Salida, CO

It was 30 degrees when we woke up Monday morning. Too cold for mountain biking, again. We had read that mountain biking was good in this area and had hoped to do some during our visit. Between the cold weather and it being hunting season, it wasn't the best plan. So we drove to the top of "S" Mountain for an overlook of the town of Salida (pop. 5,500). It's a cool town with a structured downtown with restaurants, art galleries, etc. Unfortunately, it's "off-season" and about half the shops were closed. We'll just have to come back!

Then we drove north to Brown's Canyon Wilderness Area. We struggled to stay on the trail, so sometimes Andy made up his own route. Unfortunately, he likes to pick the straightest way - even if it's straight up! But the view of the Arkansas River, the valley and the Sawatch Mountain Range were worth it.



Later that afternoon we took advantage of Salida's Hot Springs. Nothing feels better when you've been chilled for days than submerging yourself in 94 degree water. But we also jumped into the lap pool (they say it was 84 degrees) and did a few laps for some exercise.