Snowy Mountain Solitude

The air felt fresher than it did in Michigan, taking that initial step out of the Colorado airport. My husband and I were kind of blindsided by the nuance of feeling different, not knowing that later it wouldn’t be such a good thing and we’d be sick from the change in altitude. It wasn’t the vacation we intended on taking, but it was the one that we didn’t know we needed. We were planning to stay in Cancun, Mexico but thanks to the company setting up our reservations it didn’t all necessarily work out despite speaking to the CEO whom I refer to as, “Peter, Peter, Pumpkin Eater”. He didn’t like it when I called him that, but at that point he’d already ruined our hotel stay. Call it serendipity, but it would be that night that an article bounced across my phone, claiming a successful mass shooting in the hotel he failed to book us.

Colorado has a different assortment of food in their grocery stores. I saw cheaper produce, and more Mexican food options than I’m used to in Michigan. I was pleased to find out that due to a lower humidity, snowy days aren’t too cold in Colorado. We headed through the mountain pass as it snowed with the top to the convertible down, enjoying the warm western winter air. The mountain pass began this sandy orange color at the bottom almost like mountains I had seen before in Arizona. As we reached higher altitudes, the peaks of the mountains became steep, white slopes- The perfect place to ski.

There were a lot of houses on the mountaintops and even some cute little mountain villages. These villages made me think about how different life could be if only I were raised in a different geography. The villages had schools and stores built in because of course you’re not going to traverse these mountains each day. I realized then that people must spend most of their lives up there.

The resort I booked with Airbnb near Granby Ranch was where we stayed almost the whole time because there was plenty to do. It was a large place to explore with hot tubs, an arcade, and a bar downstairs. Our room had a small cozy cabin feel to it complete with a large fireplace, view of the mountains, and wooden walls. We immediately had a hard time acclimating to the altitude. We didn’t realize that after the mountain pass, we had climbed thousands of feet in the air since Michigan. My eyes felt hot, I couldn’t breathe, and I drank water like a fish.We were higher than Woodstock 69’.

The hot tubs were on a snowy white top of a mountain and it felt funny to wear my swimsuit in such a cold looking atmosphere. We tried a few different hot springs as well located about 10 minutes away. I liked them even more as it brought us closer with nature, despite the hot sulfur smell of eggs. Heading back to the airport in Denver, we stopped in Idaho Springs on the mountain. It’s one of those little mountain towns I mentioned, but this one is kind of a big deal because it’s more put together. You’re not going to pass through this town without knowing it’s where the Gold Rush began. There’s a jewelry store that only crafts out of locally mined precious stones, and we ate at a restaurant called Tommy Knockers. They’re a brewery and pub that is the life of downtown Idaho Springs.

The last thing we did before hopping on our flight was make a quick stop at the Denver aquarium where we pet stingrays and watched sharks swim in a wrap-around hallway display. Moray eels are creepy, and that’s all I’m going to say about that. We stayed about 3 days in Colorado and I felt like the short sweetness was perfect for us since we had a baby to get back to. I felt like we saw everything we wanted to. I've always wanted to see the mountains and try the hot springs in Colorado, which is why it was my top choice out of all of the U.S. states to visit. If you’re looking to really relax for the weekend, I suggest snowy mountain solitude found in Granby, Colorado. It was the perfect Hallmark vacation to take in December right before the holidays, and a unique honeymoon experience.