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FrontRangeLiving.com -> Escapes
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 COLORADO'S
SCENIC AND HISTORIC BYWAYS-- - Now that gas has gone
up in price, driving much of a
distance requires careful thought. But getting away remains a summer pleasure.
So consider a short road trip, one that’s filled with gorgeous scenery and
perhaps historic significance. Make that trip close to home, too, and you’ve
discovered a Colorado treasure: our scenic and historic byways. There is an
official commission that chooses roadways based on a special feature: the scenic
surroundings or a link to history, like the old Santa Fe Trail. All are
beautiful and worth seeing. Many will be close to where you live. And while the
choices range from the west to the east of the state, the following are
available on the Front Range.
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 MESA
VERDE (COLORADO)- Each year, thousands of visitors arrive at Mesa Verde National Park to peer
into ancient cliff dwellings and puzzle over why and how people once built
cities in caves. An initial glimpse will elicit gasps from those who catch their
first view of Spruce House. But Mesa Verde, with 52,074 acres, is a wilderness
garden, too. Fires have scorched acre after acre, imparting a ghostly appearance
that matches the emptiness of echoes in the dwellings. In moments of quiet, only
the wind blows and the mesa appears mysterious and haunted.
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 WRITINGS
ON THE WALLS: (NORTHWEST
NEW
MEXICO)--Most national monuments offer solitary desert escapes or majestic
mountain vistas. But a little-known national monument is dedicated to
graffiti--from the ancient Anasazi (1200) to exploring Spaniards (1700)
and American soldiers (1840). It's called El Morro, where travelers left
their names or visages behind, etched into soft stone.
By
Niki Hayden
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SWEET SLUMBER: HISTORIC COLORADO CEMETERIES--
There’s enough sadness and tragedy in Colorado’s historic cemeteries for
innumerable novels, movies, or grand operas. But there’s also a beauty and
stillness that inspire meditations upon life and death. By Kathy Kaiser
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 A
WEEKEND RETREAT FOR THE WEARY: GOLD LAKE -- Gold Lake Resort is a
special hideaway. It's the type of place that--once you've found
it--you'll want to tell everyone about it. Though just before you divulge
its whereabouts, you'll hesitate, afraid to spoil the secret. A place that
is as wonderful for couples seeking romantic getaways as it is for friends
in search of a brief respite from family pressures, the 100-acre jewel has
something for everyone.
A place that is as wonderful for couples seeking romantic getaways as it is
for friends in search of a brief respite from family pressures; the 100-acre
jewel has something for everyone.
By Heather Grimshaw
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 JOURNEY
TO SAN LUIS: Colorado’s oldest town, San Luis, is just 60 miles from Taos. Nestled in
the San Luis Valley of cattle ranchers and potato farmers, a town of less than
1,000 souls doesn’t invite a crush of visitors. On their way to New Mexico, tourists anticipate the blend of cultures, the
pottery and turquoise of Native Americans with an overlay of Spanish guitar
music and blue margaritas. Without a second thought, they’ll cruise down the
San Luis wide thoroughfare unaware that this Colorado town is what they are
hoping to find in Taos: authentic Spanish America, honest and unique.
By Niki Hayden
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 GLENWOOD
SPRINGS: A WALKING TOUR THROUGH HISTORY--There’s a point in Glenwood Springs on the bridge that crosses over
Interstate 70, the railroad tracks, and the Colorado River, where you can feel
the pulse not only of this crossroads city, but of the country itself. And you can hear
the train whistle from just about anywhere in town as coal, cars and humans are
transported from one end of the continent to the other.
By
Kathy Kaiser
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 A
GETAWAY FOR TWO: Manitou Springs may be one of the top destinations for vans filled with
families. Looking for a Santa workshop? It’s not as far north as you may
believe. Family friendly, wholesome and dedicated to clean living, it’s a
magnet for the young set. So is there any chance that a couple could plan a
weekend getaway from traffic and the nine-to-five? Oddly enough, Manitou Springs
is friendly to romance, too.
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 SANCTUARIES
IN THE CITY: HISTORY & MYSTERY ABOUND --There’s something to be said for high church, especially
when you are feeling low. Step through the doors to Denver’s Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception,
and your soul can’t help but soar. You need not be Catholic to be inspired by
the French Gothic architecture, one of the best examples in the region. The
cathedral is filled with awe-inspiring art, spiritual mystery and history almost
as colorful as the stained glass windows.
By Colleen
Smith
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 STROLLING
THROUGH A SIMPLER TIME: CHATFIELD NATURE PRESERVE--Just a stone’s throw from bustling Wadsworth Boulevard--lined with Walmart
and Petsmart and every other chain retailer and restaurant you can name--lies a
bit of untrammeled territory. To be precise, 750 acres of prairie and wetlands,
native flora, fauna and Colorado history, to boot, await your world-weary psyche.
By Colleen Smith
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 MOUNTAIN
SPAS: SCENERY, SOLITUDE AND LUXURY--We all deserve and need to treat ourselves. Surround yourself
with natural or man-made beauty, spend time gazing at Colorado's peaks or relax in a room filled with artwork and plush furniture.
Take a day of solitude to contemplate the big mysteries of life or simply let the mind
wander. Perhaps the best treat is a day of luxury, where an attendant's sole job
is to help you relax. On extremely special days, it can be all three at once.
By Heidi V. Anderson with photos by Steve Chinn
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 COLORADO
VICTORIAN B&Bs--ALL THE COMFORTS OF HOME--Bed and
Breakfast owners across the Front Range count on those
personal details to make a difference for guests. Offering high tea, evening
wine tastings, freshly baked cookies, and period homes that whisk guests to the
Victorian era, B&B owners appeal to those who seek an alternative to the
one-size-fits-all hotel experience. And judging from the fact that some B&Bs
see 7,000 guests a year, they’re hitting their mark.
By Heather Grimshaw
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 SOOTHING
BALMS, HEALING HERBS--Just walking into Apothecary Tinctura feels healing.
In fact, on September 11, 2001, as news about the terrorist attacks on the
United States sunk in, customers convened on the quaint Denver shop at the
corner of East Sixth Avenue and Fillmore Street. "Women flocked here. We were packed," says clinical herbalist
Shelley Torgove, who owns the store. "Women left work and showed up here.
They drank tea. They helped us pour oils."
By Colleen Smith
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 SOLITUDE
IN THE CITY--It's a place where bald eagles soar, mule and white-tailed deer cavort, and
coyotes compete with foxes for food. Black-tailed prairie dogs squeak at one
another while cottontail rabbits rest in their burrows. Grosbeaks, sparrows,
orioles, grebes, doves, pelicans, herons, gulls and dozens of others inhabit the
trees and ponds. You could spend an entire day here and rarely see another human
being. And this serene, natural retreat is right in the middle of--Commerce
City?
By Heidi V. Anderson
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 YOGA
RETREAT--For those who in 2003 seek inner peace and strive to create a
balance between body, mind, and spirit, the Front Range offers a unique retreat.
Nestled into the foothills outside of Nederland, The Shoshoni Yoga Retreat
offers programs for novice and experienced yoga enthusiasts, western and
traditional Ayurvedic treatments, and a serene environment to rest, relax, and
rejuvenate.
By Heather Grimshaw
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 AN
ASPEN ESCAPE FOR LOVERS--It’s often difficult to make time for romance in life. Daily routines seem
to discourage it. Work, family, friends, health, and hobbies can crowd out time
for rekindling internal fires. Set aside a weekend–-say in Aspen–-and the
door of opportunity swings wide. Now is the ideal time to schedule such a weekend while mountain resorts,
small hotels, and restaurants offer deep discounts for the off-season. Discounts range from 30
to 50 percent off regular prices in Aspen where couples get a glimpse of resort
life at a quiet time of year.
By Heather Grimshaw
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 COLORADO
WINE COUNTRY TOUR--When it comes to great wines from river valleys,
France has the Loire. Germany owns the Rhine. California claims Napa. In
Colorado, it's Grand Valley, nestled
between rock walls east of Grand Junction on the Western Slope. The
Colorado River trickles alongside a carved canyon. Ben Parsons, wine
master for Canyon Wind Winery says that "wineries are located in the
most beautiful parts of the world." The scenery is arid, dramatic and
unmistakably Western.
By Niki Hayden
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 COLORADO
RETREATS --For 30 years, the Rocky Mountain Shambhala
Mountain Center of Red Feather Lakes, Colorado, has hosted Buddhist
retreats in platform tents and rustic buildings. That is, until recently.
Unveiling The Great Stupa of Dharmakaya transformed the site into a
pilgrim’s destination for the faithful and an architectural
one-of-a-kind.
By Niki Hayden
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 COLORADO
RETREATS--A few miles from Wyoming, in the spare
landscape of giant boulders and wind-swept canyons, a small sign announces
that the "Abbey of St. Walburga" lies down a dirt road. One of a handful of cloistered abbeys
for Roman Catholic nuns, the remote location shields a medieval respite
in the heart of the American West.
By Niki Hayden
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 GETTING
AWAY--Colorado destination spas. Tour the historic Broadmoor in
Colorado Springs, the luxury of the Lodge & Spa at Cordillera or the
down-to-earth Gold Lake Mountain Resort and Spa.
By Sally McGrath
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 MAKING
TIME SLOW DOWN-- A spa is no longer a luxury afforded only to
the wealthy. Spas have become increasingly popular and touted for
wellness and renewal benefits as well as beauty treatments. We’ll
introduce you to two day spas with different approaches. One
concentrates on sea water, the other on heat and cold.
by Sally McGrath
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