Dreamscapes Travel & Lifestyle

DREAMSCAPES SPRING/SUMMER 2024 68 PHOTOS: GREG OLSEN | QUARK EXPEDITIONS G E T A W A Y S TRAVEL PLANNER For more travel information about Colorado colorado.com i LOVELAND Finding unexpected gems is what I love most about road trips. The City of Loveland has four free outdoor sculpture parks where we experienced open-air artistry. The four-hectare Benson Sculpture Garden was our favourite with 178 magnificent sculptures by artists specializing in realism and abstract art. We visited every sculpture garden and even put a love lock on the love lock sculpture at the visitor's centre. Accommodations: TownePlace Suites OLD TOWN FORT COLLINS Our last stop was Fort Collins. We explored the historic district, which is arguably one of the prettiest streetscapes in America. Harper Goff, born in Fort Collins, worked with Walt Disney to create Disneyland's Main Street USA. Several of the buildings in the theme park were modelled after buildings that still stand in Fort Collins. Our hotel offered guests free bike rentals, which we used cycling all over town. Accommodations: Armstrong Hotel MORE COLORADO While our six-day road trip gave us a small taste of what Colorado has to offer, we definitely crave more. We're planning a future visit to explore other spectacular spots like the ancient Puebloan cliff dwellings at Mesa Verde National Park, the towering dunes at Great Sand Dunes National Park and the highest suspension bridge in America at Royal Gorge near Cañon City. John Denver was right. The Colorado Rocky Mountain high is real and it's addictive. One trip is not enough. Debbie Olsen is an award-winning Métis writer and a national bestselling author. Follow her at wanderwoman.ca DS DINING OUT We enjoyed some fantastic meals on our Colorado road trip. Here are a few favourites. BEST BREAKFAST: Head to Snooze Union Station in Denver for breakfast burritos, avocado toast, pancakes, coffee and cocktails. In Loveland, don't miss Doug's Day Diner for biscuits and gravy or griddle biscuits and omelettes. BEST LUNCH: Levin Deli, beside the Denver Art Gallery, is famous for its signature sandwiches and baked goods. In Old Town Fort Collins, Union Bar and Soda Fountain makes a good lunch or casual dinner stop with craft bevvies and comfort food. BEST DINNER: At the Thompson Denver the traditional French brasserie of Chez Maggy is where Michelin-starred chef Ludo Lefebvre uses local ingredients to create classic French cuisine. Don't miss the ceviche trio at Summit, an American Brassiere at The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs. You'll find a number of Peruvian specialties on the menu from Peruvian-raised Chef de Cuisine Rocio Neyra Palmer.

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