When travel plans go awry, head for Colorado

Walnut Creek residents Saara Chung, on left, and her wife, Linda, went biking along the Colorado River near Vail on their vacation this summer. (Courtesy the Chung Family)

Our readers have circled the world this year, communing with bears in Alaska, on safari in Tanzania and cruising the islands of the United Kingdom. And they’ve shared their stories and tips along the way.

Now, a Walnut Creek couple is sharing their recent adventures after a long-planned trip went belly up.

Wish You Were Here

COLORADO: Walnut Creek resident Saara Chung and her wife, Linda, canceled their August trip to Maui after the fires devastated Lahaina and the surrounding area. So they pivoted in grand style. “We travelled to Avon, Colorado, Scottsdale, Arizona, and Carmel by the Sea,” Saara says. “Our highlights included biking along the Colorado River outside of Vail (pictured), ATVing thru the Rockies, hitting two new baseball stadiums (Coors and Chase Field) and visiting the Monterey Bay Aquarium. We even got to visit the highest-elevation city in the U.S. — Leadville, Colorado, at 10,158 ft! — and experience a HABOOB (an intense dust storm!) in Scottsdale. It was pretty wild!”