Random, Unorganized Thoughts on Colorado

While I was in Colorado I made several observations based on experience...and I mean beyond "That's a lot of snow," and "Wow it's a bit chilly." I visited three areas, Pagosa Springs/Wolf Creek, Durango, and Mesa Verde and I feel like my observations led to fairly concrete conclusions. For your knowledge and entertainment, here are those observations and conclusions, which I'm going to attempt to translate into Colorado travel tips.

Observation #1 - Everything opens when employees feel like it.
I actually read posted hours signs reading "11ish - 6:00." I guess this leaves owners and employees open for a great day of skiing right after a good snow, or maybe if the roads are bad they figure they'll at least make it in by 11:00...ish. Another sign "Open most every day Monday-Saturday." Guess you just have to show up, give the door a good tug, and see if you get in.


Observation #2 - Food is almost too expensive to bother eating every meal.
None of our meals were cheap. Breakfast on average for two people was $12-$16, and the lower end of that spectrum came from a coffee shop. Dinner for two was more around the $30 range. I'm not sure about grocery store prices, but chances are good you're better off shopping and cooking meals if you're able.


Observation #3 - Colorado has burritos out the yin yang and everything is spicy.
Burritos for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Literally. If you don't like hot and spicy then watch what you're eating. Chorizo and hatch chilies are particularly hot. Yummy, but hot.


Observation #4 - Drivers like the passing lane.
If you're not doing the speed limit, or even if you are, prepare to be passed. Never seen so many people driving in the left hand lane short of England.


Observation #5 - You might at times think you're actually in Texas.
Southern Colorado caters to Texans. The best food I had was from Serious Texas BBQ. A lot of restaurants are decorated with Longhorn memorabilia and there are a lot of people driving around with Texas plates.

Observation #6 - Wildlife isn't as hard to spot as I thought.
I saw a few dozen elk on the side of the road (and only 2 of them were dead...), plus 3 raccoon (all alive - 2 at the Springs and 1 going for a jog down the double yellows), a bald eagle, an owl that nearly t boned our car, a red tailed hawk, and some mule deer. All I was missing was a cougar and a big horn sheep.


Observation # 7 - It wasn't actually as cold as I expected.
Ok, yes, it was an average of about 20 degrees in February, but the sun is quite hot.  When I saw skiing I ended up taking off my gloves, earmuffs, and coat. I really hated wearing my coat in the car, since the small space heated up pretty quickly. The lesson here is to wear lots of layers.

Observation #8 - Everyone is really friendly.
Most everyone I had contact with was friendly and bubbly - all the way from Pagosa to Mesa Verde. It's nice to have people act like they want you in their town!

Observation #9 - Colorodo is high
I actually don't mean what you think I mean! I'm talking elevation. So if you live at sea level, take your first few days easy. If you're doing something strenuous like hiking or skiing you'll probably lose your breath faster than normal. There is less oxygen in the air at high altitudes...so be prepared.

Those are my generalizations for Colorado, or at least the southern part of the state. I'm going to get into some more specifics of my trip - what I did, some places to go - in later blogs. So come back soon!