Road Tripping CO to CA Part I

I flew out to Denver the first week of November to meet up with my buddies, Jeff and Adam. We were going to continue a road trip that Jeff had started earlier that year.

Day 1: We started the trip by hitting up some breweries.  We stopped at Oskar Blues Grill and Brew for some grub.  I got The Silo , a 1/2 pound burger with smoked pulled pork, hot sauce, bacon, and pepper jack cheese on top.  I also got a couple beers to wash it down.  I was pretty happy with the decision.

This keg fountain outside Oskar Blues is a fine piece of art.  As far as I'm concerned, Dale's Pale Ale is one of the best beer you can get in a can.

After Oskar's we headed over to Left Hand Brewing Company for some great beers.  I highly recommend the Milk Stout on nitrous.  The Twin Sisters double IPA was also pretty tasty.

Day 2: We decided to stop by the Red Rocks Amphitheater since it was along our route.  There were some people running stadiums there and getting their work out on.  This would be a pretty cool place to see a show.

On our drive, we also stopped shortly to check out Loveland Pass.  This is the highest elevation I have been at.  It's a pretty big difference from FL.  Loveland was really cool.  There were lots of back country snowboarders charging with their dogs chasing after them. They would all hitch hike back up the mountain once they reached the bottom.

The Econoline, or Chi-moe as it came to be know, had been a work vehicle in its past life.  Because of this, it only has two front seats and a cage separating the cab.  Here is a pic of Adam sitting in the "cage."  We took turns sitting back there on a camp chair, which was not the most comfortable way to travel.

Here is a view of all the gear surrounding you in the "cage."

Looking out of the cage.

We stopped at James M. Robb Colorado River State Park to camp on the second night.  It was a pretty chill way to spend Halloween. 

Day 3: Gotta have coffee in the morning.

While heading to Black Canyon of the Gunnison, we realized we had a small coolant leak.  One of the radiator hoses had come loose and was rubbing against a bolt.  Some parking lot repairs and we were on our way again.

After getting Chi-moe all fixed up, we spotted a Himalayan Buffet.  Since none of us had even been to a Himalayan buffet before, we decided we had to try it out.  It was like Indian food but not spicy.  It was really good though.

Gathering some firewood along the roadside before we head into Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park.

It was steep.

We decided to do a little hiking along the river.

Then decided to go up.

"Hiking is just walking on dirt." - Jeff

Jeff and Adam doing a little free climbing.  I decided to take an easier route up.

Our second campsite.  It was really cold this night, below freezing.  My sleeping bag was only rated for 40 degrees.  I woke up in the middle of the night and put my jeans, jacket, and beanie back on.

A family of deer wandered into the campsite, completely unphased by us or anything we were doing.

It's not camping without one of these.