March is Colorado Book Month (#COBookMonth), and we’re celebrating with Literary Colorado! Every week through March there’s a This Colorado Life meme, and this week’s question is:

What’s your favorite mountain town? Do you visit for fun, inspiration, nature or something else?

Jason’s picks:

Recently, I have been asked which towns in Colorado are my favorite. Fun question. No easy answer. There are so many great ones. Breckenridge, Vail, Lake City, Gunnison & Evergreen just to name a few. There are a few places that we return to every year.

Glenwood Springs, our family goes there every spring break & stays at the Hotel Denver. We of course go to the springs. We also hike to Hanging Lake. The food in the area is great & this sleepy little mountain town is just our speed. If there is enough snow we go to Sunlight Ski area and get our last skiing in for the season. It is usually a short once a year trip that is all about the family.

The other place we frequent is Grand Lake, more precisely Columbine Lake just outside of Grand Lake. This place is more of an “anything goes” type of place. Sometimes we just meet some friends and hang out. We fish on the lake and surrounding area as well. It’s very secluded, & the mind gets to wander. Lots of writing gets done here with Allan Harris. Many a muse have been consulted & the inspirations put to paper here. Late night fires and serious solitaire is always a must. It’s a place for the family or dozens of friends. Hikes, swimming, fishing, relaxing it has it all. Those two places have a special place in my heart & mind. But I am always up for finding others.

Allan’s picks:

Grand Lake is the official Harris Gray getaway. Yes it helps to have access to a cabin (big house) that we can pretend to own. You’ll need to have a place to crash, at least a couple nights, in order to get any good writing done. (Why else would you go to the mountains? You can get hurt skiing.) A walk into town is the perfect way to get the mind right, ready to write, brainstorming plot developments. And once you’re in, the Blue Water Bakery & Café and the Grand Lake Brewery Company are the perfect hangouts. Here’s the way to play it: a latte and a coffee refill at the Blue Water, which should give you 3-4 hours of focused writing. Maybe a muffin. Then a walk, around town, up and down the boardwalk along the lake, wherever. The air is fresh, keeping the mind clear, and the scenery makes for a beautiful wallpaper backdrop as your eyes unfocus and your legs go where they will, as you plan your next chapter. Then to the brew pub, for a beer or so, where you will write for at least another couple hours. By that time your head will be fuzzy and in need of the walk home, where (hopefully) dinner is waiting, a big meal to take you into an evening of cards or reading, and then eagerly to bed – the sooner you fall asleep, the sooner tomorrow and another day of writing comes.

I’ve heard the Rocky Mountain National Park next door is nice.

Learn more about #COBookMonth and LiteraryCO, here.

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