liralen | Pictures from the Glenwood Springs Trip (Reply)

The whole set is now up on flickr.

There are a few that are pretty nice illustrations of what we had the most fun with, though...

The views from the train, even when it was snowing were pretty spectacular. This is the Colorado river, while it's still a bitty river and fairly new from Grandlake up in the Rocky Mountains National Park.

A good half of the trip was right by the side of the river. There was basically the river, the canyon walls, and somehow they'd managed to get rails for the train on the walls, and sometimes they had to cheat with tunnels when the walls changed directions too abruptly.

The trip out was pretty snowy, but we did get some good, clear shots of cliffs and red rock and lots of the stone formations as well. But those you can see just about anywhere... as well as in the photo set.

And here are the springs themselves. They are enormous, very long, and steamy as anything, as you can see. It wasn't that crowded, given that it was 28 degrees out at the time I took the picture the simple fact that there were people in a swimming pool was pretty amazing. We were in down coats, hats, scarves and mittens. *laughs*

I'm still bemused by it all, but the pools seemed to go on forever behind the spa and maintenance buildings. There was a resort just up the hill from the pool, and another couple of hotels. Ours had the distinct advantage of being just across the street from the train station, but it was a walk over the Colorado River to get to the Pools. The Hotel Denver also had a discount for the pools and would lend us towels to use there, as the pool, itself, charged $2.50 per towel.

The Hotel Denver was a Victorian era hotel, with stained glass chandeliers, hand-sewn quilts on the beds (that one could buy in the gift shop), and was very, very comfortable. It amused me that I actually enjoyed the rumbling quakes of the trains going by because they didn't have any crossings they had to sound their horns at. It was just that whole body rumble going by once in a while at night... and it was oddly soothing for me. *laughs*

And, yes,

crimini, those are your stuffies, which Jet brought along to sleep with. He really loves those two, and they're the only stuffed anything that he's taken an actual liking to, of dozens he's gotten as various gifts. Those are the two that travel with us everywhere.

And last, but certainly not least, is a view that John caught of the Vista Dome car. It was amazing to be able to see out the ceiling as well as the walls because the canyons come very, very close indeed, and sometimes the views really are just straight up instead of out.

It was a really fun trip and we might do it again over part of the summer, because they have miles and miles of bike trail up there, along with the Springs. There are gondolas to the tops of the local peaks to get an ever more spectacular view, and there are steam caves to explore as well on guided tours and things.