Colorado Explored

13th Floor Haunted House  Ok, yes its not the typical "Colorado Explored" post but not everything is outside, and besides, it is still in Colorado....so it counts.  Got a call from Dee on Friday, he scored some extra tickets and invited me along to check it out, so that was a no brainer. We had fast passes to skip the line but when we got there (Nov 1st) there was no need for them. I suppose since the actual HALLOWEEN holiday had passed not many people were out to see the attractions, well, that's fine. NO LINES FOR US! When you first get there you go through a standard security line, there is nothing posted about what can and cannot be taken into the venue so when we were told we had to go back to the truck and drop off Dee's JUUL it was a bit frustrating having had just waited in that line. Post a sign, save people some time ya *#$. Really though as far as complaints go, that's all I got. We had a blast, I'm going to have to say it was the best "

Now open for the 2019/20 SEASON!!!! What can I say about Arapahoe Basin? Well, I can say a ton. While some of us vacationed in Colorado before and snowboarded Winter Park or Copper Mountain we really learned how to snowboard after having moved here and we did it @ A-Basin. Over 50 days in the 2018/19 season were spent cruising the runs and learning the sport. I maintain if you can learn to ski or snowboard @ Arapahoe Basin you can easily ski or snowboard any other mountain in Colorado with ease. The terrain @ Arapahoe Basin is wide and steep, the blues are comparable to blacks at some of the other resorts, and let me clarify, Arapahoe Basin is no resort. There are no Hotels or places to stay, The Basin is a locals mountain and you can feel that vibe as soon as you get there. Look at it on a map and you can see right off the bat the size, its a lot smaller than most resorts and that is once again...because its not a resort. Your not going to see the huge crowds of out of towne

Never before have I seen so many bodies crammed into such a small space competing for lines in my life. Opening day of the 2019 season....we were there.... This year started off with a BANG! A literal jab from one Mountain to another. With Keystone expected to open on Saturday 10/12, Arapahoe Basin not to be outdone, blasted out an E-mail around 2pm on Friday 10/11/  It was time. Arapahoe Basin was officially open for the season offering discounted lift tickets and cheap beer, get yo A$$ to the mountain specials. While we didn't make it on Friday we did make it Saturday morning for the official "first full day" of the season. I mean lets be real, hardly anyone was able to make it out there to hit the slopes with such little notification on Friday, we all know why The Basin did this, and I for one loved it .It wasn't necessarily to actually have people out, this was more about bragging rights and not wanting to be outdone by their now rival Keystone after having split

Grays Peak (14,270 ft.) and  Torreys Peak (14,267 ft.), are two of the more popular 14ers in Colorado,the 9th and 11th highest mountains in the state, respectively. These two peaks are also the only two 14ers situated on the Continental Divide with Grays considered the highest  point on the divide.  The two peaks are connected by a saddle that's about a quarter  shy of a mile making this hike a great opportunity to bag them both in the same day (or night).  Torreys, being a Class 2 mountain, is considered the more difficult of the two although I think personally I have to disagree with this statement. I decided to do this hike about 12 hours before leaving the house, seriously. Dee and I were talking about some of the things on the horizon for Colorado Explored when he mentioned he was planning to summit Grays and Torreys the next morning solo . That was on Friday @ 4:27pm, I was out the door and on my way to meet up with him by 4:15am Saturday morning. I arrived over to Dee&

Kenosha Pass is an easier hike that gives adventurers an opportunity to see spectacular fall colors and experience part of the famed "Colorado Trail" . Lots of people will make the drive out only to hop out and take a few pictures before getting back in the car and heading back but the secret is, to see the best stuff, you have to hike a bit. This trail extends on both sides of 285, you will find bikers, hikers and doggos too. During peak "leaf season", typically late September to early October this trail will be packed with folks trying to get their best photos and experience all those warm colors before it gets cold. Last year we came about a week late. The leaves had already fallen and the aspens were bare but it made for some truly amazing (and a bit creepy) black and white shots, like this one. While driving Guanella Pass to Mt.Bierstadt last weekend we took note of the color change and made plans right then to head to Kenosha Pass the following weekend. Fee

Out of all the 14'ers in Colorado we picked Bierstadt because we had heard and read that is was an easier hike to start with when compared to some of the other more difficult and notorious 14'ers. What is a 14'er you ask? Well, a 14'er is a mountain peak with an elevation of at least 14,000 ft. There are 96 14'ers in the United States all west of the Mississippi with 58 located in Colorado.  As the day approached we spent a good amount of time mentally preparing ourselves and reading up on what we might need to pack , how to prepare and what to expect.   Trial Snapshot: Mt. Bierstadt Hike Distance -1-7 miles round trip Difficulty -Easy-Difficult Duration-1-6 hours Trail Type-Out and Back  Elevation Gain-Up to 2400' Seasons-Best Late Spring to Fall Dogs-Allowed on Leash but discouraged bc of the fragile ecosystem Hike Trail Map - Click for a Trail Map Denver Drive Time-1 hr 30 min Directions- Click for Google Map Nearest Town-Georg

With beautiful cooler weather across Colorado this week we heard adventure calling!!! This time we brought a couple friends and some fresh gear to review! So bright an early on Saturday morning, sleep still in my dogs eyes we loaded up the car and set out for Deer Creek. The short trip took us over Loveland Pass, a high mountain pass at an elevation of 11,990ft (3.655m) above the sea level with a steep, steady 6.7%  grade, hairpin turns and dangerous drop-offs.  Say and I  personally found ourselves stuck in the snow on this road in a snowstorm with zero visibility, and that's why we have a shovel mounted to the cargo basket now but I digress. Loveland Pass was the easy road getting out to this spot with the county road maintenance ending this road gets a little...bumpy.  We settled on a spot with an existing fire ring that had a decent amount of shade and was within earshot of the creek. The previous tenants were some a-holes and had broken glass all over the place in and ar

Ever since we arrived here in Colorado, Say and I have wanted to check out St. Elmo to get some good photos, video and well, check out a GHOST TOWN!!!. So finally, after a year we loaded up the car and headed out into the ether labor day weekend to see what we could see.  The drive to St. Elmo was nice, after you exit the main road you have quite the trek via dirt road to make it to the town. I'd say about 20 minutes or so driving through the national parks and forest to get there. WIKI- St. Elmo  is a ghost town  in Chafee County,Colorado.   Founded in 1880, St. Elmo lies in the heart of the Sawatch Range , southwest of Buena Vista  and sits at an elevation of 9,961 feet. Nearly 2,000  people settled in this town when mining for gold and silver  started. The mining industry started to decline in the early 1920s, and in 1922, the railroad discontinued service.  It is one of Colorado's  best-preserved ghost towns . It was certainly worth the drive for us however