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Day 7 – Church Trip 2023 // Fort Collins, Snowy Range, Laramie

Isaac Church — Sun, 24 Sep 2023 02:00:00 +0000

Today we left Colorado and headed north to Wyoming. After waking up early and loading the car yet again, we left our hotel to seek out some breakfast.

Breakfast

For breakfast, we drove to the Jessup Farm Artisan Village – the same place we went last night for ice cream. This time, we stopped at Bindle Coffee for some pastries and drinks. Before we even ordered, I knew this was going to be an excellent choice by the menu and the rapidly forming long line. I went inside to order, while everyone else found us a table outside. It was a cool morning, but still pleasant in the bright sunlight.

Dad and I got medium roast drip, Mom got a mocha latte, and Faith got an iced americano. We got a sampling of pastries to try: a pear frangipane royale, a morning bun, a vanilla plum cruffin, a maple knot, a pumpkin pecan muffin, and a mini chocolate croissant. Everything was outstanding, especially the pastries. The maple knot was world-class, and the vanilla-plum cruffin was a delicious flavor combination I’d never had before.

My only regret was not going back to get every other kind of pastry to try, and to get another maple knot. I would have, but the line was even longer by the time we finished the first round.

Bindle Coffee

By the time we left, a lady was setting up a flower truck outside the shop. We all thought that was a neat business idea.

Fort Collins Flower Truck

Bindle Coffee

Fort Collins, CO

A rare combination of phenomenal pastries and great coffee under one roof – Bindle has top-notch baked goods with creative flavors, plus delicious coffee that they roast themselves.

* – Would definitely visit again

** – Exceptional, must visit if you’re in the area

*** – Worth making a special trip to eat there

For more info on food ratings, click here.

Fort Collins

Leaving Bindle, Mom and Faith decided they wanted to look for some kind of a baby outfit at a nearby T.J. Maxx, so Dad and I dropped them off and went on a mission of our own. We drove over to Colorado State University to see their campus and football stadium. Both were beautiful, as was the entire city of Fort Collins. It doesn’t have any mountains, but it does have lots of amenities, and is smoothly navigable.

Canvas Stadium - Colorado State University

We drove back to pick up Mom and Faith, stopped by a USPS box to drop off a couple postcards, and headed on our merry way.

Laramie, WY

Soon, we left Colorado and crossed into Wyoming. The drive was pretty, but mostly flat, with mountains in the distance. We stopped briefly to take a picture of the Colorado and Wyoming welcome signs – you might recognize the Wyoming welcome sign from last year’s trip. It was extremely windy (there was a high wind advisory for the morning), and Dad almost lost his hat getting out of the car to take the pictures. Consider that foreshadowing…

Welcome to Colorful Colorado Sign

Welcome to Wyoming Sign

Arriving in Laramie, we stopped for gas, and then left the city to go up into the mountains.

Laramie, WY

Snowy Range

Our scenic destination of the day was the Snowy Range in Medicine Bow-Routt National Forests. It’s a short drive outside of Laramie (less than an hour one-way), so I figured it would be a nice scenic detour before it was time to go to the football game.

Just past the tiny town of Centennial (population 270), we stopped at the Snowy Range Visitor Center, which is operated by the US Forest Service. The center had some maps and free stickers, but no other amenities – not a restroom nor even a trash can!

Barber Lake Road

Shortly after the visitor center, we left the main road and turned on Barber Lake Road, which is a narrow, sparsely-maintained but paved road that passed alongside a steep canyon and a river. The mountainsides were dotted with beautiful yellow aspens, and the scenery was very nice overall.

Snowy Range Scenic Byway

Soon, we re-emerged back onto the main scenic byway, and continued west. We skipped Brooklyn Lake Road for sake of time, and began climbing up, dancing in and out of the forests as the tree line fluctuated.

Libby Lake

Our first stop on the byway was Libby Lake, which is down a bumpy but short gravel road. At the end of the road, our endurance of the jostling was rewarded with a gorgeous view of the lake and surrounding mountains. There’s also a small picnic site by the lake, but any picnickers’ sandwiches would have blown clear back into Colorado if they tried to eat outside today.

Libby Lake

Snowy Range

Libby Flats Observation Area

Next, we crossed the Snowy Range Pass, and I took a frigid walk to the Libby Flats Observation Area. It was so cold that I didn’t even take any pictures from the tower. My journey back to the car turned into a frigid run rather than a walk.

Snowy Range Pass

Libby Flats Observations Area

Mirror Lake + Lake Marie

Our next stop was the highlight of the scenic byway – Mirror Lake and Lake Marie. These picturesque lakes are surrounded by the rocky peaks of the Snowy Range. The turquoise-tinted water was amazingly clear, although very choppy from the high winds.

Snowy Range

Mirror Lake

Silver Lake

A short distance past the two lakes, we stopped at Silver Lake Campground for another great view. I somehow forgot to take a picture of Silver Lake, but it was very pretty…you’ll just have to take my word for it. Sorry, I have trouble remembering to document things whilst I’m freezing to death.

Silver Lake Overlook

We decided to make one last pullout on the byway before turning around: the Ralph Hesson Fishing Platform. This was supposed to be a good area for wildlife watching, but unfortunately we didn’t see anything. From here, we turned around and started driving back towards Laramie, enjoying the scenery from the car.

Laramie + Lunch

Back in Laramie, we tried to eat at a place I’d seen recommended called Alibi Wood Fire, but unfortunately it was flooded with football fans, most of them App State fans. Running short on time, we decided there was no way we could manage the wait with such a big crowd, so we began looking for another option.

Dad and I ended up eating in an Irish pub called O’Dwyer’s Public House, while Mom, Faith, and Walker decided to drive over to Cheyenne to find food and kill time during the game. Dad and I got a reuben with pub chips, country fried steak and colcannon with gravy, and a beef pasty. The food was very good, especially the reuben. The portions were huge, especially the pasty; we didn’t get anywhere close to finishing it. The restaurant itself was in an interesting building – it was dome-shaped, and we could hear the conversations of the table on the opposite side of the room because of the acoustics.

O'Dwyers Public House

Heading to Cheyenne, WY

O'Dwyer's Public House

Laramie, WY

Good, hearty food and generous portions. The reuben in particular was very good.

* – Would definitely visit again

** – Exceptional, must visit if you’re in the area

*** – Worth making a special trip to eat there

For more info on food ratings, click here.

App State @ Wyoming

Dad and I walked to War Memorial Stadium, where we watched yet another disappointing game for the Mountaineers. I have never seen a team dominate a game so completely and still lose.

App State @ Wyoming

Wyoming’s stadium was a great place to experience a game. Their cowboy-themed intro was neat, and I thought the end zones with the mountains were exceptional enough that App should copy them. The ROTC operated a cannon that fired after every Cowboys touchdown, making most of the crowd jump. Appalachian had a crowd of about 2,300 fans attending, which I thought was excellent for a road game so far away. The stadium also had the least security I’ve seen at a major NCAA event – I’ve seen Walmarts with better security. I’d speculate that half the people in the stadium were exercising their 2nd Amendment rights, so I guess they figured that was plenty of security for the middle of nowhere in Wyoming.

App State @ Wyoming

Wrapping Up

Mom and Faith returned from their adventures in Cheyenne, which involved an Italian dinner and some shopping. Along the way, Faith took some nice photos at sunset of a windmill farm beside I-80. They conveniently picked us up right outside the stadium after the game was over.

Near Cheyenne, WY

We’d originally planned to drive to Lander, WY (almost four hours away) to spend the night after the game. At the last minute, I cancelled that reservation and instead made us one in Rawlins, WY, which is only an hour and a half west of Laramie via I-80. It was a good decision; we were all tired and dejected after a long day and a longer football game.

Video

Here’s a brief video from today.

The Best Things we Saw Today

Isaac

The best thing I saw today was… “Mirror Lake and Lake Marie”.

The best thing I ate today was… “the maple knot and the vanilla plum cruffin”.

Faith

The best thing I saw today was… “the Snowy Range and the windmills near Cheyenne at sunset”.

The best thing I ate today was… “the morning bun and my salad at dinner”.

Jerry

The best thing I saw today was… “actually the worst thing I saw was Appalachian totally dominating an opponent and still managing to lose”.

The best thing I ate today was… “pastries, especially the vanilla plum cruffin and the maple knot”.

Amy

The best thing I saw today was… “Mirror Lake”.

The best thing I ate today was… “the maple knot”.

Conclusion

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Tomorrow, we’ll travel northwest across most of Wyoming. We’ll spend the next week in the Tetons and Yellowstone.

– Isaac & Co.

Silver Lake Overlook

Mirror Lake

App State @ Wyoming

The post Day 7 – Church Trip 2023 // Fort Collins, Snowy Range, Laramie appeared first on Isaac Church // isaactchurch.com.

Day 6 – Church Trip 2023 // Rocky Mountain National Park, Fort Collins

Isaac Church — Sat, 23 Sep 2023 02:00:00 +0000

Today was our final day in Rocky Mountain National Park. Tired from the previous days’ activities, we decided to sleep in a little this morning before heading out for the day.

You Need Pie!

After packing up the townhome and loading the car, we drove over to You Need Pie! – Estes Park Pie Shop & Diner. We skipped the pie and got a large breakfast instead. Dad got biscuits and gravy; Mom got a breakfast plate; Faith got country fried steak; and I got an “Oinker Scramble” with sausage, ham, bacon, and cheddar cheese. The the food was good – but I wish we’d saved room for pie.

You Need Pie!

Coffee on the Rocks

After breakfast, we drove back to the townhome to finish packing up, and then drove a short distance up the road to Coffee on the Rocks to get some drinks. They provide dried corn to feed the many ducks and geese in the pond out back. Faith specifically instructed me to feed a duck that had only one foot, so if you see me inspecting the underside of the ducks in today’s video, that’s why. Personally, I thought he was doing just fine getting food by hopping around pogo-style.

Coffee on the Rocks

Moraine Park Discovery Center

We reentered the park, this time through the Fall River entrance on the north side of Estes Park. We’d been avoiding this entrance because there’s major construction on the entrance station, but decided to go this way once to see the corridor of the park. After briefly stopping at the Fall River Visitor Center, we circled around Sheep Lakes (sadly, we didn’t see any bighorn sheep) and drove back to the Bear Lake Corridor.

Rocky Mountain National Park

Sheep Lakes

Rocky Mountain National Park

At Moraine Park Discovery Center, we stopped to refill our water bottles, browse the exhibits, use the restroom, and peruse the gift shop. Soon, we were back on the road again, continuing back to the Bear Lake trailhead at the end of the road.

Elk

On our way up the road, we happened across a massive bull elk right on the side of the road. We hurriedly took some pictures, but then drove off so as not to aggravate him.

Elk

Bear Lake

At the trailhead, Faith and I decided we would walk around Bear Lake, an easily accessible and short loop trail. We started to take Walker with us, but because the wind was so strong, we had to return him to the car with Mom and Dad. The foliage around the lake was beautiful, and even better than two days prior when we were in the area.

Bear Lake

Leaving Bear Lake, we stopped back at the Discovery Center to refill our water bottles again, and to use their non-pit toilets, and then returned to our journeys.

Alluvial Fan // Endovalley

Driving back towards the Fall River entrance, we turned off near Sheep Lakes and drove through the Alluvial Fan. The area of debris was created in July 1982, when an earthen dam up on the hillside gave way, releasing more than 200 million gallons of water. The Lawn Lake Dam flood killed three people, and caused damage to 75% of the businesses in Estes Park. As a result of this catastrophe, several other nearby earthen dams were removed. For the sake of time, we skipped Horseshoe Falls in this area, and continued on up the road to briefly drive through a loop leading to and through the Endovalley Picnic Area.

Old Fall River Road

At the end of Endovalley, we started the drive up Old Fall River Road. For visitors wanting to drive to access the alpine tundra, the road was the primary route before the opening of Trail Ridge Road in 1932. Old Fall River Road is unpaved, intermittently washboarded, and has many steep (up to 16% grade), narrow sections and tight switchbacks. It’s now one-way (uphill only), and is closed in the winters.

It’s difficult to imagine Model T-esque vehicles attempting to drive up such a rough road, or to envision two cars attempting to pass each other with a steep cliff mere feet to the side. Before the invention of fuel injection systems, drivers used to have to back their cars up the steep curves to keep fuel flowing into their gravity-fed engines. The drive took those in old-timey cars the better part of a day. Right after its opening in 1921, Fall River Road was undeniably inadequate for two-way motor traffic, so in 1929, construction began on Trail Ridge Road, which would have a maximum grade of 7%.

Old Fall River Road

Chasm Falls

We stopped by the roadside at the picturesque Chasm Falls, and then continued on, enjoying the fall colors and scenic view along the way.

Old Fall River Road

Alpine

Old Fall River Road empties out at the Alpine Visitor Center, where we ate lunch yesterday. Mom was very glad to not be driving it anymore, but I thought it actually wasn’t that bad. We stopped for a quick break at the visitor center, and then drove Trail Ridge Road back to Estes Park, completing a loop back to our starting point from this morning.

Old Fall River Road

Ed's Cantina

Back in Estes Park, we parked at Ed’s Cantina, and had a brief wait before we could get a table for an early dinner. We had an excellent meal, starting with some chips and fire-roasted salsa. Mom got fish tacos; Dad got bison enchiladas; Faith got a giant burrito; and I got tres enchiladas (pork carnitas, bison with serrano sauce, and chicken with white mole). Dad and I both got a side of Mexican street corn (elote).

Ed's Cantina

Estes Park, CO

Excellent Mexican/Tex-Mex, with some uncommon menu items. Definitely try the elote and the bison enchiladas!

* – Would definitely visit again

** – Exceptional, must visit if you’re in the area

*** – Worth making a special trip to eat there

For more info on food ratings, click here.

Signage

After dinner, we drove to a Safeway across the street to stock up on some supplies, and then back to the park entrance sign to get some pictures.

Rocky Mountain National Park

Josh & John's

Leaving Estes Park, we drove east on US-34 alongside the Big Thompson River, until we finally arrived in Loveland, CO, where we turned north towards Fort Collins. In Fort Collins, we headed to Josh & John’s for some incredible ice cream. Faith and I visited one when we were in Colorado last summer, and were dying to go back. We didn’t have time to visit Josh & John’s on this year’s trip to Colorado Springs, but thankfully they had a location in Fort Collins.

Dad got Moose on the Loose (chocolate mousse base with brownie bits and chocolate covered caramel cups), Almond Joy, and Oatmeal Cookie, I got Moose on the Loose and Purple Mountain Majesty (taro ice cream with chocolate covered raspberry cups); Faith got mocha chip; and Mom got Almond Joy. The ice cream was fantastic – this is some of the best you can get anywhere.

Josh & John's Ice Cream

Josh and John's Ice Cream

Colorado Springs, CO

Amazing ice cream with traditional flavors, plus some unique treats you wouldn’t find anywhere else. If you visit, be sure to try some of their special flavors.

* – Would definitely visit again

** – Exceptional, must visit if you’re in the area

*** – Worth making a special trip to eat there

For more info on food ratings, click here.

We drove a short distance to our hotel, and settled in for the night.

The Best Things we Saw Today

Isaac

The best thing I saw today was… “Bear Lake and the elk by the road”.

The best thing I ate today was… “ice cream from Josh & John’s, and the bison enchilada and street corn”.

Faith

The best thing I saw today was… “the elk by the road”.

The best thing I ate today was… “both kinds of ice cream, particularly the mocha chip”.

Jerry

The best thing I saw today was… “the bull elk beside the road”.

The best thing I ate today was… “Moose on the Loose ice cream and bison enchiladas”.

Amy

The best thing I saw today was… “the end of Old Fall River Road”.

The best thing I ate today was… “fish tacos”.

Video

Here are some video clips from today.

Conclusion

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Tomorrow, we’ll drive north to Wyoming to watch the Mountaineers play football (and we’ll make some other stops along the way).

– Isaac & Co.

Bear Lake

Rocky Mountain National Park

Elk

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Day 5 – Church Trip 2023 // Rocky Mountain National Park

Isaac Church — Fri, 22 Sep 2023 02:00:00 +0000

Today was our second full day in Rocky Mountain National Park. We had some up-close wildlife encounters, hiked to a waterfall, and ate some excellent ice cream.

Sprague Lake and No Moose

Dad, Faith, Walker, and I woke up early, left the townhome around 06:30, and drove back to Sprague Lake for the second morning in a row. Hoping the moose would come down to the lake today, we again arrived just before sunrise (which was very un-colorful compared to yesterday) and walked around to the reeds and marshland on the backside of the lake. Unfortunately, there was no sign of moose, even though there were fewer people. Faith and I hiked up the hillside to get a higher perspective, but still saw nothing.

Bear Lake Road

Sprague Lake Sunrise

Sprague Lake

Cinnamon's and Kind

We all headed over to Cinnamon’s Bakery on the other side of town to get some of their acclaimed cinnamon rolls, and wound up getting a half-dozen. We got a classic (cream cheese), a salted caramel, a raisin roll, a pecan, a raspberry, and an un-iced roll.

After stopping at Kind Coffee by the river to get some drinks, we headed back to the townhome to eat. All the rolls were excellent, but we especially enjoyed the raspberry – I’d never experienced fruit sauce on a cinnamon roll before.

Cinnamon's Bakery

Big Thompson River behind Kind Coffee

Kind Coffee

Cinnamon's Bakery

Estes Park, CO

Excellent cinnamon rolls, salted caramel rolls, and raisin rolls, plus a rotating fruit flavor. Try everything if you can justify the calories!

* – Would definitely visit again

** – Exceptional, must visit if you’re in the area

*** – Worth making a special trip to eat there

For more info on food ratings, click here.

Trail Ridge Road

After finishing our breakfast, we started up Trail Ridge Road for the second day in a row. Today, we planned to allow time for stops along the way. Our first stop was Beaver Ponds, a boardwalk to some ponds created by beaver dams – it wasn’t really much to see; I don’t think I even took any pictures.

Longs Peak

Trail Ridge Road

Many Parks Curve

Passing Hidden Valley, a defuct ski area, our next pullout was Many Parks Curve – this time in the daylight. The name “Many Parks” comes from the old French trappers who visited the area. To them, a “park” was a meadow surrounded by mountains. From this vantage point, you can easily see how the overlook got its name.

Many Parks Curve Overlook

Many Parks Curve

Rainbow Curve

The next overlook, Rainbow Curve, had more stunning views of the park, and of Longs Peak.

Rainbow Curve Overlook

Forest Canyon Overlook

Climbing above the treeline, we stopped at Forest Canyon Overlook, where there’s a short trail to a stone observation platform. I was the only one brave enough to venture out in the wind and cold to take some pictures.

Forest Canyon Overlook

Tundra Communities Overlook

Next, we stopped at Tundra Communities Overlook. Faith and I hiked part of the way up a short but steep trail towards Mushroom Rocks, but ended up turning back because of the pounding wind gusts. By the roadside, we saw a variety of wildlife: a ewe and lamb bighorn sheep, a pika, and a rather elusive yellow-bellied marmot. All were very vocal, and the sheep seemed mostly interested in licking minerals from the rocks and dirt.

Gore Range Overlook

Passing by the overlook at Lava Cliffs, we stopped at Gore Range Overlook for a better view of the southeast side of the mountains.

Gore Range Overlook

Alpine Visitor Center

Finally, we crossed the highest point of Trail Ridge Road at 12,183′, and stopped at the Alpine Visitor Center, the highest visitor center in the National Parks system. There are actually two visitor centers – one run by the NPS and the Rocky Mountain Conservancy, and a for-profit cafe and gift shop called Trail Ridge Store. We waited in the tremendously long (and cold) line for the restrooms, bought a couple souvenirs in the visitor center, and then headed in the Trail Ridge Store to get some lunch at the cafeteria. The visitor center had some interesting exhibits on the wildlife, including big animals, but also smaller ones like ptarmigan, chipmunks, ground squirrels, pika, and pocket gophers.

Dad and I split a bison bratwurst and the remaining sandwich halves from yesterday. Mom got some mac and cheese and a salad, and Faith got a bowl of chili. It was very good for cafeteria food.

Lunch at Alpine Visitor Center

P.S.: If you can spot the herd of elk on the hillside in the second photo below, comment below! I never would have seen them on my own, but they had a spotting scope set up in the visitor center.

Fall River Valley

Medicine Bow Curve

Just below the Alpine Visitor Center, we stopped at Medicine Bow Curve to enjoy yet another spectacular view, this time of the Cash la Poudre valley.

Medicine Bow Curve

Lakes

We made a quick stop by the Continental Divide at Poudre Lake, and then I did a quick solo walk around Lake Irene.

Poudre Lake

Lake Irene

Farview Curve

Below the lakes, Fairview Curve gave us our first look down the Kawuneeche Valley, which leads to the town of Grand Lake.

Fairview Curve

Past the curve, the road quickly descends into the valley via five steep hairpin switchbacks.

Moose!

Coming through the Kawuneeche Valley, I spotted a cow moose (tagged C7) grazing just on the other side of the Colorado River, with her calf hiding behind a bush beside her. We were unable to get a clear view of the calf, but we stayed to watch the cow for over 30 minutes.

Moose

Adams Falls

Driving past downtown Grand Lake, we parked at East Inlet Trailhead, and started a relatively short and easy hike to Adams Falls, this time taking Walker with us. I believe this was his first official hike! We passed some horseback riders on the trail, and soon arrived at the falls, which plunge down into a barrel-like basin so steep one can barely see the bottom. The fall foliage on the trail was gorgeous, and we enjoyed views of the surrounding mountains and Grand Lake.

Adams Falls Trail

Adams Falls

Adams Falls hike

Adams Falls Trail and Grand Lake

Adams Falls

Adams Falls Trail and Grand Lake

Miyauchi's Snack Bar

After driving back to Grand Lake, we drove down to the waterfront and stopped at Miyauchi’s Snack Bar for a sweet treat (this would actually turn into supper, for reasons I’ll detail soon).

Miyauchi's Snack Bar

Dad got strawberry melt (strawberry ice cream with Belgian chocolate shavings), butter pecan, and mocha almond fudge; Mom got chocolate chip, strawberry melt, and butter pecan; Faith got raspberry sorbet; and I got sweet tangerine (with Belgian white chocolate shavings), butter pecan, strawberry melt, and mocha almond fudge. All the ice cream was excellent and unique.

Miyauchi's Snack Bar

Grand Lake, CO

Miyauchi’s has unique flavors of homemade ice cream – everything is very high quality and delicious.

* – Would definitely visit again

** – Exceptional, must visit if you’re in the area

*** – Worth making a special trip to eat there

For more info on food ratings, click here.

Moose, Again!

Starting back on Trail Ridge Road, we planned to drive back to Estes Park to get a late dinner. However, our plans were quickly thwarted when we saw yet another moose, this time a bull. We spotted him as he had just sat down in the grass to rest. We decided to forgo our dinner plans and stay to watch him, hoping he would stand up so we could get a better view.

Moose

After what seemed like an eternity (but was probably more like 25 minutes), he finally stood up and began lumbering in the direction of the town. I’ve never seen an ungulate that was so muscular!

Moose

We saw the direction he was headed, and realized he was cutting across a curve in the road, so we scrambled back in the car and drove down the road to our calculated point of intercept. I guess this is as close to “head him off at the pass” as I’ll ever get. Thankfully, we estimated perfectly, and were treated to the bull crossing the road right in front of us!

Moose

He finally crossed the road, and wandered through the meadow slowly, much to the delight of the gathering onlookers.

Moose

Moose, Again!

Back on the road, we spotted the same cow moose from earlier, this time making a beeline through the valley.

Moose

No Moose, Again!

We decided we’d try to head her off as well, but this time miscalculated. Even though she never came to us, we did get a nice gloaming view of the valley and surrounding mountains as the sun set. Faith and I met some App State grads who’d recently moved out to Colorado, and had a nice conversation with them as the sun went down.

Kawuneeche Valley

The temperature was dropping rapidly, so we headed back to the car and drove Trail Ridge Road back across Fall River Pass and Iceberg Pass to Estes Park. We’d missed dinner, but at least we got to see some wildlife!

The Best Things we Saw Today

Isaac

The best thing I saw today was… “the bull moose and the view from Trail Ridge Road”.

The best thing I ate today was… “the raspberry cinnamon roll at breakfast, and the ice cream in Grand Lake”.

Faith

The best thing I saw today was… “the bull moose crossing the road”.

The best thing I ate today was… “bison bratwurst”.

Jerry

The best thing I saw today was… “the bull moose”.

The best thing I ate today was… “strawberry chocolate ice cream and the raspberry cinnamon roll”.

Amy

The best thing I saw today was… “the moose right beside the car”.

The best thing I ate today was… “the raisin roll”.

Video

Here’s a video from today.

Conclusion

Thanks for reading! Click here to subscribe to email notifications.

Tomorrow, we’ll finish up our time in Rocky Mountain National Park, and then travel east.

– Isaac & Co.

Moose

Lunch at Alpine Visitor Center

Adams Falls hike

Moose

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Day 4 – Church Trip 2023 // Rocky Mountain National Park

Isaac Church — Thu, 21 Sep 2023 02:00:00 +0000

Today was our first full day in Rocky Mountain National Park.

Breakfast, Part I: Coffee

We woke up exceptionally early, and drove just down the road to Bird’s Nest, arriving right before 06:00. We ordered a couple brown sugar pecan muffins and some coffees to go. They actually gave us the wrong muffins (apricot cranberry), but they were delicious nonetheless, especially warm out of the oven.

Bird's Nest

It took a while to get our coffee, but we finally left and drove through the Beaver Meadows entrance, and then turned southwest on Bear Lake Road. After a brief backup at the entrance station (timed entry reservations are required), we drove up the road, finally stopping at Sprague Lake.

Sunrise Wildlife Watching

According to my research, Sprague Lake is one of the best places to see a moose on the east side of the park, or at least the best that doesn’t require a hike. More on that soon…

We arrived at the lake just a few minutes before sunrise, so we scurried out of the car and headed up to the lake to see an amazing sunrise.

Sprague Lake

Faith and I walked around the lake for a while, paying particularly close attention to the marshy wetland on the south side of the lake. Several professional photographers were gathered in this area, so we struck up a conversation with one of them, who was particularly focused on tracking and photographing moose across several national parks. He provided some fascinating information – most of them were looking for a cow moose with twin calves that had been visiting the lake, but they had apparently moved on to another ecosystem in the park. There was a bull moose just over the next ridge line, but he had apparently decided to not come down to the water. One of the photographers had used an unmaintained (fire damaged and abandoned) trail to find his pit, and had a few great photos.

Two of the photographers were also beta testers for next-gen Sony Alpha mirrorless cameras (the same family that I use), so I enjoyed talking to them about upcoming models, and best practices for wildlife photography. I learned that I have a lot to learn!

Sprague Lake

After scouting for over half an hour, we collectively decided we were out of moose luck for the day. Disappointed but now well-informed about moose travel habits, Faith and I walked around the rest of the lake to enjoy the view and the crisp morning mountain air.

Sprague Lake

Longs Peak

We met a man who graduated from Utah State University, and who worked for the Fish and Wildlife Service. He pointed out the cutthroat trout in the water. Once on the brink of extinction due to the introduction of invasive lake trout, the fish have staged a comeback and are now found in greater numbers. They are beautiful fish; their name originates from their bright red underbellies.

Cutthroat trout

Ducks

Breakfast, Part II: More Coffee

Leaving the Bear Lake corridor, we drove back to the condo and dropped off Mom, Faith, and Walker. Dad and I returned to Bird’s Nest for round two of breakfast, and then drove to The Country Market of Estes Park to get sandwiches made to take for lunch, and to get some ice and other supplies. We stopped for gas before picking up the rest of our party and heading back into the park for the day.

Bird's Nest

This time, we got a ham and cheese croissant, an almond croissant, a brown sugar pecan muffin (that they threw in for free since they gave us the wrong ones earlier), and a maple nut scone. All were good, especially the almond croissant.

Rocky Mountain National Park

Since this is our first time in Rocky Mountain National Park, I’ll include some info below. Click the drop-down boxes to read more.

By the numbers:

Established in 1915
265,761 acres // 415 sq mi of federal land + 253,059 acres // 395 sq mi of adjoining U.S. Forest Service wilderness
450 miles of rivers and streams, 147 waterfalls, 350+ miles of trails, 789 lakes/ponds
Lowest elevation: 7,500′ (Fall River Basin)
Highest elevation: 14,259′ (Longs Peak)
Home to 67 mammal, 280 bird, 6 amphibian, and 8 reptile species
25 named peaks over 13,000′ elevation
60+ names peaks over 12,000′ elevation
77 peaks over 10,000′ elevation
3M+ visitors annually

Fun facts:

Home to the highest paved road in America – Trail Ridge Road is 12,183′ high
Longs Peak is visible from over 100 miles away on a clear day.
In the winter, mountaintop wind gusts reach over 100mph.
The Ute Tribe inhabited areas of the park for hundreds of years before white settlers arrived.
The park has four different ecozones – montane, subalpine, alpine and tundra.
Snow can fall any month of the year and several feet can accumulate on the peaks.
Over 39 miles of the Continental Divide wind through the park.
The park has its own special subspecies of moose, the Rocky Mountain Moose, which is lighter in color and has smaller antlers.
Pikas, little rock-dwelling rodents, don’t hibernate but stockpile “haypiles” of grasses to survive the long winters above tree line.
The Alpine Visitor Center is the world’s highest, at 11,796′.

Just after re-entering the park, we spotted an elk herd lounging in one of the meadows.

Elk

Baby carrier doubles as a camera rest

Elk

We stopped to watch for a moment, and then headed back to the Bear Lake corridor so Faith and I could do some hiking.

Rocky Mountain National Park

A Hike Too Far

Back at the terminus of Bear Lake Road, Faith and I started our hike from Bear Lake Trailhead, while Mom and Dad stayed with Walker back at Bear Lake. The plan was to start by going to the three most popular lakes in the park (Nymph, Dream, and Emerald), going farther up the trail to Lake Haiyaha, then traveling southeast to Loch and Mills Lake Junction, and finally heading back north past Alberta Falls, completing the loop and finishing just below Bear Lake Trailhead at Glacier Gorge Junction Trailhead.

First, we arrived at Nymph Lake, famous for its lily pads. We made a quick stop to take a photo of the lake and a Stellar’s Jay, and then proceeded up the trail.

Nymph Lake

Stellar's Jay

After trudging up the mountainside for a while, we came across a spectacular view of a glacial valley, and could see Nymph Lake below us. Eventually the trail lead us to Dream Lake, which had crystal clear water, and an interesting runoff area with lots of intertwined small streams and trees. Faith and I found a quiet spot in the shade and stopped to eat half of our pastrami and corned beef sandwiches.

Rocky Mountain National Park

Nymph Lake

Rocky Mountain National Park

Lunch at Dream Lake

Dream Lake

After Dream Lake, we had to take a fork in the trail, which climbed a moderate slope up to Emerald Lake, which is probably the most famous and picturesque hiking destination in the park. The steep cliffs surrounding the lake are immense; it’s impossible to capture their scale with a camera. It was beautiful but crowded, so we didn’t stay long. We left Emerald Lake and descended back down to Dream Lake.

Emerald Lake

Dream Lake

Signpost

Our hiking plan had hinged on one assumption – that Walker would take a bottle while we were gone. Because there was no hot water at the park, Dad attempted to use the car’s heat vents to thaw the milk for Walker’s bottle. The milk thawed, but was still too cold; Walker refused to take it. Mom and Dad radioed us about the situation, so Faith and I decided to rush back through the remainder of the hike, skipping the side trail to Lake Haiyaha (which was supposed to be the star stop of the hike), and just barely pausing at Alberta Falls. So, please excuse the slightly blurry photos of the falls…I [literally] took them on the run.

Nymph Lake

Rocky Mountain National Park

Alberta Falls

We rejoined the car back at Glacier Gorge Trailhead, out of breath and exhausted. I hate we had to cut the hike short, but we learned an important planning lesson for the rest of the trip, and would not attempt a longer hike again.

Wildlife in the Woods

Tired of walking/running, we decided to drive over to Grand Lake, the town on the west end of the park. Trail Ridge Road starts on the Estes Park side, rises across the alpine tundra to over 12,000′, and then descends to Grand Lake – mostly following an old Ute trail. Since we had more time ahead of us to spend the park, we decided to drive across without stopping and find some dinner in Grand Lake.

Trail Ridge Road

Just before we got to Grand Lake, we saw a large black bear rambling through the woods, but I was unable to get a clear photo of it because it was in a burnt-out section of forest, far up on the hillside above us. We also saw a bull moose way back in the trees, but he quickly moved out of sight.

Moose

Sagebrush

Grand Lake

In downtown Grand Lake, we wound up eating at Sagebrush BBQ & Grill (not the chain), a western-theme restaurant that was very busy. All of us ordered two-meat combo plates: Mom got barbecue chicken and ribs; Dad got brisket and bison meatloaf with brown gravy; Faith got ribs and brisket; and I got bison meatloaf with red sauce and some very spicy elk sausage. It was a tasty and filling meal, though nothing phenomenal.

Sagebrush BBQ & Grill

Sunset Wildlife Watching

Leaving downtown Grand Lake, we headed back inside the park, retracing our steps on Trail Ridge Road through the Kawuneeche Valley. We stopped at several turnouts alongside the road, looking for wildlife. After a dry spell, we finally spotted a herd of elk in the distance from Beaver Creek Picnic Area, and stopped to watch them for a while.

Elk

Since it was quickly getting dark, we decided to drive back across Trail Ridge before it got too late.

Sunset

Elk Crossing

Near the highest point of Trail Ridge Road, a large herd of elk crossed the road right in front of us! We heard them bugle, as the bulls moved the rest of the herd (maybe multiple herds?) to new pasture. It was a surreal experience, especially to see and hear them in the otherwise still moonlit tundra. We stopped and watched the elk for a long time…it seemed like they just kept coming! Watch today’s video (below) to see the elk.

Many Parks Curve

Back below the tree line, we stopped at Many Parks Curve for a restroom break. While we were there, I snapped a picture of the glow of Denver in the distance, and we saw the Starlink satellites pass overhead in an eerie line.

Denver in the Distance

Starlink Satellites

We arrived back at the townhome and headed to bed, exhausted but happy after a long day and many miles underfoot.

The Best Things we Saw Today

Isaac

The best thing I saw today was… “Dream Lake and the nighttime elk crossing”.

The best thing I ate today was… “the brown sugar pecan muffin or the almond croissant”.

Faith

The best thing I saw today was… “the bull moose through the trees”.

The best thing I ate today was… “ribs at dinner”.

Jerry

The best thing I saw today was… “elk crossing the road”.

The best thing I ate today was… “a tie between bison meatloaf and the almond croissant”.

Amy

The best thing I saw today was… “elk in the dark, and getting to hear them”.

The best thing I ate today was… “cornbread at dinner”.

Video

Here’s a video of today’s adventures.

Conclusion

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Tomorrow, we’ll continue exploring Rocky Mountain National Park, and maybe give sunrise wildlife watching a second chance.

– Isaac & Co.

Moose

The post Day 4 – Church Trip 2023 // Rocky Mountain National Park appeared first on Isaac Church // isaactchurch.com.

Day 3 – Church Trip 2023 // Mt. Blue Sky, Georgetown Railroad, Peak-to-Peak Highway

Isaac Church — Wed, 20 Sep 2023 02:00:00 +0000

Today was a very eventful day – we saw some wildlife (and got chased by some), rode a train, ate a fantastic dinner, and then did some more wildlife watching.

Third Time's a Charm

If I’ve learned one thing so far on this trip, it’s that you can no longer trust business hours posted on Google…at least not in Colorado.

Just before sunrise, we left our VRBO in Dillon, and drove east on I-70 through the Eisenhower-Johnson Tunnel, and then on to the tiny town of Silver Plume. Originally incorporated in 1880, Silver Plume is a “ghost town that never died”. It mined silver, gold, and lead until just after WWII. It has mostly original buildings, and is a charming “Wild West” town – a textbook example of a historic Colorado mining town.

Dillon, CO

Eisenhower-Johnson Tunnels

Our intended destination was Plume Coffee Bar, an acclaimed coffee shop in the historic town. Unfortunately, it was closed. Great sadness abounded, but I picked out a backup caffeination destination – the Colorado Coffee Caboose in Durmont. When we arrived, we found it too was closed, contrary to the posted online hours. Luckily, there was yet another coffee shop next door in the side of a ski rental shop (yes, I planned a backup backup because we were running short on time). So, we settled on a light breakfast and coffee from Vail Mountain Coffee & Tea.

Silver Plume, CO

It turned out to be a good decision; our coffees (and a muffin for Faith) were delicious. Mom, Dad, and I got mochas – which would prove to be [mostly] the drink of choice for this trip. Faith got a blueberry muffin and a maple spiced latte.

Mount Evans Scenic Byway

Note: the week after we visited, Mt. Evans was officially renamed Mt. Blue Sky due to Gov. John Evans’s culpability in the Sand Creek Massacre. So it’ll be correct for anyone who may find this article in the future, I’ll refer to it by its new name.

We drove east on I-70 to Mount Evans Scenic Byway (the name of that hasn’t changed because it’s under different governmental management), which is the highest paved road in North America. Passing through the entry gate, we began the climb towards the summit of the 14,271′ mountain. The road quickly rose through alpine forests and past lakes, all with spectacular vistas.

Mt. Blue Sky // Mt. Evans

Mount Blue Sky is one of the highest peaks in the Rocky Mountain’s Front Range, which also include Pike’s Peak, Grays Peak, Longs Peak, Mount Bierstadt, etc. The mountain is 35 miles due west of Denver, but is accessed through Idaho Springs. The mountain has seven cirques (a glacier-carved, amphitheater-shaped valley), many of which have tarns (glacial lakes). These cirques are the deepest in the Rockies.

The atmospheric pressure at the summit is about 60% of normal, so altitude sickness is common. Over the years, mountain has been host to various experiments and and studies by a variety of entities. Auto manufacturers commonly test cars on the road, often heavily disguising them with zebra paint and other coverings.

Mt. Blue Sky

Mount Goliath

Climbing up the byway, our first stop was Mount Goliath Natural Area and the Dos Chappell Nature Center. The area offers nice views of the surrounding mountain ranges, and marks the elevation where the trees dissipate – the beginning of the “tree line”. We stopped briefly at the interpretive exhibit, and then continued our journey onward and upward.

Mt. Goliath

As we neared our final destination, we passed Lincoln Lake, Rogers Peak, and Mt. Warren.

Mt. Blue Sky

Summit Lakes

After driving the narrow, winding, exposed road to 12,836′, we finally reached Summit Lake Park; beyond this point, the road was closed for the season. This land, which houses a tarn which sits under the north face of Mt. Blue Sky, provides even more incredible views. Dad, Faith, and I hiked the short trail past Summit Lake to Chicago Lakes Overlook, which overlooks (you guessed it!) the Chicago Lakes from the top of the pass.

Summit Lake

In 1915, the USGS reported that Summit Lake was the highest lake in both Colorado and the United States. However, it’s actually the thirteenth highest lake. The land at Summit Lake was acquired by the city of Denver in 1924 and is a part of the Denver Mountain Parks system.

Summit Lake Park

Summit Lake - Mt. Blue Sky, CO

The views were amazing. Even though we didn’t get to go all the way to the summit, this experience far exceeded Pike’s Peak, and I would highly recommend it to anyone visiting the area.

Chicago Lakes

While mild for the elevation, the weather was verging on extreme. The wind gusts almost knocked me over, and turned pleasant temperatures almost unbearably cold.

Chicago Lakes

Summit Lake

Bighorn Sheep

Fully frozen, we returned to the car and began our descent, stopping again at Mount Goliath Natural Area to use the restroom and cool the brakes. Just past the pullout, we drove straight into some female bighorn sheep, much to our surprise and delight.

Mt. Goliath

Bighorn sheep

Run For Your Life

Now well below the tree line, we arrived back at Echo Lake, close to the entrance station for the highway. I noticed something moving in the reeds on the far end of the lake, and quickly identified it as a huge bull moose! We quickly hopped out of the car, grabbed my telephoto lens, and began watching and taking pictures. (P.S.: I took most of these photos from 125+ yards away, so please excuse the mediocre quality).

Moose

The moose began walking towards us on the lakeside path, and unfortunately two people with dogs ruined the experience for everyone. One woman with two larger dogs refused to get them back to her car (wolves are one of the predators of moose, so they feel especially threatened by canines), and then another woman with two little yippy dogs got WAY too close. The moose charged, and sent the crowd (which had amassed 20+ people by now) scattering. Thankfully, he ended up veering off down a side trail, rather than running people down (which he could have easily done; moose can run up to 35mph). All this happened despite multiple warnings from a ranger who was present.

I hate that a couple people ruined the experience for those trying to do the wise/right thing, but it was an awe-inspiring experience nonetheless.

Moose

I’d planned for us to drive down Juniper Pass for some more sightseeing, but unfortunately we didn’t have the time, so we took the direct route back to I-70.

Marion's of the Rockies

Back at the base of the mountain in Idaho Springs, we stopped at Marion’s of the Rockies for brunch. Dad got a chicken fried steak breakfast skillet (with potatoes, eggs, gravy, and cheese); Mom got a meat and eggs platter with bacon; Faith got a triple decker sandwich with onion rings; and I got a meat and eggs platter with corned beef hash. We also got a cinnamon roll to split. All the food was very good, and portions generous – none of us managed to clear our plate.

Marion's of the Rockies

Georgetown Loop Railroad

Backtracking west on I-70, we drove back towards Silver Plume, exiting the interstate in Georgetown, CO. At the Devil’s Gate station, we boarded the historic Georgetown Loop Railroad. The railroad was originally constructed in 1872 to connect the mining boom towns of Georgetown and Silver Plume. The unique loop in the tracks is to assist in changing elevation between the two towns, as Silver Plume sits 563′ above Georgetown.

Georgetown Loop Railroad

The entire ride was about an hour round-trip, with an optional stop in the middle to visit the Lebanon Mine (which we opted to skip). It was interesting to hear the history of the area and the railroad; everyone enjoyed the ride.

Peak-To-Peak Scenic Byway

After the railroad, we began our journey north towards Rocky Mountain National Park, taking the Peak to Peak Scenic Byway from Nederland to Estes Park. It was a pretty drive, but the aspens were not quite in full color. A gathering storm to the north provided a contrasting backdrop to the landscape.

Peak to Peak Highway

Estes Park

We checked into our Airbnb, a townhome just outside the Rocky Mountain National Park Beaver Meadows Entrance. It was a beautiful setting, and I took some time to walk along the Big Thompson River while everyone else settled in and unpacked.

Rock Inn Mountain Tavern

Around 17:00, in an attempt to beat the dinner crowd, we drove down the road to the Rock Inn Mountain Tavern for an early evening meal. I’d called ahead to get us on the waiting list fortunately, because the wait was already long. We enjoyed a delicious dinner. For an appetizer, we got the smoked elk sausage; Dad got the Colorado bison meatballs with mashed potatoes; Faith got the trout (pan-seared with dill butter and lemon) with mashed potatoes; I got trout with roasted seasonal vegetables; and Mom got beef stroganoff. Also, I got a Heritage salad (chilled sautéed onions, chopped dates, crushed cashews, and poppy seed dressing); Dad got a Caesar salad; and Mom and Faith got house salads.

Appetizers and salads

The dinner was excellent, and it was a neat rustic setting for a meal.

Elk Watching

After dinner, we headed back to the condo, and then Dad and I decided to head back out to fill up with gas and orient ourselves before entering the park tomorrow. We ended up riding a ways into the park, and spotted some mule deer and two herds of elk. See the video below to hear a bull bugle!

Elk and Longs Peak

Elk

Video

The Best Things we Saw Today

Isaac

The best thing I saw today was… “Chicago Lakes Overlook and the bull moose”.

The best thing I ate today was… “bison meatballs”.

Faith

The best thing I saw today was… “the moose”.

The best thing I ate today was… “the maple spiced latte”.

Jerry

The best thing I saw today was… “Mount Evans”.

The best thing I ate today was… “bison meatballs”.

Amy

The best thing I saw today was… “Mount Evans (especially the sheep) and Silver Plume’s old downtown”.

The best thing I ate today was… “beef stroganoff”.

Conclusion

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Tomorrow, we’ll start exploring Rocky Mountain National Park.

– Isaac & Co.

Summit Lake

Georgetown Loop Railroad

Moose

The post Day 3 – Church Trip 2023 // Mt. Blue Sky, Georgetown Railroad, Peak-to-Peak Highway appeared first on Isaac Church // isaactchurch.com.

Day 2 – Church Trip 2023 // Pike’s Peak, Breckenridge, Silverthorne

Isaac Church — Tue, 19 Sep 2023 02:00:00 +0000

Today we (or at least most of us) suffered from altitude sickness, got rained on, and ate a rather disappointing dinner. In all seriousness, it was a good day, albeit somewhat of a rollercoaster.

Boonzaaijer's Dutch Bakery

First thing in the morning, we packed up the car again (a recurring theme for this trip), and headed to Boonzaaijer’s Dutch Bakery to grab some breakfast. We got a box of spekulaas cookies, a cherry plunder, a chocolate almond scone, a blueberry pinwheel, a sausage meat pie, and some coffee for the road. We saved most of the pastries for later, and continued west towards Cascade, taking a brief detour to drive through downtown Manitou Springs.

Boonzaaijer's Dutch Bakery

Sausage meat pie

Spekulaas cookies

Boonzaaijer's Dutch Bakery

Colorado Springs, CO

An interesting bakery – not the absolute best pastries I’ve had, but prices are low, and the spekulaas cookies alone are worth a visit.

* – Would definitely visit again

** – Exceptional, must visit if you’re in the area

*** – Worth making a special trip to eat there

For more info on food ratings, click here.

Pike's Peak

We arrived at the Pike’s Peak entrance, checked in with our timed entry reservation, and started the drive up the 14,115′ mountain. First, we made a brief stop at Crystal Creek Reservoir to enjoy the views of the mountain and the yellowing aspens.

Crystal Creek Reservoir

Pike's Peak

At the top, everyone but me and Walker was altitude sick, so we spent most of our time at the summit refilling water bottles and trying to prevent our party from passing out or getting sick. We did manage to get some of the famous donuts from the top, and then headed back to lower elevations as quickly as possible.

The drive down was equally beautiful, with sweeping views of the surrounding mountain ranges.

Pike's Peak

We stopped at Crystal Creek Reservoir again on the way down for a restroom break, and to eat our remaining pastries from Boonzaaijer’s.

Crystal Creek Reservoir

Pastries from Boonzaaijer's

To see more about Pike’s Peak, read the blog post from when Faith and I visited last summer.

Otto's Fairplay

Leaving Pike’s Peak, we rejoined US-24, and headed west through Woodland Park, turning north on Highway 9 at Hartsel. It was a beautiful drive, passing through the ranches in the South Platte River Valley, with snow-covered mountain ranges in the distance.

South Platte River Valley

In Fairplay, we stopped for lunch at Otto’s. We got an order of french fries and Cajun sweetpotato fries (fun fact: sweetpotato is one word, not two), and an assortment of sandwiches: pastrami, Cuban, cheesesteak, and Otto’s original chicken. All were excellent, especially the Cuban and the pastrami. The Cajun sweetpotato fries were also pleasantly different. It was a very delicious and filling meal, and we couldn’t manage to quite finish everything.

Otto's Fairplay

Fairplay, CO

A great lunch stop for a tasty sandwich.

* – Would definitely visit again

** – Exceptional, must visit if you’re in the area

*** – Worth making a special trip to eat there

For more info on food ratings, click here.

McCullogh Gulch Trail

Continuing north towards Breckenridge, Faith and I decided to do a hike on the McCullogh Gulch Trail in White River National Forest. Nestled under the base of Quandry Peak (one of Colorado’s famous 14-ers), it’s a beautiful trail dotted with Aspens, lakes, waterfalls, and the occasional mountain goat. We started this hike knowing we would only go part of the way out and back. While we hiked, Mom and Dad took Walker and drove towards Breckenridge and back to kill some time.

McCullogh Gulch Trail

Quandry Peak

A short distance up the trail, there’s an old cabin and abandoned mine next to a waterfall. I ran into some locals who use to know the man who lived in the cabin – it was his retreat in the mountains away from family. He had livestock, and a house with a sod roof. The couple brought him banana bread occasionally. After that man died, another man who was very unfriendly to visitors moved in for a while, but now the site is abandoned.

Old mining tracks

McCullogh Gulch Trail

We didn’t make it all the way to the waterfalls, but could see and hear them in the distance. The scenery was spectacular.

McCullogh Gulch Trail

We stopped at the old mine on the way back down.

Abandoned mine

McCullogh Gulch Trail

Right when we got back to the car, we could see a severe storm closing in on us. We scrambled to load up and get on the road before the wall of rain reached us. It hailed on our drive as we continued north.

Higgles Ice Cream

Leaving the Gulch, we stopped in downtown Breckenridge at Higgles Ice Cream for a quick dessert. I got lemon crème fraîche and buttered walnut, Mom got buttered walnut, Dad got buttered walnut and mocha chip, and Faith got peanut butter sorbet (she’s temporarily dairy free because of the baby). All were outstanding, and we all agreed it was some of the best ice cream we’ve ever had.

Higgles Ice Cream

Breckenridge, CO

Creative flavors and high quality are the hallmarks of this ice cream shop. It’s definitely worth stopping by!

* – Would definitely visit again

** – Exceptional, must visit if you’re in the area

*** – Worth making a special trip to eat there

For more info on food ratings, click here.

Sapphire Point Overlook

Our final destination for the night was Dillon, CO. Right outside of town, we decided to stop at Sapphire Point Overlook in White River National Forest. Faith and I walked the 0.6mi loop and snapped a few pictures of the Dillon Reservoir and the surrounding mountains.

Sapphire Point Overlook

Dinner - Bluebird Market

We checked into our VRBO in Dillon, and then Dad and I drove back out to REI to get some bug spray and bear spray for our trip. The two of us then drove over to Silverthorne to Bluebird Market, a food hall with various vendors. We got a Hawai’ian pizza and caprese salad from Tilford’s Wood Fired Pizza, and two fish tacos from Baja Chimayo. The pizza was okay, and the tacos were not particularly good. I would not go back.

We got two to-go meals for Faith and Mom; Faith got a Thai bowl from Hook & Harvest, and Mom got a pizza from Tilford’s. All were equally disappointing.

Dillon

Back at the condo, we settled in for the evening, enjoying the view of the mountains and the reservoir off the deck.

Dillon, CO

The Best Things we Saw Today

Isaac

The best thing I saw today was… “the view of Pike’s Peak from Crystal Creek Reservoir and the distant waterfalls in McCullogh Gulch”.

The best thing I ate today was… “ice cream and the pastrami sandwich”.

Faith

The best thing I saw today was… “old mining tracks and waterfalls on our hike”.

The best thing I ate today was… “peanut butter sorbet”.

Jerry

The best thing I saw today was… “Pike’s Peak”.

The best thing I ate today was… “sandwiches from Otto’s – particularly the Cuban”.

Amy

The best thing I saw today was… “the drive through the South Platte River Valley with all the ranches”.

The best thing I ate today was… “buttered walnut ice cream”.

Conclusion

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Tomorrow, we’re headed up Mount Evans Scenic Byway, riding a historic railroad, and then heading north to Estes Park.

– Isaac & Co.

Pike's Peak

McCullogh Gulch Trail

Pike's Peak

The post Day 2 – Church Trip 2023 // Pike’s Peak, Breckenridge, Silverthorne appeared first on Isaac Church // isaactchurch.com.

Day 1 – Church Trip 2023 // Denver, Colorado Springs

Isaac Church — Mon, 18 Sep 2023 02:00:00 +0000

Welcome to the beginning of our travels! This blog is on about a 2-3 week time delay, since it takes a while for me to edit photos, etc. Today was primarily a travel day as we headed out west, but we managed to squeeze in a few sights along the way.

Travel

We left Granite Falls around 06:00EST and headed to CLT to catch our flight. We dropped Mom, Faith, and Walker off at the airport, and then Dad and I parked the car, gathered the remainder of the luggage, and rejoined the rest of the party. We scrambled through security, and boarded the flight with no issues. I was pleased to confirm that you can, in fact, check both a car seat and a car seat base. The flight over to DEN was rather uneventful, other than a rather rough descent and landing. We landed a little early, around 11:00MST, but quickly lost all that time trying to fetch our rental car.

Flight

Flying into Denver

DEN

We gathered our remaining luggage from the baggage claim, and boarded a shuttle to head to the rental car lots, which turned out to be quite the lengthy ride, followed by an even longer wait in line at Enterprise.

Coors Field

After finally getting our rental car, we left the airport and drove downtown, where Mom and Faith dropped us off at Coors Field and then headed off to find some lunch. Dad and I watched several innings of the Rockies and Giants game – mostly just to say we’d visited that ballpark. We split a foot-long hotdog and a bratwurst during the game, both of which were pretty good. During the 5th inning, we got to see a flyover from a group of fighter jets (picture below).

The Giants scored 8 runs in the 6th inning, so we decided to leave early, since we had many other things to see. It turned out that the Rockies ended up mounting a significant comeback after we left, but still lost 11-10. Here’s a game recap from ESPN, if you’re interested.

Coors Field

Coors Field - Denver, CO

Bratwurst and Hot Dog

Fighter Jet Flyover

Coors Field

Coors Field is a nice venue, and is huge compared to other baseball stadiums I’d visited. It was great to be able to check another MLB park off our list. If you’re in Denver, it’s worth a visit; tickets are cheap and the stadium is in a very accessible location.

Dutch Bros + Target

Mom and Faith picked us up about a block from the stadium, and we made two quick pit stops before heading south. First, we went to Dutch Bros to grab a cold drink, since the weather was quite warm in Denver. I got my usual (a Tuxedo Dutch Freeze), Dad got an iced mocha, and Faith got one of their seasonal drinks – an iced Sweater Weather Chai White Coffee. All were delicious.

Dutch Bros

Leaving Dutch Bros, we headed south, stopping at Target in Lone Tree, CO to grab some supplies for the rest of our trip. Our pit stops complete, we headed south on I-25 towards Colorado Springs.

Colorado Springs

Once we got to Colorado Springs, we dropped our luggage off at our Airbnb, a guest cottage on a small ranch on the north side of town. It was a beautiful place to stay, and very spacious. The only downside is it was right next to the train tracks, which was fun during the day, but not enjoyable at 03:00 when the train woke us all up in the middle of the night.

Colorado Springs

North Cheyenne Cañon

After settling into our cottage for the evening, we drove southeast of the city to North Cheyenne Cañon, a place Faith and I visited last summer. I figured it’d be a nice quick scenic drive, since Mom and Dad hadn’t been. At the end of the road, we enjoyed a view of Helen Hunt Falls, which wasn’t flowing particularly strongly since it was late summer.

Helen Hunt Falls

North Cheyenne Cañon

Garden of the Gods

From North Cheyenne Cañon, we drove north to Garden of the Gods, drove some of the scenic loop roads in the park, and then stayed to watch a beautiful sunset.

Garden of the Gods

Dinner

Leaving Garden of the Gods, we headed back up to the north side of town to get some dinner, stopping at Trader Joe’s along the way to purchase snacks for the remainder of the trip. We were short on time, so we stopped at In-N-Out for a quick dinner, and ended up eating outside because the weather was so nice. Tired, but no longer hungry, we drove back to the Airbnb to head to bed in preparation for an early start in the morning.

In-N-Out

The Best Things we Saw Today

Isaac

The best thing I saw today was… “sunset at Garden of the Gods”.

The best thing I ate today was… “my drink from Dutch Bros”.

Faith

The best thing I saw today was… “sunset at Garden of the Gods”.

The best thing I ate today was… “the Sweater Weather drink at Dutch Bros”.

Jerry

The best thing I saw today was… “sunset at Garden of the Gods”.

The best thing I ate today was… “Isaac’s drink from Dutch Bros”.

Amy

The best thing I saw today was… “sunset at Garden of the Gods”.

The best thing I ate today was… “In-N-Out burger – I’m glad I got to experience it”.

Conclusion

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Tomorrow, we’re headed up Pike’s Peak, and then driving north through Breckenridge towards the Frisco Reservoir.

– Isaac & Co.

Garden of the Gods

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Intro – Church Trip 2023

Isaac Church — Wed, 30 Aug 2023 16:30:00 +0000

We’re back! Sorry the blog has largely been absent this year…we’ve been busy with a newborn, and thus haven’t really traveled (or had much free time at all, for that matter). After our semi-involuntary hiatus, we’re back on the road/in the air for another Church Family adventure.

Soon, we’re heading back out to the Rocky Mountains for the third time in three years! We’re very excited for the trip, and can’t wait to share about our travels. As you might have suspected, there’s a football game involved. App is playing at the University of Wyoming, so we’ll be attending the game, and we also hope to make at least a few innings of a Rockies game.

War Memorial Stadium

Coors Field

The original plan was to visit South Dakota (Black Hills and Mount Rushmore, Badlands, Wind Cave, etc.), drive to the game in Laramie, and then head northwest to Yellowstone. However, we again ran into rental car availability and pricing issues (see also: Church Trip 2021), so we decided to fly into Denver, where we could rent a minivan for our travels. After exploring Colorado, we’ll head up to the football game, and then continue to the Grand Tetons and Yellowstone.

Updates

First, some life updates. Our son Walker was born this spring, so it’s been an exciting (and sleepless) time for everyone. FYI, our blog won’t include pictures of him, or really any other information, for that matter. All the tech giants spy on us adults enough as it is, so we don’t need to feed them an advertising profile for our little ones on top of that. If you want to meet him (or see pictures), text me, or better yet, come visit sometime!

Dad and I are both recovering well from our winter surgeries, and are starting to get back to business as usual. We’ve even managed to play golf a few times.

Sunset Dinner

In August, some friends graciously gifted Faith and me a sunset dinner atop Beech Mountain, since they made reservations but were unable to attend. The evening, hosted by Chef Will Young, started around 17:30 with a chairlift ride to the 5,506′ summit, followed by appetizers, salad, entrées, and dessert.

Chairlift ride

5,506'

The appetizers served were: various charcuterie; smoked trout, crab, and spinach dip on grilled crostini; and various fruits and vegetables. The curry pickled cauliflower and trout dip were our favorites.

Appetizers

During a break, we were treated to a rather entertaining doorbell camera video of our babysitters entertaining Walker.

Appetizers

The Babysitter

The salad was mixed greens with strawberries, glazed apples, goat cheese, and various praline nuts with a zesty apple cider vinaigrette.

View

Salad

View

We enjoyed watching several does and a large buck while we ate. Between courses, we were able to roam around the mountaintop, taking in the splendid mountain views.

Buck

View

The main course was grilled spinalis (the best part of the ribeye), risotto with roasted red peppers and local mushrooms, and asparagus wrapped in provolone and prosciutto.

Main course

For dessert, we enjoyed a homemade sugar cookie and three types of homemade ice cream: chocolate, strawberry, and butter pecan.

Dessert

There was a splendid sunset that evening – one of the best I’ve seen in the High Country. After dinner, we rode the shuttle back down the mountain to our car. I’d definitely return sometime – it’s a great place for a special dinner.

Sunset

Sunset Dinner at 5,506'

Beech Mountain, NC

A great place to spend a special evening! It was nice to roam around the mountaintop between courses. The setting is very casual and relaxed, but the food is top-notch. The combination of setting, service, and food ears this dinner a star. Note: reservations are required.

* – Would definitely visit again

** – Exceptional, must visit if you’re in the area

*** – Worth making a special trip to eat there

For more info on food ratings, click here.

Sunset dinner

Trip Preview

That brings me to the purpose of this post: our latest trip is fast approaching. We’re headed out to the Rocky Mountains to visit four states, watch a football game, see some wildlife, eat some good food, hike, and relax. We’ll be in Colorado, Wyoming, Idaho, and Montana, and will visit three national parks: Rocky Mountain, Grand Teton, and Yellowstone. We’ve visited Yellowstone and Grand Teton before – click here for a link to that blog. We also visited Colorado Springs in 2022 – click here for that blog. We’ll also visit Wyoming’s Snowy and Wind River Ranges, and some of north-central Colorado.

Grand Teton National Park

Yellowstone National Park

Pike's Peak Summit

Pike National Forest

By the way, when I say “we”, I mean Isaac, Faith, Jerry, Amy, and Walker. While some destinations will be repeats for us, we’re excited to have more time to explore places we missed (or had to skirt over) last time, to visit the parks in a different season, and to see things a second time! Neither Dad nor Mom has been to Colorado, so we’re going to take them to some places Faith and I visited last summer. We’re excited about visiting in the fall, which brings cooler weather, more wildlife activity, the elk and bison ruts, and colorful fall foliage – especially Colorado’s famous aspens.

Conclusion

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– Isaac & Co.

Pike's Peak

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Travel Home, Conclusion // Colorado 2022

Isaac Church — Tue, 05 Jul 2022 02:00:47 +0000

Introduction

Greetings! I thought I’d write one final [short] post to wrap up our trip. Thanks to everyone for your patience as I’ve been working to get posts published.

Home // Independence Day

Once back in Granite Falls, we crashed for a long nap, and then grilled some steaks for a patriotic meal with my parents. In the afternoon, we drove back up the mountain, dropped off our luggage, and then immediately headed over to Valle Crucis for Faith’s family’s gigantic annual celebration. We saw a beautiful sunset (and a double rainbow the next night), but headed out before the fireworks started so we could unpack and get ready for work the next day. It was a busy week (thus why this blog is very delayed), capped off with Faith playing as the featured musician at the Watauga County Farmers’ Market.

Independence Day meal

Independence Day sunset

July 5 double rainbow

Final Thoughts

Here are some final thoughts from our trip:

Most Surprising

Isaac – “I couldn’t believe how different the landscape was on each side of Pike’s Peak; Colorado Springs is very red and southwestern-looking, while Woodland Park was very green and similar to Montana and Wyoming. I was also surprised by the size of Garden of the Gods – it looks much bigger in person than in pictures.”

Faith – “Pike’s Peak was more magnificent and beautiful than I thought it would be. I also didn’t think I would enjoy mustard ice cream, but it was tasty.”

Most Disappointing/Underwhelming

Isaac – “The waterfall failures were pretty sad. I wish we’d had enough time to go to the alligator place near the dunes. There were a couple restaurants I would’ve liked to try in Colorado Springs – maybe on a future trip.”

Faith – “The hike with the wet rock was pretty underwhelming.”

Things Worth Doing a Second Time

Isaac – “I would definitely go back to Great Sand Dunes National Park and explore more of the dune field, and some of the trails up in the mountains.”

Faith – “I would go back to Great Sand Dunes and the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo.”

Things To Do Differently

Isaac – “I would try to spend more time hiking outside of Colorado Springs. While all the trails had beautiful views, many of them (particularly the trails close to town) are basically a greenway with exceptional views. While I enjoyed relaxing more, I think I won’t take another plan-free trip in the future…I like to know my options better.”

Faith – “I’d carry lip balm in our hiking backpacks.”

Favorite Things

Isaac – “I enjoyed Great Sand Dunes, and the drive down there. All the hikes were nice; it was great to spend a week getting some fresh air after spending so much time moving. It was neat just to see the area and finally be able to visualize what I’ve heard so many people talk about. It was good to spend some quality time with Ian and Abby – we hadn’t really gotten to do that since we’ve been married.”

Faith – “My favorite things were watching the sunset at the Sand Dunes, playing with the twins, spending time with Ian and Abby, and going to Colonel Mustard’s with Isaac.” [Insert by Isaac – Faith also enjoys vacations because she knows that means daily fancy coffee drinks.”]

Best Food

Here are our favorite restaurants/foods from the trip:

Faith – “My favorites were the Salvadoran food, Dutch Bros, Josh & John’s, and the steaks that Ian grilled.”

Isaac – [in no particular order] – “Colonel Mustard’s Sandwich Emporium, Monse’s Pupseria, In-N-Out, Nightingale Bakery, Josh & John’s ice cream, and Wimberger’s Bakery”

Conclusion

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Coming later this year…two trips to Texas, a weekend drive through Kentucky and West Virginia, and possibly some other travel! Dad, some friends, and I are going to Texas to watch sports and consume brisket (twice!), and again to WV for football and a national park.

– Isaac and Faith

July 5 double rainbow

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Day 6 – Lovell Gulch Trail, Woodland Park, Garden of the Gods // Colorado 2022

Isaac Church — Mon, 04 Jul 2022 02:00:17 +0000

Pike National Forest

First thing in the morning, Faith and I drove to the north side of Pike’s Peak to the town of Woodland Park. Since this was our final full day, we wanted to do one more fairly challenging hike. We’d done some research the night before, and settled on the Lovell Gulch Trail in Pike National Forest, a ~5.5mi “lollipop” loop trail that climbs around 1,000′. Pike-San Isabel National Forest is a sprawling 2.2M acres, but is mostly wilderness area, and has very few hiking trails for its size.

According to multiple posted signs, a slightly disgruntled moose cow and calf had been frequenting the area. However, we saw no sign of them, and a local man we met told us the moose duo had moved on to greener pastures. While I have no desire to be charged by a temperamental ungulate, we were both secretly disappointed that we wouldn’t have a chance to see it.

Faith and I were both pleasantly surprised by the hike. It starts extremely close to a school and fire department, and initially passes several houses and farm, so we were wondering if it would turn out to be a walk through a neighborhood. However, the trail quickly winds into the backcountry and basically loses sight of all signs of civilization, save a few power lines and an stretch that parallels a very rough dirt road. For a couple miles, you follow a creek upstream, and then begin a moderately steep climb up the ridgeline. About three-quarters of the way around the loop, at the top of the ridge, we were greeted with excellent views to the south of Pike’s Peak, Ute Pass, and the surrounding mountains. Passing through forests, meadows, and boulder fields, the trail provides interesting views at every turn. We also saw a humongous ant hill.

Giant Ant Hill

The trail starts around 8,400′ elevation, and climbs to nearly 9,400′. Even though we’d been in the area for almost a full week, I started feeling the effects of altitude sickness (probably because I hadn’t eaten much breakfast), so we rested for a while near the top of the hill, and then began our descent back to the car.

View of Woodland Park

View of Pike's Peak

Woodland Park

Now very hungry, we drove back to the town of Woodland Park, and stopped at The Donut Mill (Ian’s recommendation) for a very late breakfast. This was another pleasant surprise; the donuts didn’t look exceptional, but were most excellent – very fresh and light traditional donuts. We got a maple iced, a cinnamon sugar, and four glazed donut holes.

The Donut Mill

It didn’t take long to realize that we were still hungry from the hike. Our cell coverage was also acting up, so we needed to find some WiFi to get ourselves reoriented. We decided to find a coffee shop (Faith knew the town had two) and solve both problems in one stop.

Our first stop was Cafe Leo, a modern establishment right down the street from The Donut Mill that serves homemade pop-tarts and various sandwiches. They were very crowded, and didn’t seem to have public WiFi, so we grabbed a patriotically-decorated mixed berry pop-tart, and walked around in an attempt to scout the other coffee shop’s location, splitting the delicious pop-tart along the way.

Woodland Park

Cafe Leo

After determining it would be better to drive to the other coffee shop, we walked back to the car, and drove about half a mile up the road to The Coffee Cottage. It’s more of a traditional coffee shop, instead of a cafe. I got an iced dark chocolate mocha, Faith got an iced dirty chai latte, and we split a small raspberry crumble shortbread cookie. All the drinks and food were excellent, especially my mocha (which was far closer to coffee than chocolate). We sat at a table by their open back door, enjoyed the breeze, got caffeinated, and figured out our plans for the rest of the morning and early afternoon.

The Coffee Cottage

Manitou Springs

On our way back into town, we drove through Manitou Springs again, intending to find a parking spot and walk around for a while. However, downtown was a zoo, and there was no parking to be found. Instead, Faith took a video while we drove through downtown (see video near the end of this post), and we headed off to find somewhere less crowded.

Garden of the Gods

Well, so much for finding something with less people…we drove to Garden of the Gods, not realizing how popular it is in the early afternoon. We drove the one-way loop through the park, stopped to take a few pictures, and headed back to the house for some lunch, slightly delinquent because of the crazy traffic.

Garden of the Gods

Originally called Red Rock Corral, the name changed to Garden of the Gods sometime in the 1800s. The story goes like this: when a surveyor suggested it would be a prime spot for a beer garden, his companion supposedly said, “Beer garden! Why, it is a fit place for the gods to assemble. We will call it the Garden of the Gods.”

Scientists consider the parks to be one of the best contrasts of the plains and the mountains, both in geology and biodiversity. Paleontologists have unearthed several dinosaur fossils in the area, including a new species discovered in 1878. Mule deer, foxes, and bighorn sheep frequent the area, as well as over 130 species of birds.

There’s archaeological evidence of people visiting the garden as early as 1330 BC. The Apache, Cheyenne, Comanche, Kiowa, Lakota, Pawnee, Shoshone, and Ute peoples all have connections to the area.

Garden of the Gods

You wind among rocks of every conceivable and inconceivable shape and size...all bright red, all motionless and silent, with a strange look of having been just stopped and held back in the very climax of some supernatural catastrophe.

Helen Hunt Jackson

Lunch // Afternoon

Smoked pork loin

For lunch, Ian smoked a pork loin with a spicy BBQ sauce, which was extremely tender and juicy. It was one of the best things we ate all week, and was a fantastic sendoff meal. After lunch, we packed up, visited for a while, said our goodbyes to Abby and the boys, and then prepared to hit the road to catch our eastbound flight home.

Denver International Airport

Ian, Faith, and I left for the airport around 15:30, so Ian would have plenty of time to get back before the twins’ bedtime. On the drive up the interstate, we could see the Air Force Academy, Castle Rock, and the sprawling metropolis of Denver from the car. I didn’t realize how massive the city of Denver is until driving through it.

Driving toward the Airport

We arrived at the airport, and had plenty of time to kill before our flight, which didn’t depart until 00:19MST. Checking in was a breeze (some of the easiest security I’ve experienced), so we took the train to our gate, and then started to search out some food. We wanted to try Denver Biscuit Company, but it was two terminals over, so we deemed it best to find something closer by.

About this time, we realized Faith had never tried Panda Express, so I of course felt obligated to introduce her to it. We got orange chicken, broccoli beef, some kind of limited edition shrimp dish, chow mein, friend rice, and a chicken egg roll. It was all outstanding, and a bittersweet reminder of how much I miss having a franchise nearby.

Panda Express

Denver International Airport

Conveniently, there’s also a Ben & Jerry’s right across from the Panda Express, so we got a couple cups of ice cream for dessert, hoping the sugar would keep us alert and awake for a while. I got strawberry cheesecake and Half Baked, and Faith got Half Baked and cookies and cream. We sat at a table with a nice view of the tarmac and watched the planes (primarily Icelandic Air) operate.

Ben & Jerry's

Denver International Airport

Once the sugar high wore off, we were ready to find a spot to settle down and take a nap before our red-eye. Thankfully, I read one of the ticker boards and noticed that our gate had changed (of course without an announcement or app alert), so we found a good spot with a power receptacle, and Faith snoozed while I stood guard over the luggage.

Our flight started boarding around 23:50MST, and took about 3 hours to get back to CLT, about 25 minutes before our scheduled 05:52EST arrival. Fortunately, we were able to sleep some on the flight home, but we still took another lengthy nap immediately after we got home.

Video

Here’s a video of some of today’s adventures:

Conclusion

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There’s one more post coming…stay tuned.

– Isaac and Faith

Pike National Forest

The post Day 6 – Lovell Gulch Trail, Woodland Park, Garden of the Gods // Colorado 2022 appeared first on Isaac Church // isaactchurch.com.