Trifter

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The steam billowing up towards the top of the peaks that hover above this small town, don’t leave until the summer warmth arrives.  The spas that have been used for centuries to cure your ills are the center of attention in this pleasant cowboy town with a history that inspires the visitor to recall the times of yesteryear when a train or horse were the only way to get to the spa.  Presidents, Teddy Roosevelt, William Taft and others came here not only to politic but to hunt and enjoy the immersion in the local medicinal waters.

In 1905 The Hotel Colorado opening garnered worldwide attention.  And why not, it was the first hotel to have electricity, bragged of Boston trained service staff and was the haven for the celebrity circuit for years to come.  Now a bit dusty under the eaves it still holds a special feeling and purveys the pioneer spirit and the decadency of a top-notch getaway.  Besides the presidents, Doc Holiday has a grave in the area and was loyal customer at the bar and Al Capone used it as a retreat and hideout.  The hotel went from hotel to convalescence home back to hotel but the spa remained a staple both for visitors and locals.  It is sublime even when crowded with the rising steam and sulphuric smell scintillating all the soakers to the bone.  It is not to be missed.

Glenwood Springs is divided by I-70 and the rampaging Colorado River and the Amtrak Railway, but is easily navigated by car or foot.  It also has some excellent dining: a great coffee house, a micro-brew pub and several good Mexican restaurants.  There will be a tram next year that will take you to the top of the mountain so you can explore fairy caves and glimpse the beauty of a very special Rocky Mountain High.  Since it is a rest stop for those driving to Aspen it can be a town of overflow also.  The red rock that now is more visible since last summer’s spectacular forest fires is a powerful and beautiful spectacle. Outside of town and only known to locales are more natural hot springs that have been tainted by the destruction of the fires.  When the tram opens this year it will provide year round awesome views for a small fee.  I n the summer you can spelunk and look for fairies in the magical caves in the mountains that surround Glenwood Springs and from up there the cloud steam rises up to you from the hot springs in a ghostly fashion.

This is a side trip that must be taken.  If not for the natural beauty, the history, or the local congeniality but for the spa, it will make you tingle all the way home…