Guess where I might be going this fall?
It's all still in the thinking/planning stage, but I might be going to Glenwood Springs, Colorado, which is about three hours west of Denver. It is another resort town known for its hot springs. The twist on this year's plan is to travel there by train--the California Zephyr to be exact. Apparently the scenery is something between Denver and Glenwood.
"The scenery changes dramatically departing Denver as the train climbs the Rocky Mountains. After going through the Tunnel District then crossing the Continental Divide via the 6.2 mile-long Moffat Tunnel under James Peak, the tracks follow the Colorado River for several hours. Passengers can see the transition from a narrow, whitewater river to a much wider stream past Glenwood Canyon and Interstate 70 toward Grand Junction."
Glenwood sounds like it might be a colorful town to visit. Colorado in general has such an interesting history.
"Glenwood Springs was originally known as "Defiance", a name sometimes still used by local teams or businesses. Defiance was established in 1883, a camp of tents, saloons, and brothels with an increasing amount of cabins and lodging establishments. It was populated with the expected crowd of gamblers, gunslingers, and prostitutes. Town Founder Isaac Cooper's wife Sarah was having a hard time adjusting to the frontier life and in an attempt to make her environment somewhat more comfortable, persuaded the founders to change the name to Glenwood Springs, Colorado, after her beloved hometown of Glenwood, Iowa."
It would be a short vacation, but a mostly relaxing one which I hope would include lots of walking, relaxing in the hot springs and many hours of reading!
Of course I'll have to look for books set in Colorado--one of my favorite standby authors is Sandra Dallas and while I won't be going to the Rockies this time, I really do need to read Isabelle Bird. I will have to revisit my list of books about Colorado here. And since I have never been on a US train (I have traveled by train abroad and loved it), it would be fun to read stories set on trains as well. I even have a list of novels dealing with train travel here.
Of course suggestions are always welcome--both for reading and traveling (I think a few of you might be Colorado residents who know Glenwood?). I will likely go in September so I have lots of time to think about it. It's always nice to have a change of scenery to look forward to, don't you think? Especially when the scenery is as nice as it is Colorado!