On Wednesday, we took a very long drive (over 3½ hours each way) to Steamboat Springs. Even though the drive was long, it was filled with beauty, as all drives in this part of the world tend to be. There were two particular areas of natural beauty that we enjoyed on today’s drive. The first was Poudre Canyon, the second was North Park.

Poudre Canyon is a 40-mile long, narrow canyon through which the Cache la Poudre River flows. It was formed by glaciers and cuts through the foothills of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains. The canyon is basically a course along which the river water carved its way from the hills out to the plains. The drive through Poudre Canyon takes you alongside the Cache la Poudre River with the steep canyon walls rising above the road and river on either side. In most places, there is just enough room for the road and the river, making the narrow valley an absolutely gorgeous setting.

 

 

   

 

North Park, near the town of Walden, Co., is a high expansive plain located in north central Colorado. It consists mainly of rolling pasture land, and is ringed by mountains which tower above it. North Park consists of a very large area, thousands of acres, yet is very sparsely populated. We would see signs saying “No gas or services for next 63 miles.” It is very scenic, peaceful, and serene as you drive through it. We used to drive out here occasionally when we lived in Denver and really loved it. It is nice to be back. There is something similar to it further south called South Park. The main town in South Park is Fairplay, which is the setting for the television series South Park.

 

  

When we got to Steamboat Springs, we went to Old Town Hot Springs, which consists of 8 hot mineral springs pools. The pools are fed from the subterranean warm mineral waters, with the temperature of the pools being 103 degrees. We spent about an hour in the pool. The buoyancy due to the minerals in the water was evident. It was very relaxing and rejuvenating.

 

 

 

After leaving the Hot Springs, we got a bite to eat before heading back to Loveland. We returned pretty much the same way, with one small detour. We were actually glad to be able to make the same drive again on the way back, because the scenery is so beautiful that you just can’t seem to get enough of it.

We made one small detour through Fort Collins to stop at a King Soopers grocery store to replenish some of our food. As they do in California, they charged us for the bags they used to bag the groceries. They asked if I wanted paper, and I responded, “No, plastic” (I use them for garbage liners in the camper) to which they responded, “We don’t have plastic, only paper.” Then why ask? I thought. After we left the grocery store, we drove down the main street of Fort Collins. There were many little shops, cafes, and restaurants, typical of a college town (CSU is located here), and it seemed very vibrant, a very pleasant town. We were here once a long time ago when we visited Joe’s brother and his family that lived here. We enjoyed Fort Collins then and we enjoyed driving through it now.