Paint Mines Interpretive Park in Colorado

On October 24, 2019 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Colorado4 Comments

Located near the town of Calhan, about a half hour outside of Colorado Springs, is very interesting park, called the Paint Mines Interpretive Park, with trails that wrap through colorful rock formations. We visited the park while there was still snow on the ground, which made for some difficult hiking at times. Generally speaking, eastern Colorado is pretty much just open prairie land with farms and ranches, however, the Paint Mines Interpretive Park is a geological site that is very interesting and worth the visit.

Paint Mines Interpretive Park near Colorado Springs

The formations in the park were created by geological forces over millions of years. Oxidized iron deposits created fascinating clay formations with dramatic colors. Over 9,000 years ago, the first inhabitants of Northern America, the Paleoindians, were thought to have made pottery out of the colorful clay. The hoodoos (also called tent rocks or chimney rocks) that raise out of the ground are truly spectacular. The 4 miles of trails that loop through the park allow you to get close to these unique formations and see how spectacular the geology of the earth can be.

We will definitely go back to the Paint Mines Interpretive Park during the spring or summer when the ground isn’t covered in snow. The trails were actually streams at certain points due to all of the melting snow making it hard to get to certain formations. Where there wasn’t running water or snow, the clay ground was a muddy mess and we ended up with our shoes layered in colorful mud. Even though we couldn’t get to all areas of the park due to the condition of the trails, we had a wonderful time hiking through the formations. It is amazing to find such a wonderful geological and archeological site located in a place where you would never expect it.

Climbing in the Paint Mines Interpretive Park in Colorado

Oktoberfest Celebrations

On September 16, 2019 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Colorado3 Comments

Although the official Oktoberfest takes place in Munich, celebrations can be found all around the world. Any excuse to get gather, drink beer, eat food, and dance to traditional folk music will likely draw a large crowd. There are several places in Colorado where you can go to an Oktoberfest, most notably is in Breckenridge, but there is a very large one in Denver as well as one in Colorado Springs. We went to our first Oktoberfest back in 2015 and had an absolutely wonderful time.

We had a very nice Hefe-Weizen wheat beer as well as an excellent Marzen amber ale from Paulaner Brewer, who are from Munich. We needed the cold beers after literally kicking our heels up with the dance troupe, The Denver Kickers. We have a lot of respect for them, all of whom are family members, as they danced the entire day and evening, entertaining the crowd. That certainly can’t be easy, especially wearing lederhosen as warm as it was that day. In addition to the dancing, there was plenty of music by The Prime Time Band featuring Klaus.

Pete and Dona with the Dancers Enjoying Some Beer

If we had tried all of the different food that was offered, we would have probably put on ten pounds. The food that we did eat was delicious, especially the bratwurst with sauerkraut. In addition to brats, there was Weiner Schnitzel, giant pretzels, German chocolate cake, and a variety of sweets. Along with the beer, we definitely had our fill of good food.

It was a great day of dancing, drinking, eating, and people watching. Regardless of your heritage or where you live, going to Oktoberfest is well worth the time. It is a great event for families as well as for couples like us. We really had a lot fun, made some new friends, and even learned a new dance, all in all, a wonderful day.

Family Friendly Breckenridge in Colorado

On August 20, 2019 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Colorado5 Comments

Breckenridge is a resort town in the Colorado mountains that is quite popular for skiing during the winter and hiking, biking, and other outdoor activities in the summer. With so many things to do in Breckenridge, it is a great place to spend at least several days, if not an entire week. Not only are there plenty of outdoor activities to enjoy, but the town also has many wonderful restaurants as well as stores offering collectables, clothing, and art. Most everything can be found right off of main street, which is surrounded by a variety of condominiums, rental homes, and hotels.

Since we are avid hikers, we truly enjoyed getting out into nature like we did when we hiked Burro Trail. In addition, though, we also enjoyed our time in the town of Breckenridge as well. One of the things that we had heard about was the “Breckenridge Troll”, officially called Isak Heartstone, which is a giant wooden sculpture that has recently been relocated to near the ice skating arena. The creation is the work of Danish artist Thomas Dambo, who came back to Breckenridge to oversee the relocation of the piece of art. It is very large and dramatic.

We also took the free gondola ride up to peak 8 where there are many activities for the entire family to enjoy, but especially children. There is a mountain rollercoaster, a zip line, maze, putt putt golf, as well as an alpine slide. For those that rent mountain bikes, there is a chair lift that will take you to the top of the mountain where you can ride down one of the many trails. Even though it was the middle of summer, there was still some snow on one of the ski runs for people to slide around and throw snowballs at each other. There are also a couple of restaurants to enjoy a cool refreshment and get a meal to keep your energy up for the activities.

The town of Breckenridge is very walkable with many shops and restaurants along the streets, but there is also a free trolley that will take you throughout the area. Like most places in Colorado, the people are extremely friendly and very welcoming to tourists that arrive from all around the world. Another benefit of getting into the mountains during the summer is that the temperatures are much milder and it can even get a little cold in the evening. We really enjoyed our time in Breckenridge and found that it was certainly a wonderful place for people of all ages.