We stumbled on Glenwood Springs as a place to break our journey through Colorado. What we assumed would be just a highway junction turned out to be a major travel destination- lots of American and international tourists. (Maybe everyone else already knows about Glenwood Springs & Glenwood Canyon, and we just need to get out more). It's a year-round resort with skiing in Winter and rafting and hiking in Summer. The town was developed in the late 1800s as a vacation spot for the wealthy; it was built up around a natural hot springs and has some beautiful old hotels to accomodate tourists taking the waters. Above is a picture of the hot spring pool today.
Doc Holliday is buried here. He came in the hopes that the hot springs would help his tuberculosis. No luck there, I guess; he died within six months of arriving. Above is a picture of Mike next to his tombstone.
We are going to start a running list of "towns that wished they were in Europe". Glenwood Springs is going for an Alpine look with faux-Swiss motels and Bavarian restaurants -mingling with Mexican restaurants and a Sioux trading post- (though this area was orignally inhabited by the Utes). The Mexican restaurants may actually be authentic.
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