GLENWOOD SPRINGS SURPRISES

It was new and refreshing to see lush green mountains again after leaving the red and orange bluffs of Zion and the Arches.  

Although we had to delay our trip to Rocky Mountain National Park due to sub-freezing weather, we found a wonderful alternative at a lower altitude and warmer temperature. Nestled between Aspen and Vail, we discovered the town of Glenwood Springs, Colorado.   

Glenwood Springs is an old pioneer town, established in 1883 and originally named "Defiance". It was a typical western frontier town with it's share of gunslingers, gamblers and prostitutes. President Teddy Roosevelt spent an entire summer here and stayed at the Hotel Colorado. One of the major attractions is the naturally occurring mineral hot springs. Back in the days when tuberculosis was prevalent, the town became a health spa destination. The high altitude and dry climate helped those suffering from this disease and the hot mineral springs were thought to be curative. Doc Holiday, the famous gunslinger who was friends with Wyatt Earp, took up residence here hoping for a cure. Unfortunately, he was not cured, died at the age of 36 and is buried near the town. A bar in town bears his name and shops carry souvenirs honoring him and the legend of the shootout at the OK Corral.

Glenwood Hot Springs Resort lies in the center of town and was established in 1888 as a health spa. It exists today as a hotel resort with large, natural hot spring pools of varying temperature. We spent one afternoon drifting lazily from one pool to the next, giving our travel-weary bodies some much needed rest and rejuvenation. 

It wasn't all paradise at Glenwood Springs. We selected a campground that had high ratings on the internet, but was not what we expected. We were reminded that booking an RV site online is like buying a box of chocolates - you can never be completely sure of what you'll get. What was supposed to be a quaint campground nestled on a hillside was really RV sights slanted sideways at an almost vertical angle. The uphill walk to the showers and bathroom would be rated "difficult" in any hiking guide. Once you reached top, you realized cleanliness is not next to Godliness, but apparently mold is. We spent one night there (no showers) and couldn't pack up fast enough to leave the next day. Fortunately, we did ultimately find paradise at Glenwood Canyon RV Resort a location truly nestled in the beautiful green mountains, right along the Colorado River.

The same kind of intermittent rain we experienced in Moab followed us to Glenwood Canyon. The days started out warm and sunny, but a surprise thunderstorm was always just around the corner. This was a challenge for Doug as he ventured out to paint, but he managed to dodge the raindrops and maximize his painting during the dry weather.

Doug's sister Deb and husband Mike were still traveling with us and we all drove to nearby Rifle Falls State Park, where the falls were gorgeous! 

Naturally, Doug painted the scene, including the rainbow! 

The whole county surrounding Glenwood Springs is alive with frontier history untarnished by tourism. The valley and surrounding mountains are mineral rich and have been mined since the 1800's. We visited the town of Redstone, which was built by a company to make coke for steel production. Nearby coal was mined and placed in coke ovens that have been preserved and still line the highway today. A railway line was put in place and used to transport the coke when the ovens were active. During WWII, the rails were removed so the steel could be re-purposed. 

Next to Redstone, the town of Marble sprang up to house the workers that mined marble from the mountains. The Crystal River flows down from this area and beside it lies an old wagon trail that was used for transporting cut marble.
If a piece of marble broke, they would just throw it on the stream bank and leave it there. As you drive along this stretch, you see chunks of marble dotting the stream bank and can imagine the wagons hauling their load. 

Going into this unique town is quite an experience. Everywhere you look there are huge blocks of marble, discarded fluted columns, statues and carvings. Every house seems to have their own special marble creation. No telling how many buildings nationwide have been fitted with floors, steps and facades made from this beautiful white marble. 

In addition to the rich history of the area, Doug found unique vistas to paint. He went up to McClure's Pass at 8,900 ft. and covered in snow. Many of his paintings show snow-capped scenes from this area.

Speaking of snow-capped, we looked ahead at the weather in Rocky Mountain National Park and were pleased to see it had warmed up some over the past three weeks. Deb and Mike are heading home and we decided to forge ahead to the higher altitude and glorious vistas of Rocky Mountain National Park. After all, we have Conestoga Lite to keep us warm, as long as the lines don't freeze.