TOP OF THE ROCKIES : SNOWMOBILING,HIKING,SNOWTUBING

                                        

It is no secret that we love to travel! But sometimes, I get lazy and the travelogues don't make it to the blog. Would you believe it If I told you that only 10% of travels, have made it to my blog! one of my goals this year, is to chronicle our travel diaries more! Starting off with the trip with which we ended 2020 - Leadville, Colorado! Or more commonly referred to as the Top of the Rockies! Leadville is a former silver mining town, that lies among the headwaters of the Arkansas River, in the Rocky Mountains! Leadville is home to Mt. Elbert, the highest summit of the Rockies, hence the name, the Top of the Rockies! 

I have been to Colorado so many times, that I must have lost count! And while we have often visited our favorite haunts, we also love to discover newer towns and newer sights! Our initial trip to Colorado was canceled as Blaze was detected with Cancer. So we put together a last-minute trip once he completed his chemotherapy. We drove with Blaze from Kansas City, as he had to be a part of the vacation! 

One of the highlights of our trip was the Snowmboling adventure. While I and my husband had done snowmobiling in the Rockies, earlier, it would be the first time for Rii! We had booked for the 2-hour tour! Our daughter was to ride with my husband, and I was riding alone! The tour started off with the normal protocol, of us signing the waivers and learning about the vehicle, and then heading to our first stop! I can not believe how excited and surprised we were when we saw that White Mountain Snowmobile crew had up and a mini snowmobile, all revved up and waiting for Rii! And you should have seen the 7-year-old, swerve and zoom across the snow! She didn't tumble once and enjoyed herself to the fullest! This isn't something I have seen with other providers, so this provider comes highly recommended. 

And that's not all! In my previous snowmobiling adventures, w head to take our own pictures! White Mountain Snowmobile Tours had a fabulous photographer zoom across in her snowmobile, and capture the best moments! Yes, that's available at a price, but that price is really reasonable! We paid around $50 for some amazing pictures of our family! And each frame was fabulous! 

We had opted for the Prospector Tour with White Mountain Snow Mobile Tours. It's a two-hour guided tour that features groomed trails and spectacular views of 14,000 feet mountains. For Covid, they aren't providing any boots or winter gear! So make sure you are dressed in ski-appropriate outfits! They do provide helmets, which have been sanitized. The tour groups are fairly small and the ride is spectacular! One can't deny that snowmobiling is one of the best ways to explore America's snow-lined back country! The final pitstop of the snowmobile tour shows you Mt. Elbert in all its glory! 

And did you think, we would not head back after we finished the tour, to ensure Blaze soaked in the sights too! This is Blaze's second trip to Colorado and he is an absolute trooper of a boy! Did I tell you how much he enjoys the snow, and how difficult it is to bring him in when he sees so much snow to play in. We thoroughly enjoyed the Turquoise Lake area. It is a great place for some hikes across trails, or snowshoeing, as a family. We enjoyed the sunset atop Sugar Loaf  Dam, in the Turquoise Lake area. 

Highly recommend the Mineral Belt Trail in Leadville, Colorado, if you are looking to hit the trails! Do not take your car to the trails, as it's not meant for it! This trail loops the city of Leadville, traveling through aspen groves, conifer forests, wildflower meadows, and open vista sage parks. The Mineral Belt Trail has numerous trailheads and access points, offering unsurpassed views of the Sawatch and Mosquito ranges. 

The idea was to fill our days with as much activity as we could. So after a morning spent at the Mineral Belt Trail, we hit the slopes again, at Dutch Henry Snow Tubing Hill! We rented a couple of tubes and had the best of times. Dutch Henry Hill is open every day in Winter, weather permitting. 

Let's talk about our cute accommodations, shall we! We rented the cuts home in Leadville, Colorado! Its was pet-friendly needless to say! You could literally see the slipes from every room of the house and the natural light was fabulous! 

And we must have gone back to the Mineral Belt Trail, during a blizzard! 

The last time we had dined out as a family was to celebrate our daughter's birthday in mid-March! With the pandemic and with my husband being immune-compromised, dining out was not an option! We took a leap of faith when we saw a somewhat empty restaurant, in downtown Leadville - Tennessee Pass Cafe! It was after lunch hours and was too early for dinner! the staff wore masks, the tables were socially distanced. The food was delish and the service was great. Need we ask for more. Can't tell you how much we had missed the simple joy of eating out, as a family! 

I and Deb opted for some local brews along with our soups! 

Deb opted for the Buffalo meatloaf! 

Rii opted for buffalo sliders! 

And I opted for their signature Buffalo Burger! 

Last but not the least, it was so much fun exploring the historic downtown Leadville! Much of Leadville’s downtown—70 square blocks surrounding Harrison Avenue—is designated a National Historic Landmark District of Victorian architecture. In this colorful district, see buildings built between 1880 and 1905, including the largest opera house west of the Mississippi, the saloon visited by Oscar Wilde, and two historic 1879 churches.

So if you are looking for a trip to Colorado, which doesn't do the typical touristy spots, head to Leadville, Colorado! 

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SNOWMOBILING IN THE ROCKIES : TRAVEL

When you get more than a generous amount of snowfall in your city, why would your vacations also revolve around snow. Well, in your own city, you have to clean up the drive way, and clean up your car and drive to work, every day. You tend to forget that snow can be fun too,given the fact Winters stretch for a cool 7 months. So you need to take off every now and then and pack in some fun. Go and get some Rocky Mountain High.

That's exactly what we did. We had made our reservations to go Snowmobiling in the Breckenridge area of the Summit County of Colorado. Its a beautiful Ski town, picture perfect in every way. It was a regular weekend. Two of Hubby's colleague's (Arka and Subha), who also lived close by, decided to join us in all the fun in the snow. We started off from Kansas City in a Friday evening in March 2010. A seven hour drive to take us straight to our motel. yes, those were pre baby days.

As the weather forecast had been clear, we had rented a sedan to take us to the mountains. But all the clear weather, gave way to a nasty blizzard. We took frequent breaks, but we knew we had to go on, as our reservations for the snowmobiling were at 9 am,and we just had the night to make the trip.

By the time we reached the motel, the sun was on it way up. We took a quick shower and went straight for the Motel Buffet. Hot Sausage and eggs surely can do wonders for sleep deprived folks, who want to go ahead with their plans of adventure sports. The blizzard had dumped a fresh load of snow on the slopes. We had been asked to wear clothes,which were water resistant as the snow mobiles can go quite deep into the snow at times. So we were dressed in ski pants and a few layers below our water proof jackets. The Ski pants were a great idea, I must tell you. Once you're toasty, in extreme weather, you are ready to have fun.

We had to drive to the Snow Mobile Base Camp of the company operating the tours. I did not have my driver's license at that time, so I had to ride pillion with my husband. I did not seem to mind. My Vertigo had already started to raise its ugly large head. We got fitted for helmets and water proof boots. Some complimentary hot chocolate and then it we started off with our cameras ready.

Our tour instructor and guide was Chuck. He started off by showing us the basic operations of teh snow mobile and how to signal if anyone got stuck anywhere. He explained to us that we would have to drive in a single file up the powdery tree lined slopes up to the Alpine meadows up above. It was just like loads of and loads of fresh powder had been dumped by a giant talc maker. Once we reached the Continental Divide, then  all the snow mobilers could drive as fast as they wanted to, but stick to their lanes. It packs in the most beautiful views of the Colorado Rockies and their highest peaks,in all their splendor. And then we would have to make our way down. Chuck was leading the party of 10 riders.

We started off well. Loads of pictures were taken. But then our friend Arka, who was right behind Chuck, had strayed off on the side and with just a bit of  reckless driving. The snow mobile endured some injuries but thankfully Arka was safe. Chuck had to go to rescue not only Arka from the deep snow but also fix the snow mobile, so that the tour could continue. I have a candid video where they boys are all talking about how their buddy got stuck. I must say all the boys are very camera shy and kept mumbling the same thing over and over again. I was more interested in having them talk about how big an adrenaline rush the ride was,but they were lost for words I guess.



You wanna know how deep the snow was, where we got stuck? Take a look. If the 6 foot plus man is so deep in the snow, think of me.

It was time to drive again. The gradient was changing at every turn. The slopes were lined by trees,where Chuck showed us many bear claw marks. Bears like to sharpen their claws on the trunks of some trees and they leave behind pretty deep marks. As we got higher and higher, the wind seemed to have increased its bite on our faces.

I took one turn at the the Continental Divide, where the snow mobiles were driving in full throttle. But I must add that as a pillion rider, its hard on your butt to endure those speeds in that cold weather. So I decided to explore a bit on foot, while the boys went on another run. Knowing me, I found some canine friends soon enough, who surely gave me a lot of company.

Once you had reached the summit, its hard to miss the breathtaking view which is all around. In those days, IPhone did not come with the panorama camera option. If you took a total 360 degree turn,from where you were standing. the grandeur of the Rockies would have you floored. The snow covered mountains almost had a purple and pink glow at some places, where the sunlight was creating its magic . The best of the Colorado Rockies was there in front of you and we could have literally stood there for hours, admiring them. But when you are on a tour, time ticks faster.

The drive down seemed a bit giddy for me,as I was riding pillion,and not exactly enjoying the adrenaline rush of the driver. It was almost like a roller coaster ride, when you begin to go down the snow covered slopes. I was glad that I had taken my motion sickness medication.

Once in town we hit the Outlet Mall for some shopping and generally walked around the picturesque ski town. For our dinner, we decided to go with some local recommendation. Our instructor Chuck had recommended we head to the historic joint known as THE MINT. We did just that and I have a whole post dedicated to how fun and interactive our dinner was.

The next morning it was time to drive back to Kansas City, but we did stop at the Monument Rocks in Kansas. Am sure that calls for another post,as we ventured into Canyon territory once again with that detour.

LINKS MENTIONED IN THE POST: 

DINNER AT THE MINT : http://journotalk.blogspot.com/2011/11/staking-it-for-steak.html

SNOWMOBILING IN BRECKENRIDGE: http://www.breckenridgesnowmobiling.com/index.html

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MESA VERDE NATIONAL PARK : TRAVEL

Being a student of Sociology, there are many things which attract your attention in a different way. Sociological Imagination comes in to play in several aspects of daily life,even before you realize it. . Travel is surely not excluded from that. So when the plan was made for a trip to several Canyons in Colorado and Utah, I made sure that MESA VERDE NATIONAL PARK was on the list. Any student of Sociology or even Anthropology will not try to miss a chance to visit the Cliff Dwellings of the Pueblo Indians.

Mesa Verde translates to Green Table. It was inhabited by the Ancient Pueblos or Anasazi Indians for over 700 years from 600 to 1300 AD roughly. The Anasazi were primarily farmers and basket makers . The Mesas were an ideal choice for farming land in these harsh canyons. They made their homes in these Cliffs in the Montezuma County of Colorado. Mesa Verde is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is one of the best archaeological preserves in the US.

We drove down from Denver to Mesa Verde National Park and headed straight for the CLIFF PALACE on the CLIFF PALACE LOOP ROAD. Once you have gotten your tickets, you gather at Cliff Palace to await for your tour guide.

After a small briefing session, you begin the hike down. Sturdy walking shoes are a must. The Cliff Dwellings are in a large crevice in the Canyon and to head there to have to claim down the mountain literally. The National Park has stone stairs which are quite narrow and you often have to squeeze yourself . But what follows are literally strong rope ladders,which are a nemesis fro someone with vertigo like me.

But I kept going on and on,as the prize at the end of the hike, was much more than the fear itself. To have studied about something in a classroom in Kolkata(India) and to finally be at the place, is a different feeling altogether. To see centuries worth of archaeological splendor right in front of your eyes is inexplicable. Its absolutely breathtaking and awe inspiring.

The Popular Sites : 

The National Park tries to control footfall to these ancient dwellings so tours are carefully timed. Before you realise time is up, for you to climb uphill.

We turned around for some photos on our way up

After the Cliff Palace, we did a stop over at the HOUSE OF MANY WINDOWS from the overlook on the road. But our lens was not powerful enough to capture it all.

We just had half a day at the Park, but we made sure we made the most of it. It has been quite afew years to this trip, but it seems just like yesterday.

MESA VERDE NATIONAL PARK
Website: http://www.nps.gov/meve/index.htm
Montezuma, Colorado
USA
Nearest City: Cortez

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