Started the day well with a great breakfast at Two Brothers Deli and Yoga room in Idaho Springs, (the only decent coffee I have had in the USA) then continued on our way towards Mt Evans. Stopped for a wildflower walk and garden ramble on the way up the mountain, through amazing bristlecone pine trees which are thousands of years old - true survivors in this harsh climate. The road to the summit is the highest driving road in the USA at 14,260 feet (4346.5 metres). It is a SPECTACULAR drive up the mountain, but the temperature at the top was O degrees C with a wind speed of 27mph and a wind chill relating to that. We spent a short while at the top exploring the old buildings and reading all the altitude sickness warning signs before the relative warmth of the car beckoned and we started back down to Summit lake. Another marmot scooted across the side of the road as we drove, and there were little birds jumping around in the rocky grassland at the lake. Mad people on bicycles were ascending and descending the road, even in the cloudy/sunny/cold/windy conditions (wait a few seconds, it changes).
We stopped at picturesque Georgetown for lunch, a tiny mining village that looks like a Hollywood set for a picturesque little mining village, then took a detour through the Arahape Valley ski areas before turning back towards Denver.
Checked out a few RVs on the way back into town, managing to find some interesting side streets in the process despite having a nav-person :-)
About to go to 16th street mall for a well earned meal... Tomorrow we fly out of Denver to LA and then Sydney.
PS - eat at Earl's - great food and try the upstairs verandah for a people-watching view of the mall. Go to the rest rooms (won't tell you why :-) Have a great night.
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