Digital Nomad Life: Month Sixty Nine

Month Sixty-Nine was a month of moving around in Colorado for Toby’s work, working lots, and enjoying the winter weather.

I started the month in the mountain town of Silverthorne, where Toby was working as a COVID tester, before moving onto Cañon City where I worked a shift with Toby, and explored the town.

After leaving Cañon City, we headed back to Denver for five days via a lunch stop and look around in Manitou Springs.

In Denver, we mostly just chilled out, visited family, and I did a couple of long walks by the river and around nearby lakes.

After leaving Denver, we had a whirlwind week, staying in five different mountains over ten days – Eagle, Leadville, Silverthorne, Breckenridge, and Frisco. During this time I spent a day exploring Glenwood Springs, we went dog sledding in Leadville, we survived a snowmageddon snowstorm in Frisco (that actually turned out to be a non-event) and we had a night out in Breckenridge, as well as doing a wintry walk nearly every day.

Then the last week of the month was spent back in Silverthorne, with a quick one-night jaunt to Denver. I worked a couple of shifts, we soaked in the hot tub, I went for walks along the river most days, and I worked hard on this website and my client work.

It wasn’t the most exciting month but I enjoyed being in the mountains in winter, physically working with people again, and hanging out in some of my favorite mountains towns.

Now onto the stats!

Countries Visited: USA

Places Visited:

• Colorado: Silverthorne, Cañon City, Manitou Springs, Denver, Golden, Idaho Springs, Eagle, Leadville, Glenwood Springs, Frisco, Breckenridge

National and State Parks, Monuments, and UNESCO Sites: None this month.

Islands Visited: None this month.

Best Meals: Vegetarian lasagne and sticky toffee pudding from Adam’s Mountain Cafe in Manitou Springs; Smoked turkey platter with mac and cheese, potato casserole and cornbread from Moe’s Original BBQ in Eagle; Paneer Masala from Nirvana Culinary Paradise in Cañon City; Hipster pizza on a cauliflower base from Beau Jo’s in Idaho Springs; Roast Chicken with garlic butter, crispy potatoes, winter squash, and spinach and artichoke dip from Timberline Kitchen in Leadville; corn empanada from The Argentos Empanadas in Silverthorne; Shrimp skewers, baked potato, and asparagus from The Mint Steakhouse in Silverthorne.

Worst Meals: Vegetable wrap from Blue Moon Bakery in Silverthorne – soggy and disappointing.

Best Craft Beer: Hibiscus Key Lime Sour by Spice Trade Brewing at Yak and Yeti in Arvada, Ginger Pale Ale and Coconut Porter from Broken Compass Brewery in Breckenridge, and the Blackberry and Vanilla sour from Casey Brewing in Glenwood Springs.

Hikes/Walks:

• Blue River Trail North in Silverthorne, CO 9km/5.5 miles 
• Blue River Trail South in Silverthorne, CO 8km/5 miles
• Clear Creek Trail in Golden, CO 5km/3.2 miles
• Clear Creek Trail in Wheat Ridge, CO 9km/5.5miles
• Berkeley and Rocky Mountain Lakes and Tennyson walk in Denver, CO 9km/5.8 miles
• Eagle Town and river path in Eagle, CO 7km/4.3 miles
• Doc Holliday Grave trail in Glenwood Springs, CO 1.8km/1.1 miles
• Blue River Trail in Breckenridge, CO 8.5km/5.2 miles
• Sapphire Overlook Trail in Breckenridge, CO 1km/0.6 miles
• Frisco Recreation Path in Frisco, CO 5.5km/3.5 miles
• Nightbird Gulch in Golden, CO 4km/2.6 miles

Watching: I Care A Lot – a fantastic movie and what an ending! Nomadland – I absolutely adored this movie, especially because this is a very similar lifestyle to what we lead but I can’t imagine having to do it during my retirement years, and Lovecraft Country – I finally got to see the last few episodes of Lovecraft Country and I loved where they went with the story, very gripping and very dark.

Reading: What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty, All The Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr.

New Posts Published on The World on my Necklace This Month:

15 Best Colorado Mountain Towns To Visit Anytime

All my favorite mountain towns in Colorado – it was hard narrowing it down to only 15! Find out the best mountain towns, what to do there, and where to eat, drink, and stay.

Ultimate Travel Guide to Big Bear Lake in Summer

A detailed guide to the best things to do, see, eat, drink, and where to stay in Big Bear Lake in summer. I love this place!

10 Best Hidden Gems in Colorado

As well as the well-known places like Aspen, Rocky Mountain National Park, and Vail, Colorado is also home to some fantastic hidden gems – I put together a list of my ten favorite hidden gems in Colorado.

Highlights

Winter Walks in The Mountains

I have been enjoying getting outside as much as I can to combat the boredom of being stuck in a hotel room for many hours of the day, and have done a number of gorgeous winter walks in Breckenridge, Silverthorne, Frisco, and Eagle in the past month.

I have discovered a love of walking in fresh snow and getting snowed on while I’m walking, as well as enjoying the snowy mountain vistas.

It has definitely been nice to have been mostly based in the mountains the past month – it may be colder than Denver but it is much prettier, especially at this time of year when everything is brown in Denver.

Getting the First Dose of the Moderna Vaccine

I completely lucked out and got my first COVID vaccine this month! I was working as a COVID testing admin in Cañon City and we were right next to the vaccination clinic so I went in and put my name on the waitlist in case there were any extra doses of the vaccine leftover at the end of the day (they go to waste otherwise). 

Lo and behold, I got a call a couple of hours later saying I could come in and get the vaccine! It didn’t even hurt although my arm was tender the next day. One down and one to go!

Stopover in Manitou Springs

Manitou Springs is one of my favorite Colorado mountain towns, so we decided to stop there for a couple of hours on the way back to Denver from Cañon City.

We played skee ball (I kicked Toby’s butt like usual), I grabbed a maté from The Maté Factor, we had a delicious lunch at Adam’s Mountain Cafe, and I browsed the shops along the cute main street. 

I always enjoy my visits to Manitou Springs.

A Day Out in Glenwood Springs

One of my favorite days of the month was the day I spent in Glenwood Springs. I started the day with a short and snowy hike up to Doc Holliday’s grave which also offers views over Glenwood Springs. 

I followed this up with a couple of hours of soaking at Iron Mountain Hot Springs, one of my favorite hot springs in Colorado. I looked around the shops in town, had lunch at Grind, then I sampled a couple of the sour beers at Casey Brewing – so good.

I finished my day walking along the riverside pathway in beautiful, warm 60-degree weather before I had to drive back to Eagle to meet Toby. 

It was great being back in one of my favorite mountain towns.

Dog Sledding in Leadville

I have always wanted to try dogsledding and I finally got my chance this month! There is a couple of companies in Leadville that do dog sledding and we ended up going with Alpine Adventures. 

When we first got there, we got to meet our guide and all the sweet dogs that were going to be pulling our sled, then we spent an hour sledding, half the time in the front basket all rugged up, and the other half driving the sled! Both experiences were really fun (but cold), and I loved the dogs enthusiasm.

It’s expensive so I don’t know if I would do it again but I am so glad we experienced it.

Visiting A Lot of My Favorite Mountain Towns

It was a great month for visiting Colorado Mountain Towns – I ended up spending my time between ten different mountain towns, including a few of my favorites: Manitou Springs, Golden, Leadville, Frisco, Breck, Idaho Springs, and Glenwood Springs.

It was great experiencing them in winter because I have only seen most of them in summer and fall. 

Getting Some Extra Work

I did a few shifts as a COVID testing admin this month, and it was nice to make some extra money, get out of the hotel room, and meet some new people. 

I’m Going To Have a New Sister-in-Law!

My brother-in-law Flip got engaged to his girlfriend Blair this month! We are so excited for them and are hoping to visit them in Salt Lake City sometime in the next few months. 

Lowlights

Going a Bit Stir Crazy

I have spent way too much time in hotel rooms by myself this month and I don’t think it has been great for my mental health. I have definitely started talking to myself more and as someone that very rarely gets bored – I have been bored and unmotivated a few times this month. 

A Lot of Moving Around

As much as I love moving around, we did so much of it this month that I feel quite burnt out. At one point we were moving every two days and it was just too much, lugging all our stuff in and out of hotel rooms, and trying to plan meals/shopping etc. I’m hoping next month won’t be as crazy.

Airbnb Closing Their Affiliate Program

I was really disappointed and annoyed to hear that Airbnb is closing its affiliate program as it was only launched less than six months ago.

I was actually starting to make some decent money from it and now I have hours of work ahead of me, going into all my posts with links and having to change them out for something else. 

Spending

Total: USD$1553

Pretty good considering that more than a third of this includes one off costs like new expensive shoes, getting the van fixed, and dog sledding. Next month should hopefully be closer to the $1000-$1200 mark.

Accommodation $180

My paid accommodation this month consisted of one night at a motel in Cañon City, two nights at an Airbnb in Leadville, and six days renting a room off family in Denver.

My unpaid accommodation for the rest of the month included 19 days staying in hotels in Silverthorne, Cañon City, Eagle, Frisco, and Breckenridge that were paid for by Toby’s work.

Food and Drink $500

Not too bad this month. We ate out a far bit but Toby paid for some of the meals. We also cooked a lot this month. 

Clothing $270

• Oboz walking shoes $125
• Fingerless gloves $30
• Secondhand Ski Jacket $32
• Leggings $16
• Hat $39
• Beanie $28

Transport $5

• Gas $5

Toby’s job paid for nearly all of our gas costs this month.

Activities $270

• Iron Mountain Hot Springs in Glenwood Springs $28
• Dog Sledding in Leadville $242

Other $92

• Toiletries $11
• Hulu $6
• Phone plan US $40
• Laundry $8
• Sticker $2.50
• Humidifier $10 (my half)
• Kitchen utensils $12
• Owl ceramic $2.50

Website Costs $12

• Monthly payment for Keysearch $12

Van Costs $224

• Van Insurance for One Month $24
• Van wiring fixed $200 (my half)

What’s in Store for Next Month

So the original plan was going to be more of the same – hopping around Colorado Mountain Towns while Toby does COVID testing, but we just found out that we got a job for April working an event in California.

The first week of the month will be spent in Silverthorne where I have a couple of COVID testing registration shifts, and I will be getting my second vaccination shot in Cañon City – I’m just going to drive over for the day.

I also have a day of ski lessons booked at Keystone – I’m excited and nervous because it will be my first time skiing!

After that, we will have a couple of days wrapping things up in Denver then we are California bound. We are going to drive our new RV (his name is Brownie and I will do a post about him soon) and Casper out there, and are planning to live in an RV park in LA for a month while we are working the event.

We won’t start work each day till 2.30pm so I’m hoping to spend some time at the beach and hiking in the mornings, as well as juggling my online work and this blog.

We are hoping to sell Casper while we are out there too, as we don’t need two vans, so if you know anyone that is looking for a mini-camper in the LA area – send them my way!

It will be great to be back in sunny California and I’m looking forward to some warmth!

To read additional Monthly Recaps, you can find them here