Steamboat Springs to Aspen

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Steamboat Springs & Vail

Day 14 – July 8

Breakfast at Dunkin Donuts in Boulder then off towards Aspen with daughter Suzannah. Aspen is about 3.5 hours from Boulder, but we figured on making stops and detours along the way so we didn’t expect to get to Aspen until the end of the day or the next day, depending on what we do. Right out of Boulder we made our first detour; to Breckenridge Ski Resort where Suzannah has skied. We just wanted to see the mountain and ski resort, and so we didn’t spend any real time here. Even in the summer there were lots of people around the village. After about 15 minutes we started toward Steamboat Springs, about 2 hours away. Our first real stop on our Steamboat Springs to Aspen leg of the trip.

On the way to Steamboat Springs we stopped in the small western looking town of Kremmling for lunch, and ice for the cooler. I got a hot dog at a stand in the parking lot of the beer store where we got the ice, Em and Sz were a bit more sophisticated and got Subway sandwiches. We ate in a small park in the center of town surrounded by what looked like a Hollywood set of a small western town, but it was the real town. We love stopping in these small towns of America.

Once in Steamboat Springs we decided to do a tube ride down the Yampa River, which was basically a long lazy river with several small rapids along the way. It was about an hour and a half ride. We have no pics because we didn’t want to lose our devices in the river. It was here where Em tipped over on a small rapid and bruised her sternum pretty badly on a rock. Suzannah and I had been taken ahead by the current and so we waited around a bend for Emilie to arrive. Em felt as though she was hurt but she didn’t think it was all that bad at this point (key words “at this point”). We continued on.

It was a fun ride, and perfect for such a hot day. We definitely got wet, and some of the rapids were a bit tricky, but nothing too difficult or scary. At the end of the tubing route we got into a van that shuttled us back to the tube rental place, One Stop Ski Shop. We then tooled around downtown Steamboat Springs. We got some fresh cooked almonds and odd bottles of soda at the very cool soda and candy shop Rocket Fizz (butterscotch beer and Hanks cream soda). Then, off to Vail for dinner.

Vail Colorado — A couple of geeks in Vail

Parking in Vail was very hard to find but we eventually found a free parking garage that was packed. We walked around the very beautiful and swanky Vail Village. We ate dinner at an excellent, fancy steak restaurant (every restaurant in Vail is fancy), Lancelot only after the chef noticed we were being turned away by the hostess and he intervened to find us a table in the main dining room (he must have had a soft spot for the three people in the restaurant who looked like they couldn’t afford to eat there). After dinner we went on toward Glenwood Springs and stayed at Frontier Lodge just outside of town (a clean and adequate mom and pop motel).

Glenwood Springs & Aspen

Day 15 – July 9

Breakfast at the motel. First stop was Deja Brew coffee house between the motel and downtown Glenwood Springs. Suzannah knew about this popular local coffee and breakfast sandwich place. We needed real coffee since the cheap motel coffee was, well, cheap motel coffee. Deja Brew did not disappoint.

We then went to Glenwood Springs Hot Springs, the world’s largest mineral spring fed pool in the world, with over 1M gallons. There was some road construction nearby that confused us a bit and so we took a few wrong turns before actually finding it. It was crowded, and we were lucky to get a parking spot along the backside of the resort. It cost us $69 to get in but it was well worth it. We found 3 pool lounge chairs to claim for the day. Even though this was in the middle of a busy town, there were red rock cliffs towering over the pool on two sides.

We ended up spending 5 hours at the hot spring pool. We all took a couple of rides down one of the very fun curly waterslides, and spent time in the hot, hot, hot spring pool as well as the larger merely hot spring pool.

Glenwood Hot Springs — Suzannah sizing up the pool

Em sizzling in the hot, hot, hot spring pool

While basking at the pool we got a call from Ez who said she had just been in a 4-car accident on the highway at home in her brand-new Honda CRV. Ez was shaken up but unharmed. Em spent time calming her down and talking her through how to handle things at the accident scene. We packed up around 2:30 to head to Aspen, about an hour away.

I booked a room at the Westin in Snowmass Village about 20 minutes outside of Aspen, but we first checked out Aspen. Got there around 4:00 P.M. and walked the beautiful main downtown a bit before eating a very tasty healthy dinner at the eclectic Pyramid Bistro, which was upstairs in a book store. We actually walked by the entrance twice before seeing it. We ate outside on a small balcony of the home-like store/restaurant, where a huge pine tree shot up through the middle of the balcony between the half dozen tables…it was like eating in a tree fort. The butternut squash soup was amazing….we got a second bowl to share. After dinner we walked around downtown Aspen again.

We got gelato for dessert and Sz and I looked at Tesla’s in the small showroom downtown in the village. The saleswoman was from Mass. Downtown Aspen village was just so beautiful and expensive! There was a nice, large park with people tossing discs. Ski trails overlook the village from all perspectives, like in Vail. Then we drove to Snowmass Village to check in to our hotel. Very nice Westin hotel with a stunning view from our small balcony.

Snowmass Village Aspen — View from our hotel at Snowmass Village

Snowmass Village was far more affordable than Aspen, and likely because Snowmass was far less active, but it was perfect for us. Rooms in Aspen were between $300- $800, but our room at the Westin in Snowmass Village was only $129 (Expedia member deal!) We did the very short free gondola ride, then got drinks and sat on the patio by the fire with a bunch of other people at the New Belgium Ranger Station pub/restaurant. We chatted with folks. I got a smore from one of the kids making them at the fire pit next to ours. The bartender was from Worcester county!

It was a fun night on the patio. We got drinks to take back to the room, but I successfully knocked Em’s beer out of her hand as soon as we got back in to our room. We ended the night at the Westin’s outdoor heated pool and hot tub. Off to bed.

Independence Pass

Day 16 – July 10

Breakfast at Peaches Corner Cafe in downtown Aspen. It was packed with people far more beautiful and richer than we, but $60 later we were satisfied with a very good breakfast! (As of this writing, Peaches Corner Cafe is not longer in business). Then off to Independence Pass to begin our trek back toward Boulder.

Independence Pass, just east of Aspen is similar to Trail Ridge Road in RMNP or Going to the Sun Road in Glacier in its danger and stunning vistas. It is actually closed in the winter. We stopped a few times to take in the scenery. But the main stop was Devil’s Punchbowl.

I learned about Devil’s Punchbowl online where one site listed it as the best swimming hole in all of Colorado, with a “must-do” cliff jump! It was truly a beautiful spot, and hard to find since there is no sign or marker for it. We followed rough directions from online descriptions of the swimming hole. Only one other person was there when we arrived. He was surveying the rocks for the best way to do the jump into the small swimming hole bookended by fast flowing water in and out of the hole.

Devil's Punchbowl, Independence Pass, Aspen — Devil’s Punchbowl

Others showed up but only after a person who had actually made the jump before arrived and provided insights to navigating the rocks to the correct diving perch did anybody make the plunge. I followed suit. I changed into my swimsuit in the car. At the top, I worked up the nerve after crossing the flowing river via a very slippery log to make the 20-foot plunge. It was thrilling, and the water was very, very cold, but pure and refreshing. With an assist at the very top, I scaled the cliff wall to exit.

Having seen this, Suzannah just HAD to make the plunge, too. So, she changed into her swimsuit in the car and came back and made the plunge herself.

By now there were about a dozen people hanging out at Devil’s Punchbowl, some contemplating the jump. Em was happy not dying and just watching us. We dried off a bit and got back on the road…having been victorious at the Punchbowl! Further along the sometimes harrowing Independence Pass we stopped at viewpoints, the Continental Divide and at Independence Ghost Town.