A Week in the Mountains

So this has taken weeks..but its finally here!! I As I have time I will give detailed descriptions under Foodie Finds of restaurants and coffee shops. Happy reading

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Colorado Springs
When we arrived in the Springs the weather was bitterly cold and gross, so we spent the majority of the first two days of our vacation hanging out with our friends and staying warm inside. We did hit up a few places when it warmed up a little though. Sunday we hung out in Old Colorado Springs after church then went downtown as the afternoon warmed up a bit. Following are some of the highlights:

Old Colorado Springs – we went around 10:30 on a Sunday, when it was about 25 degrees outside. The area itself has a great feeling. The streets were lined with Aspens changing colors and there was a wide variety of stores (mostly open around 11 or 12, or whenever they want). I will definitely visit this area again when it is warmer outside and more stores are open! It looked like the neighborhood had lots to offer, but it was just to early and too cold to enjoy.
BonTon’s: We stepped into BonTon’s for a second breakfast only because we needed to thaw out for a bit. We ordered coffee and a cinnamon roll. The coffee was nothing special and we only bought the cinnamon roll so we could have an excuse to sit down for a bit. It was warm and a good size, the few bites I had were pretty good.
Twin Peak BBQ: Liz and I shared a beef brisket sandwich. It was definitely a different taste BBQ and the sauce was on the side instead of the sandwich. It was a good meal and a good environment but overall nothing stood out other than the pig shaped plate…now that was cool!

Downtown – After lunch we were off to find a warm cup of coffee and do some shopping in the downtown district. The drive through campus towards downtown was absolutely gorgeous. Between the well manicured campus and the huge houses surrounding it it was the perfect fall afternoon drive.  We parked, grabbed a cup of coffee and hit the streets.
Rico’s Coffee Shop: Rico’s is a great little coffee shop connected to a toy store, book store and a pizzeria. All of the venues fall under the title Poor Richard’s but each section has their own entrance. The Spicy Hot Chocolate is delicious…warm, chocolaty with a touch of spice, maybe a chipotle or something. Rico’s provides a very comfortable, inviting atmosphere where students, professors, professionals, and mountain bums alike are welcome. The lighting is low and helps strengthen the modern feel.

REI – Just a quick two hour distraction. REI happens to be one of our favorite stores, one in which we are known for spending to much money at. We only bought a few things though; brake pads for my bike and some wool socks, which are awesome!

Mac SuperStore – We couldn’t pass this one up. They had some really great deals, but we just bought some computer cleaner.

Manitou Springs – Manitou is a super cute little mountain town that Steve likes to describe as a hippy town, but I don’t think it really is. However there are quite a few characters, people you can tell live there because they love the mountain and the outdoors. Snowboarders, hikers, bikers, etc…I loved it! We started with breakfast at Adam’s Mountain Cafe. I was still feeling pretty sick so I only had a little bit of oatmeal and Steve had a omelet. He enjoyed it all accept the feta cheese. We visited lots of little shops; touristy shops, a hippie shop, an art store, kitchen store, and a Celtic Shop. I’ll be honest in saying that they were fun but most ran together for me since I wasn’t feeling to good. The Celtic Shop stood out since they did have different things. They had Irish foods, jewelry, music, perfume, books and sayings. It was definitely fun. I also bought a really cool pair of crocheted boots that have a leather bottom. I love them!

Garden of the Gods – When Liz got off of work she played tour guide for us for a bit. She took us on her favorite drive over to the Garden of the Gods where we walked around, checked out awesome rock formations, and took goofy pictures. The weather was perfect, the views were great, and we even got some good pictures. Definitely a must see when in Colorado Springs. It blew my mind how nothing else in the area looked like Garden of the Gods. Here we are in a mountainous area and there is this random outcropping of red rocks. Beautiful.

Papa Murphy’s Pizza – Tuesday evening was spent hanging out with the Springs crew. We watched The Proposal and they ordered a bunch of frozen, bake at home pizzas from Papa Murphy’s. They were delicious and there were dozens of toppings to choose from. One in particular had artichoke hearts, tomatoes, olives and squash. Interesting, but I stuck with plain cheese since I was still regaining my appetite.

After four days in the Springs we parted ways and headed to Gunnison. It was sad to go; we had great host and lots of great fellowship, but an adventure awaited us. After battling some weird weather and even snow on Monarch pass we arrived in Gunnison around 3. We stayed at a local KOA where we had a cozy little cabin. Cozy by KOA standards meaning a small space heater, desk built into wall, a bunk bed and a queen size bed with strictly a mattress. Surprisingly I really enjoy staying in these cabins, and they are cheaper than hotels. Just throw out your sleeping bag and conk out.  I don’t travel to hang out a hotel and watch TV, I go to see the town and get to know it. We started our time in town by visiting Hartman Rocks Recreational Area where we quickly felt the effects of the 2000 foot increase in altitude. We hopped on the mountain bikes and took off, only for me to make it about 5 minutes and about pass out. I’m serious when I say that I COULDN”T breath! I’ve never felt the effects of a slight warm up that much! Be we adjusted and had a blast. Steve wants to go back and try out more trails; they have over 70 miles and we only road for about 2 hours, so we didn’t even see half of it. It isn’t necessarily the prettiest place ever, but the trails are challenging and well manicured. It is considered the place to go in the fall and spring when it is to cold in the higher mountains. After cleaning up a bit we had dinner at Garlic Mikes. The reviews did not fail us this time. Garlic Mikes was a small establishment on the river that had a great atmosphere and great food. Steve and I shared bread, an Antipasto Misto dish, Brodo soup, and Fettucini Alfredo with sliced Steak Carbonara. Oh it was delicious!! Best meal of the trip. More details under the Foodie Finds section.

Ouray
Mouse’s Chocolate and Coffee – Located on Main Street, I definitely had high expectations of this chocolatier. According to their website they make all the chocolates at the shop and ship everywhere. The website was rather vague, but had a degree of mystery too it….it definitely peaked my curiosity.
Atmosphere – When I enter a chocolate or a coffee shop I expect two things; an inviting atmosphere and a delicious smell. The shop had potential, but that was about it. One wall was beautiful brick but they didn’t do much to make it inviting and there was not a smell of chocolate or coffee but an odd indescribable smell.
Chocolate – Their selection included a variety of truffles, barks, medallions, caramels and dipped items. They had the average flavors of truffles to pick from. Their most adventurous flavor was pumpkin, but since I don’t like pumpkin  I selected a Dark Chocolate Mocha truffle while Steve had a pure white chocolate medallion and a dark chocolate medallion. The truffle was decent, probably a 5 on my 1-10 scale, 10 being something great like Neuhuas from Belgium or even Hico local, Wiseman house.  The truffle had good coloring and a good texture, but the center was less than desirable. It did not have the creamy, smooth texture that I have become to expect all truffles to have.
Coffee – They seemed to offer a decent variety of drinks, even some creative names and mixtures but I settled on a light in-store roasted drip. Sadly enough the coffee was mediocre, acidic, and lacked depth. Steve picked a Vanilla Bean tea from their small selection.
Overall on the Rains’ scale it scored a 6.  The Scrap cookie and their hours are two reasons to stop by. The Scrap cookies are huge 5 inch around cookies made from the bits of chocolate. We were both shocked that they were delicious! You never know what you are going to get at each bite, it could be a mocha truffle, toffee, carmel, or a medallion piece. If you don’t like the bite you got, don’t worry, you get a couple more chances to find the perfect one. Mouses’ also stays open until 9pm while everywhere else in town closes at 7 or 8. Thank you Mouse’s for understanding that there are people that don’t want to go to the bars too and for your Scrap cookie. The cookie saved me from a huge disappointment.
The Outlaw
Riverside Inn