Mosaics of colored glass decorate this interior space that is 150 feet tall. On the outside, the steel frame of this national historic landmark has 17 spires that reach up to the sky. Half a million visitors come to see this structure each year, making it the #1 tourist attraction in the state! Although it […]

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My teenage daughter, Jordan, and I were on a five day guided llama trekking trip through Colorado’s Weminuche Wilderness with Redwood Llamas. We had spent last night at Eldorado Lake, camping in a beautiful valley at 12,500 ft, way up high in the San Juan Mountains. It had been a dramatic night, watching skies produce a pinkish […]

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My teenage daughter, Jordan, and I were on a five day guided llama trekking trip through Colorado’s Weminuche Wilderness with Redwood Llamas. We had spent the last two nights at Elk Creek Camp, a rocky ledge in the San Juan Mountains a few miles south of Highland Mary Lakes. (Read Part 1 here.) Today was time to move […]

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  • marco baldini - Your photos look amazing. I would love to go here after reading your post. Thanks for some great tips on where to go

  • admin - Thanks so much, Marco! It is an epic trip made easy with the adorable llamas and knowledgeable guides. Highly recommend!!

When I had asked my 17 yr old daughter what she’d like to do this summer she’d said, “Something with llamas!” Frankly, it came as no surprise. Her current fascination graced water bottles, mugs, phone covers and even socks she’d accumulated over the last year. So I googled “llama trekking” out of curiosity. Several options […]

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  • Al Perry - Great story and wonderful photos. No one can say you don’t plan a trip.

  • Bro - Awesome!! These photos are amazing and the trip sounds super fun. Boy I love Colorado. We didn’t do nearly the acclimatization prep that you two did, wow. What a cool experience for you and Jordan, especially with her leaving the nest in a year, which nobody wants to talk about I’m sure. Great article!

  • admin - Thank you! Yes, I’m sure our acclimation was probably overkill but didn’t want Jordan’s first experience at high elevation to come with any possible symptoms of altitude sickness. It worked. She’s as smitten with the mountains as I am 😉

  • admin - Thanks kindly! Yeah, I have a hard time going anywhere without researching the heck out of it first …

  • John Hendricks - Great pictures and text! Wonderful, inspiring story.

  • admin - Thank you so much, John!

  • David Miller - Kim and Jordan,
    Thank you for sharing this wonderful journey with us. I believe you sent it to me 40 years too late.

  • admin - Thanks for reading it and taking the time to tell me you enjoyed it!! 🙂 I know what you mean about discovering things too late…I guess that’s why I feel so compelled to share info about places & adventures on this fascinating planet! So much to see and do…so little time…

Off-road driving, hiking, mountain biking, ice climbing, rappelling down waterfalls…you can do it all in this tiny mountain town! Sitting 7,800 ft high in the San Juan Mountains of southwestern Colorado, Ouray is known as “Switzerland of America.” It’s separated from the surrounding mountain towns of Silverton, Ridgway, Lake City and Telluride by giant mountain passes. […]

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