#GlenwoodSprings and crossing the Rockies.

Glenwood Springs is a long established resort town dating back to the wild west days. It is famous for its geothermal spring baths and offers a lot more to visitors. It is a ski resort town - but doubles up as a place to enjoy the outdoors year round and the x factor - natural hot springs. It is at the confluence of the River Colorado and The Roaring Fork River.

Our time was limited but we hired bikes for one day and cycled up the Rio Grande Trail alongside the Roaring Fork (Crystal River) valley in the direction of Aspen. When we got to 16 miles we turned and cycled back. It was a lovely day - and great scenery - especially Mt Sopris at 12995 which dominated.

Our favourite watering hole was a dive bar called The Doc Holiday. Doc Holiday (qualified as a dentist) is a name you will know I expect - a legendary character from the wild west. He was one of the lead characters - with his longtime friend Wyatt Earp - that fought out the most famous gunfight ever - the gunfight at the OK Corral ! Doc suffered from tuberculosis and he came to live in Glenwood Springs to use the life affirming hot springs and benefit from the clean Glenwood air. He died in the Glenwood Hotel and was buried in the town. Tourists are able to visit his burial place.

We really enjoyed using the spring baths. They are huge and naturally fed by geothermal water from deep under the mountains. The pools are graded in temperature and some are very hot indeed. There is a slight whiff of sulphur that you get with geothermal water - but not unpleasant. The baths are set in the river gorge so you are surrounded by the steep mountains that form the ski resort. We loved it. Totally relaxing and pleasant and we felt better for it ! Xx

To get to Glenwood Springs from Denver you have to cross the Rockies. We did so on the Californian Zephyr. The distance as the crow flies is less than 150 miles but the train took over 8 hours because of the gradients and tight bends through the cuttings and canyons. There is a constant risk of rockfalls and apparently the rails have monitors for blockages. The upside of the slow deliberate train journey is the opportunity to enjoy the scenery from the viewing coaches of these big trains. It is constant pressure to capture the next vista but eventually you just have to enjoy it for what it is. You can't really can it ! See mob photos below !

Just a bit about the Rockies. The Rocky Mountains are a chain of mountains approx 3000 miles long. They run in a line from British Columbia (Canada) to New Mexico. The width is between 70 and 300 miles. Heights vary considerably but the highest peaks are in Colorado and go to over 14000 feet. They were formed between 80 million and 55 million years ago by tectonic plate collision. The Rockies are not of uniform construction - the rock is varied - because for instance some of the Rockies was once the sea bed. Over millions of years the Rockies have been shaped to the dramatic peaks and colours we now see. Much of the Rockies remain an important wilderness used for recreation rather than agriculture. They are not densely populated.

It was thrilling to cross the Rockies by slow train. The views were often stunning, spectacular and beautiful. They were also often fleeting with the train movement and changes of light. (a tip for the photographer - take a forward facing seat). Certainly a photographers challenge. It was a privilege to do this journey. xxx

Here are some mob photos - a bit random I am afraid :