Colorado Road Trippn': Day 2 on the road

Up bright and early on day 2 and on our way to sunny Durango! Located on the Southwest corner of the state, this historic town is very close to my heart. As a grad student, I spent a good amount of time learning about its uniquely diverse community, where Navajo traditions, immigrant stories and the old west collide.

I was excited to do the 7-hour drive from Denver just to share my experiences with Nabol. The stories I wrote and the people I met have stayed with me after all these years.

But of course, breakfast comes first. We wanted to check out the Denver Biscuit Co, a trendy breakfast shop on Denver’s East Colfax Ave that has this flaky, comforting Southern favorite down to a science. Every plate or biscuit sandwich is paired beautifully with just the right ingredients, including fried chicken, pork belly, mushroom gravy, local fruit or local honey butter.

Since we were trying to keep being somewhat “healthy”, we decided to share one of the most popular sandwiches: The Franklin, with buttermilk fried chicken, tender belly bacon and mushroom gravy. We also ordered their granola bowl with fresh berries and a very light, almost whipped yogurt. A refreshing complement to the heavier sandwich.

The restaurant opens right at 8am, so we arrived as early as possible to get a table because it does get packed. After our breakfast, there was already a very long line outside.

Our next stop would be Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs and this national park happens to be a great place to walk off a big breakfast. The multicolored rock formations will keep you walking for hours and hours. Because of our long trip ahead, we tried to keep it to an hour, but we could’ve easily kept going. It is definitively a good idea to stop by the visitor center to see which trails you want to prioritize and to learn more about the geology of the park. They also have a self-guided hiking program and free guided nature walks.

While in Colorado Springs, we had to stop by a great anime store in the center of town. We don’t have good anime stores in Chicago, so this place was a must for us. (By the way, Chicago, get on that! Seriously.) The store is called Rainy Day Anime, and although the anime figures are on the pricier side, they have a great selection of reasonably priced manga and cute Japanese items. A great place to stop if you’re into Japanese culture.

The rest of the trip was smooth sailing after that. If you’re traveling to Durango, make sure to stop for gas before you reach a quarter tank. There are very long stretches of road without a single gas station. The road itself is almost poetic. You drive through every ecosystem imaginable, from the more barren, desert-like to the snowy San Juan Mountains and everything in between.

A good place to stop for lunch/dinner is Alamosa. It’s one of the bigger town half way to Durango. Our plan was to stop by the popular San Luis Valley Brewing Company, but it was unfortunately closed due to renovations. They have a great selection of local beers, including a green chili beer and a great menu, including bison chili con queso, local quinoa and Colorado stream trout.

We went to Oscar’s instead, which wasn’t a bad option either. Also located on Main Street, they serve old school Tex Mex favorites, like the relleno plate I ordered. Nabol got something he called “all of my Mexican favorites on a plate,” which included two kinds of enchiladas, a tamal and a taco. Affordable and tasty.

Another good tip we can give you is to do what you can to drive through the mountain area before sunset. It can be tricky to drive through that area if it starts to snow, and believe me it can snow all through the beginning of summer. You should also stop to take a few pictures of the breathtaking vistas and to stretch your legs.

Take in every moment. It’s hard not to think how insignificant we are in comparison to such impressive scenery. Can't wait to show you the videos!

Don't miss a single day! Here's Day 1!