From the web: Narrow, circa-1919 brick structure with a legendary history involving a fraudulent developer.

After we perused the store, we picked up paninis and fudge to-go. This was a great stop!

Ghost town. We were there on a Friday and the museum is only open on Saturdays. We enjoyed lunch on the bench, took some photos, and enjoyed the overall peacefulness.

The tower is on the exit ramp on the westbound side of I-40. We took a few pictures from afar.

On the eastbound side of I-40. This was another peaceful stop for us.  The cross (one of the tallest in the world) is surrounded by gorgeous statues depicting the twelve stations of the cross, along with tablet of the ten commandments, the beatitudes, a sculpture of the Archangel Michael triumphing over the dragon, and an empty tomb. There was also a gift shop on site.

From the web: Large monument/time capsule built in 1968, commemorating the centennial of the discovery of helium.

From the web: Warmly decorated quarters in a casual budget hotel offering an indoor pool, a gym & breakfast.

This turned out to be one of our favorite stops. We spent two hours though we easily could have been there longer as there were other trails we didn't get to explore. The drive to the summit parking was fear inducing for my mom and son (who are normally not afraid of heights). The summit trail is paved. It was a good, interesting hike featuring breathtaking views, nature, geology, and history. The hardest part is the start of the hike because of the incline/altitude.  The short hike into the volcanic crater is cool but not as interesting as the trail around the rim.

We stopped in Pueblo, Colorado for lunch. Pueblo had many options but we opted for speed and reliability instead of finding a local favorite. This was close to the highway and had an outdoor patio.

Beautiful, historic building. The 105 Meridian runs directly through it which is pretty cool from a time zone perspective. The main concourse has comfortable couches and a Terminal bar. Restaurants and a hotel are also in this station.

This restaurant came highly recommended. We wanted to love it. Bread service is pricey. $10 for four rolls. Portions are made for date night - not for a family. My twenty year old son was unimpressed when his plate of duck arrived. Shared Provisions (appetizers) are designed to feed one person). Drinks - my husband loved the GD Kirk. (Mezcal, Aperol, Lemon, Orange/Peach Honey, Nutmeg, Egg White)

Cool looking pedestrian bridge over the railway tracks connects 16th Street Mall to Confluence Park. We continued over the Platte River to the Highland part of the city.

We were told the long wait would be worth it. It was for one of us. The festive atmosphere with live music helped time pass on a busy Saturday night. The banana pudding scoop on a waffle cone was amazing!!! The Rocky road was okay. The Salted Caramel PB Cup would have been better as ice cream instead of a shake. The vegan piña colada was painfully sweet. Two spoonfuls was sufficient.

This hotel was in the perfect location based on everything we wanted to do in Denver. A few observations: Short-handed but very friendly staff. We had a corner room with a view of the railway tracks and Coors Field in the distance. On paper, it didn't sound awful. But... The room had windows on two walls. There was a big concrete column in front of the corner where the windows met. It was impossible to shield light from the room. The curtains only went so far. Sunlight filled our room at 5:30 am. The beds were uncomfortable (ultra-soft).

Quaint, historic area in Denver. Reminded me of New York's Little Italy.

Sunday brunch was delicious! We sat in the patio and we're transported to Paris. (This observation based on movies.... we've never been to France. LOL.) The french press coffee tasted wonderful along with beignets.  The fries had a tasty lemon flavor to them. Portion sizes varied. The chicken and waffles was a big plate while the buckwheat crepe sufficed for my mom's small appetite.

We watched the Rockies beat the LA Dodgers in extra innings. The stadium is immaculate and the fans were fun. This was our favorite activity in Denver.

Tours are only available during the weekdays. We visited on a Sunday and took pictures on the steps (there are two markers indicating 5280 above sea level...one was done in error from what we read). The gold dome is impressive in person too.

This resort is comprised of several lodges. We stayed at Buffalo Creek Lodge. The balcony gave us a nice view of Cheyenne Mountain, the gold course and reservoir. While this resort looks great in the public areas, the rooms are dated but clean. The balcony had paint peeling. Thankfully, we were too distracted by the gorgeous views and cool crisp air to dwell on it. With our plans, we did not get to take advantage of the resort amenities (they are shared with the Colorado Country Club). Big Plus - they have a water filling station in the main building across from the General Store.

We opted for dinner at the Colorado Country Club Gates Grille affiliated with the resort. The food was okay but the views made up for it.

We all agreed, this was one of our favorite activities on this trip. We signed up for the two hour tour as we'd never been on ATVs before. Our guide was enthusiastic and friendly. We stopped at several points of interest and to admire the views. We left completely covered in dust but wanting to do it again.

From the web: Former gold mine features group tours of its subterranean facility, plus tram rides & exhibits.

From the web: Fondue restaurant chain offering heated pots of cheese, chocolate or broth for dipping & cooking.

From the web: One of the world's highest railways, with scenic train rides to the top of Pikes Peak since 1891.

From the web: Easygoing establishment offering traditional Middle Eastern & Mediterranean specialties.

Busy town at the base of Pike's Peak. After lunch, we walked through the many shops and did a self guided mineral water fountain tour. Great variety of shops. We loved Quacker Shop - store full of Rubber Duckies. Mineral Fountains - there are 8 throughout the town. We picked up a map of the fountains but only made it to 5 of the 8 (Cheyenne, Wheeler, Shoshone, Navajo, Stratton). The other three were off the beaten path. Shoshone and Cheyenne were my family's favorite. Navajo was not working for us.

We opted to drive through Garden of the Gods. It was stunning and majestic! We did Juniper Way Loop as that has most of the rock formations. Then we did Garden Drive. There was A LOT of traffic coming in and out of the scenic parking areas.

Garden of the Gods is the #1 attraction in Colorado Springs. It was busy in the main areas but there were opportunities to have space. The Central Garden trail had a loop that took up over certain rock formations. We had a gorgeous view of the park and Pikes Peak. Giant Footprints was our favorite (off Palmer Trail). We signed up for a guided nature walk through their website. The nearly two hour walk was insightful and helped put the rock formations in context. Our tour guide was really good and answered many of our questions. He helped us map a good trail route. Highly recommend.

Our intention was to drive from Colorado Springs and make a few stops along the way. Then we we going to take a sunset hike up to High Dune. The unpredictable Colorado weather derailed our plans. We still drove through the park but were unable to hike due to the thunderstorms.

This is probably one of the better hotels in Alamosa but it is a much, much older Holiday Inn Express. As most places closed early in Alamosa, we opted for Domino's Pizza delivery.

The Oasis shop/restaurant is just outside the National Park. We stopped here to rent sand sleds. The daily rental was ~$21 each. (FYI - the value to replace is $250). Friendly staff and very convenient location.

Our goal was to get on the dunes as early as possible because the surface temperature of the sand can reach 150°F during the day. The Visitor's Center has odd hours. They didn't open until 9 and closed an hour for lunch.  As we needed to fill our backpack water bladders, we had to wait.

North America's tallest sand dunes did not disappoint! To get to the Dunes, we had to cross the seasonal Medano Creek which was still flowing. Then there was about a quarter mile walk to the base of the first dune. We sled together for about an hour. After that, we split up. My husband and son went in search of bigger dunes to slide down, while my mother and I decided to hike to High Dune (the second tallest). Once we got into a good groove is hiking in the sand, it was manageable. The final push was a struggle for me (the altitude and the 45 degree incline). We were rewarded with stunning views  of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, the Sand Dunes area and the surrounding valley. We also got a glimpse of the tallest dune - Star Dune. The hike down was twice as fast :) That concluded our trip through a tiny sliver of Colorado/NM/TX. So many fun memories!

This park features a disc golf course which looked fun. We brought our discs along. In the end, the long search for parking and long lunch in Manitou Springs meant we had to forgo the game.

We intended to go for an early morning hike but we were beat after hitting traffic on the way to Denver. We slept in instead. This is on our list for a future trip (along with Rocky Mountain National Park).

We intended to stop here on the route from Colorado Springs to Alamosa. The severe weather threat took this out of the itinerary.

This was high on our list but it is closed Mondays through Thursday.