Family Trip: Ridgway
Friday, August 24th, 2007I fell in love with the little town of Ridgway (population 800) on a family trip to the southwest Colorado town last September. We traveled right at the peak of the gorgeous fall colors (third week of the month). The San Juan mountain range was covered in fiery hues of gold and orange.
My family of four stayed in one of the two-bedroom condominiums at Chipeta Sun Lodge & Spa, so we had plenty of room to spread out and make ourselves at home. We enjoyed the complimentary lemonade, iced tea and cookies in the lodge’s great room each afternoon. The on-site eatery, Ashe Restaurante, was just being built; we look forward to returning sometime soon to sample the “healthy, Southwestern fare.”
We did dine at the Ridgway’s downtown Adobe Inn, where the Mexican-inspired menu is all natural. My favorites were the Enchiladas Suiza and the Chimichangas, as well as the tasty and light, homemade salad dressing on the mixed greens and the hearty corn casserole.
Other highlights of our Ridgway trip:
- Browsing the antique shops on and just off Main Street (which is charmingly unpaved).
- Playing in Town Park with its playground for kids (and where there’s in-town access to the miles of paved bike trail leading to Ridgway State Park).
- Soaking at the nearby Orvis Hot Springs (where clothing is optional and visitors take advantage of that option! We spent most of our time in the indoor clothing-required soaking area).
- Eating hearty food at the True Grit Cafe, where some scenes of John Wayne’s movie, True Grit was filmed.
The town honors John Wayne’s 100th birthday this fall with True Grit Days, September 8 and 9. What better time to walk the dusty roads just like John Wayne did in his famous Western decades ago.
