Australian couple enjoyed a hot, relaxed month in Four Corners area
Jul 28th, 2012, 02:30 AM
#1
Original Poster
Australian couple enjoyed a hot, relaxed month in Four Corners area
My husband and I had a month's holiday in New Mexico, Arizona, Utah and Colorado in June this year. We’ve visited America many times and love holidaying there. Here is a brief rundown of places visited and a few observations.
Flight from Melbourne to LAX, then on to Albuquerque (about a 20 hour journey)
Santa Fe
Farmington
Monument Valley (The View Hotel)
Moab – visited Arches and Canyonlands
Ouray – visited Telluride
Durango
Montrose – visited Black Canyon of the Gunnison
Grand Junction
Glenwood Springs
Estes Park – visited Rocky Mountain National Park
Broomfield
Denver – flew to LAX with connection to Melbourne
There was really hot weather the whole month of our trip. It was around 35-38 degrees (Celsius) almost every day and a real dry heat. The heat and lack of humidity was wonderful though I could feel my lips and skin crying out for moisture. We made sure to drink lots of water and wore long sleeves if we were out walking for hours and hats and sunscreen.
There were massive wildfires in Colorado and we had concerns about getting too close and being in danger. The one up near High Park, north of Rocky Mountain National Park was our biggest worry but we had 4 days in Estes Park and had no problems at all. Of course it is dreadful for those people who lost their homes and belongings in the fires.
We picked up a hire car on arrival in Albuquerque and dropped it back at Denver airport. This was one of quite a few driving holidays in America. It’s a country that really lends itself to those sort of trips whereas in Europe you are much better off using public transport, to our way of thinking anyway.
We found drivers more courteous and polite, and generally safer than in Australia, and were curious why? Maybe it’s the threat of litigation or maybe there is a greater police presence.
Flight from Melbourne to LAX, then on to Albuquerque (about a 20 hour journey)
Santa Fe
Farmington
Monument Valley (The View Hotel)
Moab – visited Arches and Canyonlands
Ouray – visited Telluride
Durango
Montrose – visited Black Canyon of the Gunnison
Grand Junction
Glenwood Springs
Estes Park – visited Rocky Mountain National Park
Broomfield
Denver – flew to LAX with connection to Melbourne
There was really hot weather the whole month of our trip. It was around 35-38 degrees (Celsius) almost every day and a real dry heat. The heat and lack of humidity was wonderful though I could feel my lips and skin crying out for moisture. We made sure to drink lots of water and wore long sleeves if we were out walking for hours and hats and sunscreen.
There were massive wildfires in Colorado and we had concerns about getting too close and being in danger. The one up near High Park, north of Rocky Mountain National Park was our biggest worry but we had 4 days in Estes Park and had no problems at all. Of course it is dreadful for those people who lost their homes and belongings in the fires.
We picked up a hire car on arrival in Albuquerque and dropped it back at Denver airport. This was one of quite a few driving holidays in America. It’s a country that really lends itself to those sort of trips whereas in Europe you are much better off using public transport, to our way of thinking anyway.
We found drivers more courteous and polite, and generally safer than in Australia, and were curious why? Maybe it’s the threat of litigation or maybe there is a greater police presence.
Jul 28th, 2012, 02:32 AM
#2
Original Poster
OK, can someone tell the wildlife that animals are supposed to be inside national parks! There were more outside of parks, such as a raccoon near a Safeway, prairie dogs in a vacant lot and deer on the roadside, next to our hotel and on the golf course. We were disappointed at seeing so few wild animals in the parks though it was great seeing elk and marmots.
We found most things to be cheaper than in Australia - petrol, food, clothes, motels. Electronics (my husband tells me) cost about the same in America as in Australia. The sales are terrific with bargains everywhere. Due to previous trips, we had a list of things to buy and came home with about double the luggage. For two people who believe in travelling light, this was something of a change of pace.
The free wifi everywhere we stayed was great. Each day we’d check on our small netbook/laptop for accommodation, weather forecasts, the route for the next day, and keeping track of the wildfires. In our experience in Australia wifi seems to be rare in hotels and if they offer it, then you usually have to pay.
We found drinks are usually huge - a bucket of soft drink is waaay too much! No wonder people are overweight. Except if you order an orange juice - which is healthy - and that comes in a smaller glass. Go figure.
The throwaway culture saddens me, it was particularly noticeable at hotel breakfasts with throwaway plates, cups, cutlery, and food in little packets. I kept thinking of the waste and landfill of all that unnecessary rubbish. Why not buy some decent sturdy china and put it in the dishwasher and re-use it? I wonder if it’s become so commonplace in America that people don’t even notice.
Customer service is brilliant in the USA, people go out of their way to help and nothing is too much trouble. In Australia we just don't have that culture and having lived in the UK for nearly 5 years, believe me, the service there is abysmal. Sometimes on the trip it did get a bit too much, all the “are you finding everything all right?” or the “everything OK folks?” I felt a bit besieged at times but it's just that we’re not used to it.
Tipping is always a challenge. We get used to it fairly quickly whenever we visit America but it's just not in the nature of Australians as we don't tip at all - or rarely. So it's not that Australians are mean or tight with money (OK, some are) but the whole tipping thing makes us uncomfortable, we don't know how much to tip, who to tip or how to do it. But we did make sure we tipped properly, probably more than necessary at times.
We found most things to be cheaper than in Australia - petrol, food, clothes, motels. Electronics (my husband tells me) cost about the same in America as in Australia. The sales are terrific with bargains everywhere. Due to previous trips, we had a list of things to buy and came home with about double the luggage. For two people who believe in travelling light, this was something of a change of pace.
The free wifi everywhere we stayed was great. Each day we’d check on our small netbook/laptop for accommodation, weather forecasts, the route for the next day, and keeping track of the wildfires. In our experience in Australia wifi seems to be rare in hotels and if they offer it, then you usually have to pay.
We found drinks are usually huge - a bucket of soft drink is waaay too much! No wonder people are overweight. Except if you order an orange juice - which is healthy - and that comes in a smaller glass. Go figure.
The throwaway culture saddens me, it was particularly noticeable at hotel breakfasts with throwaway plates, cups, cutlery, and food in little packets. I kept thinking of the waste and landfill of all that unnecessary rubbish. Why not buy some decent sturdy china and put it in the dishwasher and re-use it? I wonder if it’s become so commonplace in America that people don’t even notice.
Customer service is brilliant in the USA, people go out of their way to help and nothing is too much trouble. In Australia we just don't have that culture and having lived in the UK for nearly 5 years, believe me, the service there is abysmal. Sometimes on the trip it did get a bit too much, all the “are you finding everything all right?” or the “everything OK folks?” I felt a bit besieged at times but it's just that we’re not used to it.
Tipping is always a challenge. We get used to it fairly quickly whenever we visit America but it's just not in the nature of Australians as we don't tip at all - or rarely. So it's not that Australians are mean or tight with money (OK, some are) but the whole tipping thing makes us uncomfortable, we don't know how much to tip, who to tip or how to do it. But we did make sure we tipped properly, probably more than necessary at times.
Jul 28th, 2012, 02:35 AM
#3
Original Poster
On the majority of our overseas trips we have credit card issues, either getting money out of the ATM or using the card in a store, and this time was no different. A piece of good advice to novice travellers is always have an alternative back up plan and some cash. We had a credit card, a debit card and a prepaid money card – all with different banks. Each of them was rejected, one by one, in a large supermarket and I was getting quite embarrassed, when my husband just paid with cash.
The credit card was rejected again the same day in a different store but then one of the other cards was accepted. After that we had no more problems but were initially concerned there had been some fraudulent activity on the card and the bank had cancelled it. They couldn’t call us as our Australian phones didn’t work in America (old phones without triband or quadband, to anyone under 25 we probably seem like dinosaurs). We’re pretty sure it must have been our bank, possibly down for IT maintenance around midnight in Australia, or the swipe card terminal in the store may have been at fault.
We flew from Australia with Qantas which was fine. From Denver to LAX, the airline was United. It was the first time flying with United and the last. Shall I just say the staff seemed untrained and incompetent and, after reaching the check-in machine, it took over an hour to get one boarding pass (just the United flight) and have our bags tagged. It was very stressful as I was sure we were going to miss our flight and the longhaul connection.
I didn't prebook accommodation except for Albuquerque, where we arrived, Denver where we departed, Monument Valley (The View Hotel is very popular and well worth the $$ price) and Moab where we wanted 4 nights over a busy weekend. The other nine places we winged it (though I did check TripAdvisor and we found a hotel coupon book quite handy). The only place we ran into trouble was Boulder, there must have been a big event on. We ended up staying at Broomfield which turned out fine.
Kay
The credit card was rejected again the same day in a different store but then one of the other cards was accepted. After that we had no more problems but were initially concerned there had been some fraudulent activity on the card and the bank had cancelled it. They couldn’t call us as our Australian phones didn’t work in America (old phones without triband or quadband, to anyone under 25 we probably seem like dinosaurs). We’re pretty sure it must have been our bank, possibly down for IT maintenance around midnight in Australia, or the swipe card terminal in the store may have been at fault.
We flew from Australia with Qantas which was fine. From Denver to LAX, the airline was United. It was the first time flying with United and the last. Shall I just say the staff seemed untrained and incompetent and, after reaching the check-in machine, it took over an hour to get one boarding pass (just the United flight) and have our bags tagged. It was very stressful as I was sure we were going to miss our flight and the longhaul connection.
I didn't prebook accommodation except for Albuquerque, where we arrived, Denver where we departed, Monument Valley (The View Hotel is very popular and well worth the $$ price) and Moab where we wanted 4 nights over a busy weekend. The other nine places we winged it (though I did check TripAdvisor and we found a hotel coupon book quite handy). The only place we ran into trouble was Boulder, there must have been a big event on. We ended up staying at Broomfield which turned out fine.
Kay
Jul 28th, 2012, 04:19 AM
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What a nice report! I find observations like this to be a lot more useful than gushing over the gorgeous scenery.
Here in th US, we usually notify our credit card company and often our bank before we leave the country, go to a different region, or make a large purchase. Our credit card company in particular has a very active fraud department, and we got three calls last week questioning our purchase of airline tickets to Scotland for October. Since we mostly use that card for travel, it had not had much activity since our last trip, and the computer notified them. Three calls were excessive, and I am afraid I got cross.
Here in th US, we usually notify our credit card company and often our bank before we leave the country, go to a different region, or make a large purchase. Our credit card company in particular has a very active fraud department, and we got three calls last week questioning our purchase of airline tickets to Scotland for October. Since we mostly use that card for travel, it had not had much activity since our last trip, and the computer notified them. Three calls were excessive, and I am afraid I got cross.
Jul 28th, 2012, 05:25 AM
#5
Great report, I also enjoyed reading your observations.
Note that at least some Americans are distressed by the throwaway culture, though perhaps we are in the minority. Those hotel breakfasts, where even stirring a cup of coffee means you are throwing away a piece of plastic, is a perfect example. It is sad.
Looking forward to reading more.
Note that at least some Americans are distressed by the throwaway culture, though perhaps we are in the minority. Those hotel breakfasts, where even stirring a cup of coffee means you are throwing away a piece of plastic, is a perfect example. It is sad.
Looking forward to reading more.
Jul 28th, 2012, 09:30 AM
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Much of the plastic wear that is thrown away is made from recycled or corn based products which is biodegradable. It isn't quite as bad as it seems.
Glad you had such a great time in my neck of the woods. Hope my info helped you some.
Glad you had such a great time in my neck of the woods. Hope my info helped you some.
Jul 28th, 2012, 04:38 PM
#10
Original Poster
Hi, thanks everyone for reading and the compliments. I've found making time to write some notes tough since coming back but wanted to contribute to the forum as I get so much useful info for our trips.
DebitNM - thank you for all your help. My husband went to the Best Buy mobile shop at the mall right near our hotel and got lots of help buying two mobile phones. He even got the ones you recommended. They sorted it all out in the shop and he came to find me (where I was looking at clothes naturally) so we could make sure they worked but typical of anything electronic, there were problems. So back he went to the Best Buy shop where they had to spend more time on the phones but they got them working. My husband was quite impressed with how helpful they were. We actually didn't use the phones a great deal but felt more comfortable knowing we had some way of communicating if necessary.
I also bought a hairdryer in a nearby WalMart for $10! I was amazed they were so cheap and it worked fine for the whole trip. I'll take it on our next US trip, not sure when it will be. Kohl's didn't have much selection and were more expensive.
About the credit card, we had advised our banks of travel plans but things can still go awry. If they had detected someone using our card in say, Singapore, they would have stopped the card. As it was, it all turned out OK but was worrying at the time.
We were fascinated by the way the scenery changed as trip went on, from barren and dry to red rocks to green mountains.
Will come back to this....gotta go.
Kay
DebitNM - thank you for all your help. My husband went to the Best Buy mobile shop at the mall right near our hotel and got lots of help buying two mobile phones. He even got the ones you recommended. They sorted it all out in the shop and he came to find me (where I was looking at clothes naturally) so we could make sure they worked but typical of anything electronic, there were problems. So back he went to the Best Buy shop where they had to spend more time on the phones but they got them working. My husband was quite impressed with how helpful they were. We actually didn't use the phones a great deal but felt more comfortable knowing we had some way of communicating if necessary.
I also bought a hairdryer in a nearby WalMart for $10! I was amazed they were so cheap and it worked fine for the whole trip. I'll take it on our next US trip, not sure when it will be. Kohl's didn't have much selection and were more expensive.
About the credit card, we had advised our banks of travel plans but things can still go awry. If they had detected someone using our card in say, Singapore, they would have stopped the card. As it was, it all turned out OK but was worrying at the time.
We were fascinated by the way the scenery changed as trip went on, from barren and dry to red rocks to green mountains.
Will come back to this....gotta go.
Kay
Jul 30th, 2012, 02:55 AM
#12
Original Poster
Back again...
Regarding the scenery in that part of the world, we thought it was a real highlight of the trip. It was fascinating watching each day as the world outside changed, from flat, barren and extremely dry in New Mexico to red rock formations seemingly rising out of the ground as we headed into Arizona.
Sunrise at Monument Valley was beautiful, if we had planned a bit better we would have had 2 nights there but at least we stayed at The View Hotel which was fantastic (and by far the dearest place we stayed).
The red rock bluffs surrounding Moab were everywhere we looked, we really liked Moab. It had a good feel, not too big or too small. My husband liked Pasta Jay's so much we ate there twice.
We loved the country surrounding Telluride, what a great spot for a town. Seeing the tiny airstrip from the gondola made us gasp. It was terrific that the gondola up the mountain was free, it made for a fun, very cheap, excursion. We did get off at the wrong stop - the restaurant - only to be told to quickly get back on. Oops.
We were disappointed with Aspen and thought it unfriendly and pretentious. Didn't stay long at all.
Estes Park was another town we liked, it had a vibrant, lively feel to it. We have seen quite a few towns in America where the town centre is dead because the newer malls have drawn everyone away so it was nice to see this hadn't happened in Estes.
We've always found Americans friendly, helpful and polite and this trip was no different. One of our favourite things to do, once we'd reached a more built up area, was to visit a big Barnes & Noble bookstore. We both love books and to have all those books to browse through, as well as a nice cafe and toilets is my idea of heaven.
We visited both of the Tattered Cover Bookstores in Denver, fabulous stores with so much atmosphere and a wonderful selection of books. We did have Borders stores in Australia but they have all closed down and we don't have any big bookshops (that I know of) with cafes and toilets and where they are happy for you to sit for hours reading. If anyone wants to open one up in Melbourne we would be regular customers
Another place we really liked is Panera Bread - tasty, healthy food at a cheap price. Such a good choice for a quick meal.
That's all I can think of for now. I made pages and pages of lists of things to do and see, mostly gained from this forum, but we didn't have time to do a lot of it. The wildlife sanctuary outside Denver was really worthwhile, although it was roasting hot when we were there, we arrived about 6pm and left as they were closing. Although we knew it would be summer in June, we didn't expect it to be so hot. Good thing we loved it!
Kay
Regarding the scenery in that part of the world, we thought it was a real highlight of the trip. It was fascinating watching each day as the world outside changed, from flat, barren and extremely dry in New Mexico to red rock formations seemingly rising out of the ground as we headed into Arizona.
Sunrise at Monument Valley was beautiful, if we had planned a bit better we would have had 2 nights there but at least we stayed at The View Hotel which was fantastic (and by far the dearest place we stayed).
The red rock bluffs surrounding Moab were everywhere we looked, we really liked Moab. It had a good feel, not too big or too small. My husband liked Pasta Jay's so much we ate there twice.
We loved the country surrounding Telluride, what a great spot for a town. Seeing the tiny airstrip from the gondola made us gasp. It was terrific that the gondola up the mountain was free, it made for a fun, very cheap, excursion. We did get off at the wrong stop - the restaurant - only to be told to quickly get back on. Oops.
We were disappointed with Aspen and thought it unfriendly and pretentious. Didn't stay long at all.
Estes Park was another town we liked, it had a vibrant, lively feel to it. We have seen quite a few towns in America where the town centre is dead because the newer malls have drawn everyone away so it was nice to see this hadn't happened in Estes.
We've always found Americans friendly, helpful and polite and this trip was no different. One of our favourite things to do, once we'd reached a more built up area, was to visit a big Barnes & Noble bookstore. We both love books and to have all those books to browse through, as well as a nice cafe and toilets is my idea of heaven.
We visited both of the Tattered Cover Bookstores in Denver, fabulous stores with so much atmosphere and a wonderful selection of books. We did have Borders stores in Australia but they have all closed down and we don't have any big bookshops (that I know of) with cafes and toilets and where they are happy for you to sit for hours reading. If anyone wants to open one up in Melbourne we would be regular customers
Another place we really liked is Panera Bread - tasty, healthy food at a cheap price. Such a good choice for a quick meal.
That's all I can think of for now. I made pages and pages of lists of things to do and see, mostly gained from this forum, but we didn't have time to do a lot of it. The wildlife sanctuary outside Denver was really worthwhile, although it was roasting hot when we were there, we arrived about 6pm and left as they were closing. Although we knew it would be summer in June, we didn't expect it to be so hot. Good thing we loved it!
Kay
Jul 31st, 2012, 06:56 PM
#14
Thanks for much for posting Kay, I'm so glad you liked my homestate of CO!
As an American living in Australia, the first thing I notice when I go back to the US on a visit is the waste, the throwaway culture, as you call it. It makes me nuts, as does the overpackaging of just about everything, and yes, I doubt many Americans even notice it anymore. I once counted the pieces of trash my lunch at KFC generated and I was appalled...and I ate in, not take out.
I've found that many coffee shops in the US don't even offer real cups anymore - I always ask for one, and I'm often told they don't have them, or have just run out because they only have six, or whatever.
Perhaps businesses should offer real plates, cups and cutlery and then hire people to wash them - maybe this would help our economy
Enough about that...I've enjoyed your report. Reading others impressions of my country always interests me.
As an American living in Australia, the first thing I notice when I go back to the US on a visit is the waste, the throwaway culture, as you call it. It makes me nuts, as does the overpackaging of just about everything, and yes, I doubt many Americans even notice it anymore. I once counted the pieces of trash my lunch at KFC generated and I was appalled...and I ate in, not take out.
I've found that many coffee shops in the US don't even offer real cups anymore - I always ask for one, and I'm often told they don't have them, or have just run out because they only have six, or whatever.
Perhaps businesses should offer real plates, cups and cutlery and then hire people to wash them - maybe this would help our economy
Enough about that...I've enjoyed your report. Reading others impressions of my country always interests me.
Aug 1st, 2012, 02:00 AM
#15
Original Poster
Thanks everyone for reading.
Hi Melnq8, I know what you mean about reading others impressions of your country, sometimes people question things you've never even thought of. We lived overseas for nearly 5 years and saw things quite differently - some good, some bad - when we returned.
There was a thread on the Australian forum a while ago where someone said how expensive it was in Australia to eat out and she got shouted down and locals said, oh no it's not. Well we would absolutely agree, we ate very cheaply in the US compared to what we could find in Australia.
About the cafes not having china cups, I wonder if a chain opened and used really good china, beautiful bone china cups and saucers, whether they'd get more or less people through the doors? I just love drinking out of gorgeous china. I suppose if people like to take coffee away it wouldn't work but we always like to sit and read or people-watch with our coffee.
We went to a lot of Starbucks on this trip and often had to make do with cardboard cups - ugh. You probably know that in Australia nearly all the Starbucks closed down a few years ago. We must be in the minority in Australia as we really like their coffee and thought it was great that they are everywhere in America. Makes a change from home where they are few and far between.
Kay
Hi Melnq8, I know what you mean about reading others impressions of your country, sometimes people question things you've never even thought of. We lived overseas for nearly 5 years and saw things quite differently - some good, some bad - when we returned.
There was a thread on the Australian forum a while ago where someone said how expensive it was in Australia to eat out and she got shouted down and locals said, oh no it's not. Well we would absolutely agree, we ate very cheaply in the US compared to what we could find in Australia.
About the cafes not having china cups, I wonder if a chain opened and used really good china, beautiful bone china cups and saucers, whether they'd get more or less people through the doors? I just love drinking out of gorgeous china. I suppose if people like to take coffee away it wouldn't work but we always like to sit and read or people-watch with our coffee.
We went to a lot of Starbucks on this trip and often had to make do with cardboard cups - ugh. You probably know that in Australia nearly all the Starbucks closed down a few years ago. We must be in the minority in Australia as we really like their coffee and thought it was great that they are everywhere in America. Makes a change from home where they are few and far between.
Kay
Aug 1st, 2012, 04:14 PM
#16
Kay - That might have been me who was shouted down for mentioning how expensive food is in Australia!
Good on ya for admitting you like Starbucks. I like their chai lattes. I can't seem to find a good chai latte in Perth, but I've more than made up for it in flat whites, which I'm now addicted to. I bemoan the lack of flat whites when I go back to the US.
There's nothing quite like living outside of one's on country to broaden the mind.
Good on ya for admitting you like Starbucks. I like their chai lattes. I can't seem to find a good chai latte in Perth, but I've more than made up for it in flat whites, which I'm now addicted to. I bemoan the lack of flat whites when I go back to the US.
There's nothing quite like living outside of one's on country to broaden the mind.
Aug 1st, 2012, 04:43 PM
#17
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K, I wonder if you found IHOP while you were traveling. Last year I read a wonderful trip report of an Aussie family who spent 6 weeks here, similar to yours. They said the best kept American secret was IHOP. Excellent choice of good food at cheap prices. And open 24/7, and lots of them around. (And they use real dishes and real coffee cups. 
)
Made me have new appreciation for my local IHOP (which I like when I feel like eating breakfast for dinner.)
Love the trip report!
(And they use real dishes and real coffee cups. )Made me have new appreciation for my local IHOP (which I like when I feel like eating breakfast for dinner.)
Love the trip report!
Aug 3rd, 2012, 02:21 AM
#18
Original Poster
Hi sarge56, we have been to America many times but have never made it to an IHOP - yet! On early trips we used to see them but had no idea what they were, then one day we found it was International House of Pancakes and thought mmmm...
We saw a couple on this trip but the timing must have been wrong, either we'd just eaten or had other plans. We'll have to add it to the list for a return visit one day.
Kay
We saw a couple on this trip but the timing must have been wrong, either we'd just eaten or had other plans. We'll have to add it to the list for a return visit one day.
Kay
Aug 7th, 2012, 08:59 PM
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Kay,
I would really like your view on what Durango was like?? We are from Qld and I have been researching trying to find the perfect Christmas destination for us for next year. I am tossing up between Breckenridge (it's winning so far..lol), Steamboat Springs and Durango. I want a town where there is plenty of shopping and dining options as well as somewhere we can enjoy the winter activities. Plus we will have two young kids in tow.
We went to Estes Park several years ago (before kids came along) and I really enjoyed it there, so I really want to go back to Colorado and spend at least a week.
Loved your trip report!
I would really like your view on what Durango was like?? We are from Qld and I have been researching trying to find the perfect Christmas destination for us for next year. I am tossing up between Breckenridge (it's winning so far..lol), Steamboat Springs and Durango. I want a town where there is plenty of shopping and dining options as well as somewhere we can enjoy the winter activities. Plus we will have two young kids in tow.
We went to Estes Park several years ago (before kids came along) and I really enjoyed it there, so I really want to go back to Colorado and spend at least a week.
Loved your trip report!
Aug 8th, 2012, 03:08 AM
#20
Original Poster
Hi kelsta78, we didn't actually like Durango much but that could have been because we had driven all day - from Ouray to Telluride and all the way to Durango - and we left early the next morning. So we didn't see much. There is a long strip of motels and take-away places, we stayed in a crummy motel and I said as much in a TripAdvisor report. Just chose badly I think, especially with so much choice!
We went into the main street and had a walk, looked in a few shops but didn't hang about. We saw the steam train the next day, it was running alongside the road so we took a few photos from the car.
We stayed in Ouray and thought it was a nice place, not a lot of shopping (no malls or anything) but an attractive small town surrounded by towering mountains.
I love shopping over in America too and found on this trip there just weren't a lot of malls around. We did shop in Grand Junction but I don't think there would be skiing near there, it didn't seem to have the mountains or climate for snow and skiing. Locals, I'm sure, will tell me if I'm wrong
We also did lots of shopping near Broomfield and Boulder. We actually really liked Boulder, the Pearl St Mall had some terrific shops and it seemed to have a really good feel to it. By the way, the Pearl St Mall is not a big indoor mall, it's an open air pedestrianised street with buskers, outdoor cafes etc.
Hope that helps a bit. Let me know if you have other questions. Whereabouts in Qld do you live? We are flying soon to a family wedding in Brisbane.
Kay
We went into the main street and had a walk, looked in a few shops but didn't hang about. We saw the steam train the next day, it was running alongside the road so we took a few photos from the car.
We stayed in Ouray and thought it was a nice place, not a lot of shopping (no malls or anything) but an attractive small town surrounded by towering mountains.
I love shopping over in America too and found on this trip there just weren't a lot of malls around. We did shop in Grand Junction but I don't think there would be skiing near there, it didn't seem to have the mountains or climate for snow and skiing. Locals, I'm sure, will tell me if I'm wrong
We also did lots of shopping near Broomfield and Boulder. We actually really liked Boulder, the Pearl St Mall had some terrific shops and it seemed to have a really good feel to it. By the way, the Pearl St Mall is not a big indoor mall, it's an open air pedestrianised street with buskers, outdoor cafes etc.
Hope that helps a bit. Let me know if you have other questions. Whereabouts in Qld do you live? We are flying soon to a family wedding in Brisbane.
Kay
