All good things must come to an end. Alas, this is even true of our time in Colorado. Knowing that our last would revolve around packing, packing, and more packing we decided to make the preceding two weeks count! We tried out a few highly recommended restaurants, went climbing, skied in the Rockies, and stocked up on Coloradan delicacies.
Weekend #11 began with an evening out in Pueblo. Since our arrival, co-workers have been insisting that we make a visit to Angelo’s on the River Walk for some specialty pizza. Our pick was “La Debby”, a white pizza with tomato, basil, sundried tomatoes, and blue cheese. It was delightful! Fr an appetizer we had the garlic knots, which were so sinfully buttery that we couldn’t get enough.
Our trip to Angelo’s included an added bonus…the Mountaineers! We didn’t even have to drive to Denver for this pleasure. It just so happened that the restaurant had ESPN on, and it just so happened that WVU was on ESPN. We weren’t so lucky as far as the game went, though. That was the night of our embarrassing loss to Syracuse. Ugh.
The next day we were spoiled by yet another lovely dining experience. The highlight this time was the presence of Mr. Cooper and his lady love, Sassy Red! We met up outside of Denver at what an online review had called “the best Mexican in the Denver area.” The restaurant is called La Cueva, located in Aurora, CO. Bilbo got a chicken dish doused in Mole sauce, and I had a specialty pork dish the name of which I cannot remember. The company was everything we had hoped for, if too briefly present, but the food was not all it was cracked up to be. We bade our friends farewell and made for Pueblo to prepare for the next day’s adventure to 11 Mile.
With preparations already made, we set off early the next morning for 11 Mile, a climbing area near Lake George. As we drove toward the crag area, we passed lovely scenery and continued to listen to the “Song of Fire and Ice” series. We’re now on book 3: “A Storm of Swords”.
When we stopped at the Ranger Station to pay our day use fee, we found out that we had driven to the wrong park. Apparently, there is 11 Mile Lake State Park and 11 Mile Canyon State Park. The kind and understanding Ranger told us that we were at 11 Mile Lake, gave us our money back, and pointed use towards 11 Mile Canyon. Oops! At least the lake was pretty.
On the way out, Bilbo lost his hat to the wind and had to make a daring rescue.
When we made it to 11 Mile Canyon, we were greeted with more pleasant scenery along a very bumpy road.
Here I am pointing out the route we climbed. It was a blast and both Bauers were successful!
Prior to this, Bilbo had led a sketchily bolted route with 60 foot run out, where a fall could be tragic. He decided that it was too risky, especially after coming to a wobbly bolt, and traversed over to a nearby anchor for another route. Another set of climbers came along who said they had done the same thing. So, beware if you go to 11 Mile Canyon. It is not always bolted appropriately.
The next week a small miracle happened…twice! It snowed in Pueblo! According to my coworkers this is not a common event in October, let alone two occurrences. Now, I’m not talking about accumulation but just a nice light dusting. The story was quite different in higher elevations, though, and that meant one exciting thing for us…SKIING! Not all of the resorts were open, so we didn’t hit any of the big names like Aspen or Vail; however we had a great day at Loveland.
On the way we stopped at a rest stop with stuffed big horn sheep. One step closer to seeing a real one!
It is important for you to know that I had only skied once before this, and not successfully. In fact, I have yet to even go on the PIcbunny slope. But by the end of the day at Loveland, I was able to stop on a slight grade! That is progress!
Bilbo, on the other hand, has much better snow legs! After making sure I could manage well enough not to kill myself, he took a few rounds down the only open slope. He even took pictures along the way.
On the way back a glorious event occurred! Not one, not two, but THREE great horn sheep were grazing on the side of the road! We had never expected that we would finally spot these guys on the side of the road, so our camera was not at the ready. That’s alright, though. I’ll keep my eye out for more!
With my Colorado dreams fulfilled it was Bilbo’s turn to have one last shot at his. Shelf Road held the key, so we went back out for another day of climbing.
Our final day at Shelf Road was the end to our Colorado adventures. The only excitement held by our last week was Halloween! Lucky for me, who loves an excuse to wear a costume, my workplace not only allows but encourages Halloween costumes! So, I dressed up as a rock climber (to be thrifty and nifty)! Honestly, I may consider wearing a helmet to work from now on.
The rest of the week consisted of Bilbo packing and cleaning while I tied things up at work. On Wednesday, my coworkers took us out to eat at the Cactus Flower. This was fitting as we had our first Colorado meal there. We also took some time to stock up on a few wines from Holy Cross and a selection of microbrews to share with friends and family over the holidays.
Throughout the entire process, Fyodor waited patiently in the carrier. Silly kitty loves to ride in the car!
Can you tell where we put the cats by looking at this picture? Don’t worry my PETA enthusiast friends! The feline Bauers had more space and were more comfortable than us humans. As tight as sardines, we said goodbye to Colorado and set our sights on Utah’s natural wonders!
The Centennial State was a blast with all of its natural beauty, outdoor activities, brews for Bilbo, and enticing activities for me. But now we say…
UTAH OR BUST!
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