Fort Collins, Colorado = More Long Time Friends + Good Beer

From Boulder we headed north to Fort Collins. Fort Collins is the home of one of our family’s dear friends, Joni. Joni’s mom watched my sister and me before and after school for three or four years. Joni became the third twin and we did everything together, including building snow forts and selling lemonade to the garbage men. We lost touch during college but were reunited at our ten year high school reunion a couple of years ago. I was very pleased to see Joni hasn’t changed. She is still the Joni I love and remembered.

We didn’t waste any time when we pulled into Fort Collins. After seeing Joni’s new house we jumped on our bikes and pedaled away for some beer tastings, a popular Fort Collins Saturday activity. We started at New Belgium Brewery but it was so crowded we couldn’t find a seat nor get any beer. So Joni took us to the Odell Brewery. The best part of this situation was Joni works for Odell Brewery so she was able to pour us beer and beat out the line of people trying to refill growlers to take home. Joni is involved with the marketing areas of the beer production, although she also knew her fair share of the beer making process and the effects of different ingredients. dave and her were talking in foreign tongues about hoppy after tastes and malty goodness. We were excited to learn first hand that Odell beer is good, really good. It’s no wonder Joni likes her job so much!!

Odell Brewery Logo

Odell Brewery is a small family run business. According to their web site they regularly brew in a 50 barrel brewhouse but also have a 5 barrel pilot system to formulate new recipes and practice new beer making techniques. They produce over 28,000 barrels annually. Odell Brewery is also committed to green practices. They recycle as much as their solid waste as possible, stagger their beer production to avoid peak demand times on the power grid, invest in renewable energy sources (wind power and biodiesel for their trucks) and encourage their employees to participate in the Bike to Work and Drive Less campaigns. Even much of their merchandise is eco-friendly. Their shirts are made from bamboo, a sustainable fiber. Each bamboo shirt saves 750 gallons of water and 2,000 kilojoules of energy compared to conventional t-shirt production. Bamboo doesn’t require any fertilizers or pesticides to grow. Finally a beer company that not only has good beer but also has eco-friendly practices you can get behind and support.

dave and Joni in the Tasting Room

Joni took us on a tour of the production area and the offices. It was neat to see the behind the scenes machinery and equipment in the beer process. We had to pull dave away from the hops before he filled his pockets with them.

dave and Joni in the Brewhouse

Us with the Kegs

Us with Cases of Beer Ready for Shipment

dave and Whole Flower Hops

The Gang in Front of the Beer Taps

Fort Collins may be home to some great beer but it also has a lot more going for it. The people are super friendly and outdoorsy and the nearby Rocky Mountains provide a spectacular backdrop any time you are outside. Joni took us for a drive to a popular river kayaking spot where we were able to watch people on the river and Sprout got to go swimming. She pointed out a few areas similar to Fairbanks where people had built cabins and live off the power grid or without indoor plumbing.

We also got a chance to meet many of Joni’s friends. They were all down to earth and incredibly friendly and gracious. We had a blast drinking beer with them and eating a lot of great food. We went to one party that had a band from Boulder, Paper Bird, performed. Even the dogs got to attend the party. We put on their blinking strobe lights so we could see them in the dark and they ran around all night with the other pooches.

The Band Paper Bird Performs

On to Old Friends

After hanging out in Penetente Canyon for a couple days we headed north towards Boulder to visit Lori and Michael. I (dave) have always considered Lori as my second older sister so it was nice to see her and meet her husband, Michael. They live a little way west of Boulder in a small cabin with what most would consider few amenities (only cold running water, grey water septic, outhouse, no electricity, wood heat and wood cook stove). After visiting many people who are living a luxury lifestyle it was nice to get back to a way of life we were used to from our time in Fairbanks. We are realizing more and more each day how much this lifestyle suits us too. We spent a few days sight seeing, helping them with chores, learning to make cheese and sauerkraut from whole milk way, discussing sustainable living methods and having fun all the while.

The Gang

Lori and Michael’s Cabin

While they were showing us around they took us to a nearby town called Gold Hill. This place really reminded us of Ester, where we lived before moving into the van. When we first drove up it was almost eerie how much it looked like Ester. Then when a bunch of dogs came running down the street we almost fell over with deja-vu. The only thing they were missing was a local bar that sold $1 drafts!!

Gold Hill

Lori and Michael raise rabbits and chickens for meat. jody became enamored with the baby bunnies and I had to work hard to convince her that it wouldn’t be very practical to get a bunny at this point. In the end she reluctantly agreed.

Baby Bunny

The last night we went to Michael’s glass blowing shop. He sells some of his work at local craft shows and stores. He showed us some of the tricks of the trade. He was gracious enough to give us some nice souvenirs.

Blowing Glass

We ended the night with a very hot sauna at Michael’s mom’s house. He and his family built it when he was younger. As a result he has been saunaing most of his life and he likes it hot. The air temperature was around 40°F. The sauna was at 170°F and all the while Michael kept pouring more water on the heat. You could only stand it for so long. When it became unbearable we would crawl into the adjacent pond. The 130° difference in temperature kept us awake.

Sauna

Desert to Mountains

After leaving Mesa Verde National Park we headed northeast into the San Juan Mountains for a change of scenery. The weather was beautiful so we weren’t the only ones with this idea. The drive from Durango to Ouray was spectacular.

San Juan Scenery

Avalanches are a common occurrence with the mountains so close to the road. The Department of Transporation must have gotten sick of dealing with the snow pilling up on this portion of the road and came up with a creative solution to deal with the problem. It seemed to work rather well.

Avalanche Area

From Ouray, we doubled back south and headed to Penetente Canyon. One of dave’s coworkers circles it on our Colorado map and mentioned there was great rock climbing there. We thought it would be worth a stop. It was an amazing climbing area with cheap camping. Perfect! We don’t carry too much climbing gear so our choices were limited but it was still fun.

dave Climbing in Penentente Canyon

Penetnente Canyon Scenery

Mesa Verde National Park

From the Four Corners region we moved into Colorado to visit Mesa Verde National park. It was created to protect one of the largest concentrations of cliff dwellings in the world. Around 1400 years ago, Ancestral Puebloans moved into the Mesa Verde area. Initially they were nomadic hunter-gatherers but must have found something they liked and decided to remain. As they became more settled they began to evolve into a farming community. Mesa Verde National Park protects not only the final structures these cultures built, the cliff dwellings, but also the earlier models, the pit houses, on the mesa tops. It is very hard to comprehend the magnitude of the dwellings within the park, both in size and number.

Early Pit House Foundation

There were three cliff dwellings that were accessible to the public. Two of which required you to buy tickets for a Park Service conducted tour. The tours were well worth it! The first dwelling we visited was Cliff Palace. Pictures don’t do any of the dwellings justice. They always seem to look like scale models.

Cliff Palace

The second tour we went on visited Balcony House. While not as large as some of the other dwellings this was the “adventurous cliff dwelling tour.” You must first climb a 32 foot ladder to access the site. Then crawl 12 feet through a 1 ½ foot tunnel to access the original entrance. To exit you had to climb a couple more ladders and numerous stairs to reach the mesa top. We were on a very small tour with less than ten people. As a result we were able to see a few more rooms then are normally shown. It was pretty fun.

dave Climbing into Balcony House

Balcony House

Original Timbers

Tunnel Leading Out

The last dwelling, Spruce Tree house, we were able to visit without a tour guide. This house contained 114 rooms and 8 kivas (ceremonial rooms). It is thought about 100 people lived here.

Spruce Tree House

Around 1200 AD the dwellings were abandoned. It is thought that overpopulation and resource degradation coupled with an extended drought took too much of a toll. Could overpopulation and resource degradation ever threaten us again? Sounds a little too familiar.

Valley of the Gods and Four Corners

Before leaving Utah we drove through the Valley of the Gods. This area sits in the southeast corner of Utah, just north of Monument Valley in northern Arizona. The 18-mile road wound through a variety of unusual rock formations. A passing thunderstorm gave a dramatic backdrop to some of the photos.

Valley of the Gods Scenery

As much as dave was against it, I convinced him we had to pay the $6 admission fee to stand at the four corners monument. At this site Utah, Colorado, Arizona and New Mexico all share a common state boundary. It is the only place this happens in the US. The $6 was necessary because the monument sits on the Navajo reservation lands. By the amount of traffic going through the site while we were there, it must provide the reservation with a fair amount of money.

jody at the Four Corners

Part of the Monument

Natural Bridges National Monument

Natural Bridges National monument is a small area administered by the National Park Service. It was created to protect three natural bridges, Sipapu, Kachina and Owachomo. Natural bridges are different than arches because they form by the erosive action of moving water. Arches form by other erosional forces such as frost action and seeping moisture, although these same forces will enlarge natural bridges. The nine mile scenic drive takes you past all three bridges but they are best explored by taking the trails that drop into the canyon and then looking up at them. We hiked to two of the three bridges. I would like to say it was the hot weather that forced us to skip Kachina but really it was the large bus load of screaming school kids that decided for us.

Sipapu Bridge

dave Descending the Trail to Sipapu Bridge

Kachina Bridge (This is the youngest of the three bridges. Notice how bulky it is compared to the other two.)

Owachomo Bridge (This is the oldest of the bridges. Notice how narrow it is at the top. Nobody knows how much longer this bridge will continue to stand.)

Since 1989, Natural Bridges National Monument has been run entirely by solar power. The large solar array provides power for the visitor center, offices, staff housing and the campground. Their solar array produces 50 kilowatts (50,000 watts) and has a battery bank that will supply power for two cloudy days. The amount of energy these panels are producing has already paid for the cost of the materials and installation. It seems about time we saw solar as the main power source in these desert parks/monuments.

Solar Array

Canyonlands National Park and Newspaper Rock

This park was somewhat unique because the Colorado and Green Rivers converge within the park and split it into four different units. We visited two of the units, Island in the Sky and Needles. Island in the Sky is similar looking to the Grand Canyon. The unit sits upon a mesa overlooking sandstone cliffs 1,000 feet above the surrounding landscape. We explored this area by driving the scenic road and getting out at numerous overlooks to study the terrain below. This would have been a much better experience if we had the time to bike the White Rim Road, a 100-mile long backcountry road that wound into the canyons and up to its rim. The road is very popular with Jeep enthusiasts. (But I bet you could have a much better experience on it by leaving the Jeep out and just using your own two legs!!) But we didn’t have enough time to explore it properly. Plus this was the sixth National Park/Monument we saw within two weeks and we were getting a bit overwhelmed.

Island in the Sky Scenery

View from Mesa Arch

White Rim Road

Campsite Outside of Park Boundary (Why are people still paying $15/night to stay within the park when not more than ten miles away you can camp for free? This has been the case in almost every National Park we have been to. Wait ... maybe I am excited nobody is taking advantage of this. Otherwise we’d be just as cramped as the people in the park campground.)
The Needles Unit forms the southeast corner of the park and is named for the colorful spires of Cedar Mesa sandstone that dominate the area. This was the section of the park we were the most excited about visiting. We did two hikes here; one that went past a few alcoves in the rocks where ancient cultures and cowboys have taken refuge from the brutal desert sun and the other into the heart of the Needles themselves. The first trail, Cave Springs, was a pretty leisurely hike that required ascending a few ladders. The Needles hike was much different. It required more ups and downs that got the heart pumping but you were rewarded with outstanding views. We hiked at a pretty fast clip for 45 minutes into the Needles so we could see as much as possible before the sun forced us to return to the van and the overheated dogs. Our fast pace paid off and we made it about three miles in and had spires surrounding us. The scenery was as spectacular as we expected. It was a great experience and we can’t wait to go back and spend a few nights out there to see it properly, without the dogs of course.

Cave Springs Trail

jody on Cave Springs Trail

Needles Scenery

jody on Needles Hike

dave on Needles Hike

Just outside the Needles unit boundary was one of the best petroglyph sites in Utah, Newspaper Rock. This site spans over 2,000 years of human activity with etchings from the Basketmaker, Ancestral Publoan, Freemont, Navajo, Ute and modern cultures all contributing. It is also one of the easiest sites to access. You can literally see it from the road. For those who don’t know, I am an admirer of rock art and we have been stopping at numerous sites throughout this trip. As a result, we have seen the same type of petroglyphs again and again. But Newspaper Rock showed us some new designs including bison, six toed feet, shamans, and hoof prints.

jody at Newspaper Rock

Petroglyphs