Colorado Rockies 2023

[PorterhouseMusic]

Our youngest son took a job up in Glenwood Springs, CO early last year. So about 8 weeks ago his brother and his wife and me and Mrs. Porterhouse all flew out to Denver and then drove on up to the valley area there near Aspen and hung out for a week. It's usually a little colder that time of year but we lucked out with near perfect weather. Thought I'd share a few photos - it was breathtakingly scenic.

Our second day there, and still not acclimated to the altitude, we did a hike that was about 850 vertical ft. off the valley floor. Our son who lives up there and is pretty active had no problem - this hike absolutely decimated the rest of us. I'm smiling here - we were still on our way up. That smile didn't last.



This is the view from the summit on that hike. Carbondale down below there. Rain clouds moved in while we were up there and sure enough - friggin lightning started cracking overhead. Nerve wracking as hell on the way down. When we were about 1 minute from the car the skies opened up and it just poured for about 10 minutes. Timing is everything.



This is at a place called Lost Man's Reservoir just down the road from Independence Pass. Super serene. Approx 10,500 ft.



These next 4 are looking in different directions from the summit of the Snowmass ski resort at Aspen. At a whopping 11,350 ft. it is breathtaking up there. Definitely had that sense of being on top of the world.








Mrs Porterhouse and me.... at the summit of Independence Pass, elevation 12,100 ft.


(Edited: The elevation at Elk Camp Summit at the top of Snowmass is 11,350 ft. - not 14,100 ft as I originally stated. Trivial - but facts lives matter)

 

[ez_willis]

I'm flying into Denver the first week in December to see my brother's band play at the Stanley Hotel (The Shining) and look at property in Northern Colorado. The State is fucking BEAUTIFUL! Looking to move there in the middle of 2025. Glenwood Springs east of there but also gorgeous. Great pics!!

 

[dogooder]

I lived in Co. for almost ten years, yes the scenery is spectacular. Played in the ski resorts.

 

[PorterhouseMusic]

I'm flying into Denver the first week in December to see my brother's band play at the Stanley Hotel (The Shining) and look at property in Northern Colorado. The State is fucking BEAUTIFUL! Looking to move there in the middle of 2025. Glenwood Springs east of there but also gorgeous. Great pics!!

Estes Park - where the Stanley Hotel is - is a special place. Love it up there. My wife's folks who now live just down the street from us lived in Boulder for 25 years giving us an excuse to visit often. That entire "Front Range" is some of the most beautiful country on the north American continent and is hugely popular for very good reason. I'm glad that her folks moved close to us - but I think their f'n nuts for leaving such a beautiful place.

 

[Ujn Hunter]

Great pics!

 

[dogooder]

Estes Park - where the Stanley Hotel is - is a special place. Love it up there. My wife's folks who now live just down the street from us lived in Boulder for 25 years giving us an excuse to visit often. That entire "Front Range" is some of the most beautiful country on the north American continent and is hugely popular for very good reason. I'm glad that her folks moved close to us - but I think their f'n nuts for leaving such a beautiful place.

We had a band house in Boulder. There was an incident we called night of the living bed, that I think I have related here once before. Anyone who lived on Toedli Drive (SP) in the late 70s or early 80s and witnessed it will probably never forget it. I haven't thought about it for a long time, I am laughing now.

 

[ez_willis]

Estes Park - where the Stanley Hotel is - is a special place. Love it up there. My wife's folks who now live just down the street from us lived in Boulder for 25 years giving us an excuse to visit often. That entire "Front Range" is some of the most beautiful country on the north American continent and is hugely popular for very good reason. I'm glad that her folks moved close to us - but I think their f'n nuts for leaving such a beautiful place.

We're looking at and around Longmont/Fort Collins. The whole 25 corridor is open for discussion, though. It's beautiful up there.

 

[PorterhouseMusic]

Agree. Approx 10-12 years ago we were also seriously looking at Longmont/Ft Collins. It's a great area. It ended up not working out for us for various reasons - hope it works out for you.

 

[ez_willis]

Agree. Approx 10-12 years ago we were also seriously looking at Longmont/Ft Collins. It's a great area. It ended up not working out for us for various reasons - hope it works out for you.

Thanks, man! Momma works remote and I can and should retire in 2025 with a real nice pension. And hopefully can consult for my current employer remotely. That would be ideal.

 

[TalismanRich]

My son lived in Denver for about a year. I went out to visit in Oct of 2017. We took a trip up to Estes Park, and did the tour of the Stanley Hotel. The elk were roaming around in the town. I've driven through the Appalachians for years, but driving through the Rockies was a totally different experience. Those mountains are HUGE. Red Rocks was really cool, too bad nobody was playing the week I was there.

 

[dogooder]

My son lived in Denver for about a year. I went out to visit in Oct of 2017. We took a trip up to Estes Park, and did the tour of the Stanley Hotel. The elk were roaming around in the town. I've driven through the Appalachians for years, but driving through the Rockies was a totally different experience. Those mountains are HUGE. Red Rocks was really cool, too bad nobody was playing the week I was there.

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Whatever you do, don't dive in that lake or any others up there. I speak from experience.

 

[dogooder]

Agree. Approx 10-12 years ago we were also seriously looking at Longmont/Ft Collins. It's a great area. It ended up not working out for us for various reasons - hope it works out for you.

As stated, I lived there in the Denver area and in Grand Junction for a little over ten years. When I was retiring the wife wanted to go back. I didn't really like it all that much. I prefer the nice green mountains of the east. I like a deciduous forest, you don't have that there. Those mountains yell out, come up here and make one mistake and I will kill you, back here they beckon you to come on up and have a good time. There is no water out there to swim in really, it is all snow melt. After a few years of living there the colors to me just became drab earth tones everywhere. It is filled with four wheel cowboys. Just subjective opinions, diversity makes the world go round. I guess if I were a skier I might feel different but there is plenty of that in the north east. These streams you can swim in without getting hypothermia.

 

[ez_willis]

I live at the base of a mountain in a valley surrounded by mountains. I climb them often and in every season. No 14'ers but I know how to not die on them.

And I flew in to Denver last July and went straight to Red Rocks for Lettuce and Tower of Power. I've been to beautiful venues in every state but none compared to that one. My goodness.

 

[PorterhouseMusic]

As stated, I lived there in the Denver area and in Grand Junction for a little over ten years. When I was retiring the wife wanted to go back. I didn't really like it all that much. I prefer the nice green mountains of the east. I like a deciduous forest, you don't have that there. Those mountains yell out, come up here and make one mistake and I will kill you, back here they beckon you to come on up and have a good time. There is no water out there to swim in really, it is all snow melt. After a few years of living there the colors to me just became drab earth tones everywhere. It is filled with four wheel cowboys. Just subjective opinions, diversity makes the world go round. I guess if I were a skier I might feel different but there is plenty of that in the north east. These streams you can swim in without getting hypothermia.
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That's really beautiful!

 

[dogooder]

That's really beautiful!

That is upstate New York. I moved to Va. Most folk down here think it is one big city. I am in the Appalachians now. When people say it must be a big change and I say no, not really, except for my accent and the license plates, I wouldn't know the difference, they tend not to believe me I think? NYC is a tiny percentage of NYS and is home to about the same amount of folks as the whole of Va That is Katterskill Fals, in the Catskill Mtsn. I think it is about 188 feet? I have been to them on numerous occasions.