a fun sleepover, I finally visited the Colorado Renaissance Festival on Sunday. All of the actresses and actors tried to keep in character with Scottish accents and saying, "My Lady" to everyone. The buildings and shops were adorable. There were bagpipe players and other traditional Scottish instruments. It was a lot of fun!  Afterwards, I visited Little Nepal, a restaurant that had been on my list for a while. A few fellow vegetarians and I went to their all vegan buffet Sunday night and enjoyed trying a wide selection of Indian food. The decorations seemed authentic and it had a nice atmosphere as well.
I have some more adventures planned over the next two weekends! Check back soon to hear about them!
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It seems like my blog is turning into an "Adventures in (insert Colorado city here)" blog. That's perfectly acceptable to me! I've really enjoyed visiting cities beyond my usual circle of Colorado Springs, though I do love Colorado Springs! Last week, I competed at Vail Invitational. I love the competition in Vail...more for the excuse to visit Vail than actually competing a long program at over 8,100 feet above sea level! It's amazing how going up an extra 2,000 feet in elevation makes such a difference. My short program went pretty well and my long was semi-decent, but most importantly I learned what I need to fix before Collegiate Nationals next month.  While I wasn't competing, I made the most of my trip to Vail by exploring the village, hiking the trails, and taking the gondola to the top of Vail mountain. This was the third time I went to the summit of Vail mountain. The first was a few summers ago and the second was last winter. This time, we hiked a bit and enjoyed the views and wildflowers. During dinner one night, it was a bit stormy, but also sunny, creating a double rainbow over the mountain!    After Vail, we drove to Aspen for a few day vacation. Our first stop after checking in to our hotel in Snowmass, was a visit to Maroon Bells! Maroon Bells are gorgeous as were the hiking trails around them. I was surprised to learn that they are the most photographed mountains in North America, given that they're not all that accessible.  We took a bus to reach the bells and then took a free guided tour past the lake and some snowmelt streams and waterfalls. We saw some marmots and a beaver lodge. It was one of my favorite hikes ever!  The next day, we explored the city of Aspen, had lunch at the all-vegetarian Spring Café, and explored the Ice Age Discovery center in Snowmass. At the Spring Café, I had gazpacho soup and a watermelon caprese salad. Like most places in Aspen, they had lovely outdoor seating.  Aspen has some cute and quirky shops like the Emporium and Flying Circus which has handmade gifts and trinkets and Explore Booksellers, a great independent bookstore! Since I can't go in a bookstore without buying at least one book, I had to buy two! My reading list is getting quite long. I'd like to visit Sanibel Island later this summer and read The House on Mermaid Point at the beach! Lost Luggage is set in the three European cities I visited last year: London, Paris, and Barcelona so of course I had to buy it! The evening was spent around the pool with a book (and occasional trips in the pool to cool down).  The next morning, we visited Ashcroft Ghost Town. Some of the structures were original and we were even able to walk around the hotel. I was surprised that the city was occupied for less than five years during the silver boom.  In the afternoon, we took a trail ride at T Lazy-7 Ranch. The trail went through Aspen trees and through the mountains. It was gorgeous! Afterwards, we visited the Aspen Historical Society museum and went to Le Creperie du Village for dinner. The museum featured history of the Ute as well as the founding of Aspen. At Le Creperie du Village, we sat outside right on the sidewalks of main street and our table had couches for chairs. My "Big Apple" crepe was even better than the ones I had in Paris! We concluded our trip in Aspen with the a sunset beaver tour from Aspen Center for Environmental Studies. We walked around Hallam Lake and through the trees and were able to spot one beaver carrying a tree branch to add to its dam! It was the perfect way to end a lovely vacation!  After a long, dark, lonely drive featuring mountain passes, hairpin turns, flooding, and detours, I finally arrived home about 1 AM this morning. Aspen ranks highly among my favorite cities. With mountains all around, snowmelt streams everywhere, and forests of Aspen trees, it has to be one the most beautiful places on earth. I definitely want to return in the winter to ski sometime!
I have a trip to New Mexico planned in early August, but I'd like to visit or re-visit a couple more Colorado cities if I can this summer. Any suggestions on which should top my list? |
Crystal ChilcottHi, I’m Crystal! I love to travel and am currently a graduate student in Scotland. You’ll get all the best tips and insights from my experiences as a former ice-skating coach in Iceland and former study abroad student. Of the 27 countries I have visited, a type 1 diabetes diagnosis has been the strangest land yet. Type 1 has not slowed down my travels and you'll learn how to take type 1 with you on the road! You can connect with me further on Instagram @CrystalChilcott, or send me ideas of where I should travel next via email: crystalmechilcott@gmail.comHappy Travels, Crystal What am I up to today? Check out my Instagram feed below to find out!
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