In the Heart of the Colorado Rockies: a New Normal for Family Reunions

From Snowbird, Utah, we proceeded to Granby, Colorado for a reunion with Bill’s eldest daughter and her family who live in Denver, about two hours away. Being in the southwestern rim of the Rocky Mountain National Park, we considered it a safe way to have a reunion. To further minimize risks, they stayed at a 2-BR unit at our timeshare location in town and we stayed at a studio in the Inn at Silvercreek. 

The Mountain Town of Granby

boats on Granby Lake

Adam's Falls

Granby, Colorado is a small mountain town, about 8,000 feet in elevation, with a population of 1864. It is a great skiing area during winter especially at the Granby Ranch where our hotel was situated. But it was closed early during the last winter season due to the pandemic. But the town was also a great place for summer fun. Just twenty minutes from our base was the Granby Lake where boats can be rented, ospreys flew and nested, and a cute little town offered options for lunch. We went to one that had a great gumbo meal and beef po’boy sandwich which we all shared. On the patio restaurant was a giant chair that I enjoyed hogging.

Adams Falls 

From there we found the trail to Adams Falls, just up the hills from the lake. It was a moderately difficult but short trail (0.3 miles one-way). We even hiked farther to its source, the clear stream that navigated the rocks and tumbled to become the waterfall after some hundred feet. It was interesting to see all the pine trees felled by the tiny beetle that ravaged the area in the early 2000s. I was told it was the worst-hit area in all of Colorado. But it was also nice to note that a lot of new greens were growing but it would take 30-40 years before they fully replace what was lost. And there were many points along the trail where the lake was in full view and was full of Canadian geese.

Rocky Mountain National Park

streams like this are the beginnings of mighty Colorado River

Go farther from the lake and you will reach the Rocky Mountain National Park. Being very close to Denver, Colorado—just an hour and a half away—makes it the third most-visited national park in the country. And it is huge, with many hiking trails, campgrounds, lots of wildlife, and streams which are the origins of the Colorado River. The Park is currently on a timed-entry permit to control the flow of visitors and prevent overcrowding. Online reservations are required from 6 am-5pm to enter the park. But the wait is long and we did not know early enough about this requirement. Because the sun doesn’t set until 8:30 pm in the area anyway, we went at 5 pm.

Our main purpose was to hike and find some wildlife. The short and easy Coyote Trail beside a Colorado River mountain stream yielded no success. When we transferred to the Holzwarth Historic Site, we were immediately rewarded with a moose feeding quietly near the old cottages, the homestead of the family. But it was on the main park road as we were going back to Granby where we saw a lot of them. We stopped several times as did many other cars. And we all had our heydays taking photos of deer and moose. That was such a great experience. Only the darkness of the night got us to stop and go back to our bases.

Hot Sulphur Springs

Hot Sulphur Springs Resort

Another fun outdoor activity for the family was at the Hot Sulphur Springs about thirty minutes away in the opposite direction from our base. The resort featured twenty-three separate mineral springs on a hillside for just one, a couple, or a family. I could not handle the hottest one which registered 117 degrees Fahrenheit. The coolest one was at 102. We enjoyed one big one for the whole family at 104 degrees outdoors. But when we got tired of the sun, we transferred to a much bigger one with the highest magnesium content protected by a roof, also at 104 degrees.

just by the Park main road

the strip mall at Winter Park

The Upscale Town of Winter Park

On our last day, we went to a more upscale town, Winter Park, about 30 minutes away, and there found the Nepalese-Indian Restaurant, Durbar, a Colorado chain, with the patio seating we required. We had some very tasty plain and garlic naans served with the shrimp tikka masala, tandoori chicken, chicken korma, vegetable curry, and lamb rogan josh. The water infused with a lot of oranges and mint was also very refreshing. The restaurant was located at a strip mall with several shopping outlets for mountain outfits, souvenirs, home décor, and sports gear. And I got stuck at the section for Roxy and bought two tops. We also looked for thrift stores but one was too full of people to be safe and the other was closed.

When we were not out and about, we were at the timeshare resort. We spent time at the patio where we could gather, drink, and get updated with each other. We also walked around the golf course, discovering birds, unusual plants, covered bridges, and retention ponds. It really was a great way to visit with family during the time of coronavirus. We discovered the new normal for reunions: outdoors.

a covered bridge at the timeshare resort

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