- The "Daytripper" is made possible by Rudy's, real Texas barbecue.

Shipping nationwide at rudys.com.

Karbach Brewing Company from Houston, Texas, makers of Karbach Lager, a beer that is proudly partnered with Don't Mess with Texas, please dispose responsibly.

Visit Georgetown, where big ideas meet small town charm.

Georgetown, the most beautiful town square in Texas.

Texas Farm Bureau Insurance, protection and peace of mind for Texans since 1952.

Don Hewlett Chevrolet Buick in Georgetown.

Making Texas road trips possible for over 50 years.

Don Hewlett Chevrolet Buick, Texas True.

Coca-Cola Southwest Beverages, Texas' local bottler providing the Lone Star state with a variety of Coca-Cola products.

- Good morning guys.

Getting a really early start for this day trip, doing something a little different, but when the sun comes up, this is gonna look really, really different.

But trust me, we are still in Texas.

It's gonna be a fun one.

It's 1836, Texas!

It's 1836, Texas!

Although some might technically know this part as Buena Vista, Colorado.

However, for the purposes of this day trip, it's all still Texas.

Woo-hoo!

(upbeat banjo music) So I've probably confused some of y'all.

How am I still in Texas if I'm in Colorado?

Well, to understand, we gotta jump back in history to 1836 we gotta jump back in history to 1836, when Texas was its own country with a very different shape.

Back then Texas stretched all the way to Wyoming, covering much of Colorado and our day trip destination.

And since we're tripping so far from our normal playground, well, we're gonna take every chance we can to stretch our Texan legs and do things we can't do within the modern border of Texas, including hike a fourteener.

including hike a fourteener.

That is a peak over 14,000 feet.

That is a peak over 14,000 feet.

Today we're hiking Princeton, a towering peak topping out around 14,200 feet high.

around 14,200 feet high.

And I've asked my buddy in Colorado, native Tom Braynerd, to join us on this expedition.

How many fourteeners have you done?

- I think it's eight.

It might be nine, but there's a catch.

- Okay.

- There's two mountains here in Colorado that you can drive to the top.

- Oh, do those count?

- It does, because there's a lot of people who can't do what we're doing right now.

- I see.

Yeah, for sure.

- This is not an easy thing to do.

- Sure, it- - I mean- - Just the wake up call was not an easy thing to do.

- That's right.

- Climbing a fourteener is a bucket list item for hikers.

Some make it their life's mission to hike all 58 here in Colorado.

I've picked one for us that's challenging.

They all are, but not impossible.

As long as we can grind out the steps and the breaths.

(Chet huffing) Okay, it's a little different when you live at 800 feet elevation.

Deep breaths, like mountain yoga too.

Deep breaths, like mountain yoga too.

Deep breaths like mountain yoga too.

(upbeat music) All right, so a little trail break.

How we feeling, Daniel?

- Awesome.

- Are we good?

Luke?

Casey?

How we feeling?

Tom?

- Feeling strong.

- Party.

It's just purdy up here.

I'm gonna go text him for a second.

- You know, every time you do a big mountain like this, you have to stop and take in the views and you're like, "This is amazing."

And then you hike about 50 more feet.

You're like, "No, this is amazing!"

All right, so here we are.

We are stepping above the tree line which is about 11 and a half thousand feet.

The oxygen is so thin up here, plants can't live.

And by my lungs, neither can humans.

No, this is not, this is not Mount Everest.

There is no death zone on the fourteeners.

- Are you sure?

- I'm pretty- - It feels like the death zone.

- There there, boy, there there.

Well, it seems the pike and marmots are doing just fine up here.

Alright, Team Tripper.

12,000 feet.

- Yeah, buddy.

- Five right here.

Very nice work.

One, two, three, Daytripper!

(voices echoing) (Chet laughing) - That's awesome.

- That's fun.

- Yeah.

Dude, you're trucking this, man.

It's like you live at this altitude or something.

- It's like I have something to prove.

- Soon we reach a point where it seems not even the grass can live.

We're now into scree fields.

- These endless boulders.

- Endless.

Yeah, we're just gonna be like mountain goating the rest of the way, huh?

- Yeah, you're gonna feel pretty burly from here on out.

- Wow.

Past this point, the trail is so hard to see, hikers use cairns made of stacked rocks to demarcate the path.

To call some of this a trail is a vast overstatement.

This is just a rock field.

Folks have stepped on the rocks enough to where they're stabilized in place, you hope.

to where they're stabilized in place, you hope.

Guys, I think, I think we're low.

Head up.

This is madness.

But even in the confusion, we can find some zen, (angelic chorus) and some snow.

(Chet laughing) But in old Texas, you're gonna have snowball fights even in July.

All right.

Bend over, Greg.

(snowball thudding) (Chet laughing) Sorry, I missed what I was aiming for, but it's a little better even.

(laughs) - Okay.

13,000.

- Okay.

13,000.

- Oh, nice.

- You passed the test.

- Closer and closer.

- Very nice, Casey.

Daniel, you are the man.

(upbeat techno music) - Here's where the effort really starts to pay off.

Oh my gosh!

Oh my gosh!

What?

- Look at that, guys.

- Good job, Casey.

Yeah!

- Oh.

- That is unbelievable.

You know what they call this, Luke?

The Saddle, baby.

We're making it.

We're close.

I can smell it.

And while the views get better, the hike gets harder.

- So- - Where we at?

- Brother Chet?

14,000 feet.

14,000 feet.

- So one more step, I'm on a fourteener.

- Yes, sir.

You are.

- My gosh, y'all.

Oxygen, limited.

Legs, limited.

Oxygen, limited.

Legs, limited.

- Chet- - I mean, yo.

- Called for the helicopter escort.

- Yeah.

I'm not thinking about getting down yet.

I'm only thinking about getting up.

Time is ticking before the midday storms blow in.

Clouds are gathering as we pass a sobering memorial to a woman who lost her life right here in a lightning storm.

Just taking a moment to honor, because what we're doing now is, it's not without danger.

A fourteener like this requires serious considerations of time you start, what your safety plan is of time you start, what your safety plan is for getting off the mountain if an emergency happens, and we're praying that nothing happens today, but we do need to move it.

And just when I think my legs are gonna mutiny against me, we make it.

Oh, Greg, we've had some adventures, buddy.

- This one's right up there with- - All of 'em, yeah, all of 'em.

Laying out before us are the highest peaks of Colorado.

- So we've got Harvard, Columbia, Yale.

- So we've got Harvard, Columbia, Yale.

- Okay.

- How the Ivy League got into Colorado in such a prestigious way, I don't know.

I don't know.

And then beyond that, you know, honestly, you can probably see all the way to Albert.

Let's not forget Aspen, just over the head.

- Oh, oh.

That little town.

You know, for people who come up here who believe in a creator God, right?

Who created the mountains, created the universe.

That's me.

I look out here and I just see this is just, just beautiful work of art.

And that I always do, anytime I hit a high point you know, take a moment, spend some time just, in prayer, thought, for me, certainly gratitude in prayer, thought, for me, certainly gratitude that I've got legs that I've got legs that'll carry me up a mountain like this, lungs that can breathe in this mountain air.

I feel very blessed to have a crew that also enjoys this as much as I do, so thankful for y'all.

And all I gotta say at this point is, you're welcome Colorado.

You're welcome.

And all we gotta do now is all those steps in reverse.

is all those steps in reverse.

But when we're down the mountain, boy, it feels good to be sitting down and moving without effort.

- That was pretty awesome, dude.

- It's a shame that we had to give this up.

- Couldn't there have been another city or area that we traded so that we could have kept this?

- I know.

- Why won't we have this anymore?

- Could we have had a draft?

- What did we get for it?

Did we get something good out of this?

- We got out of debt, essentially.

- Yeah.

- So that's another lesson, and don't get into debt kids, 'cause you'll lose your fourteen, or you'll lose Colorado.

- Yeah, that's... - And if you're lucky, you can come visit.

- Yeah.

(laughs) It happened in 1850, after Texas had become part of the United States, and the Lone Star State hasn't looked the same since.

But that doesn't mean we can't explore it all, including the historic downtown.

Welcome to Buena Vista.

Or as the locals lovingly call it, "Beauty."

Or as the longtime locals call it, "North Texas."

I'm just kidding, sort of.

But truthfully, when this was part of Texas, this town wasn't yet here.

It didn't pop up until the 1860s when this was all part of the Western territories.

Colorado didn't even exist yet.

But what was here are those beautiful mountains, and the Arkansas River behind me.

And I figured that while we're between the two of them, let's have a Texas-size adventure.

Beauty is one of those Colorado postcard towns, and during the summer months, it's flooded with part-time residents escaping the heat of the southern states.

But it's during these glorious months of summer that the downtown comes alive, and our lunch spot pulls into the station.

This is the Little Engine Eatery.

It's a hotdog food train in the shadow of the historic courthouse.

But more than that, it's a living "little engine that could."

And since 2017, this little engine has been employing teens and young adults with learning differences so they can travel to new destinations.

- Hello.

Welcome to Little Engine Eatery.

What can I get for you today?

- What's your favorite dog?

- Chili dogs.

I make a lot of them.

- Do you really?

Like everyday?

Okay.

Okay.

- Man, he's got it all.

- What are you leaning toward?

- Well, I mean, the toppings are all over the place.

I'm just loving this.

- The menu is a fun combination of creative hotdog and snow cones, but this train is about much more than feeding its passengers.

Owner Jenny and her husband Michael started this business when their son, who had a learning difference, was ready to move into the workforce.

This is a personal passion for you.

- Yeah, very much so.

It's really important, I think, for all kids that there is a job out there where they can feel safe and able to do what they put their mind to.

- I think it's a wonderful mission.

Did the hot dogs come after that or before that?

What's the order there?

- Yeah, so I am, as you can tell, a health food freak a health food freak because that's why I'm serving hot dogs.

- Yeah.

- But these, I guarantee are the healthiest hot dogs.

- There's no- - In terms of a hot dog... - It is.

- Okay.

- It is.

So we tried to stick with the train themes.

So our Chicago dog is a "Chicago L", the "Rio Grande" is named after the train.

I think we have a Southern Pacific, with our Stubbs barbecue sauce, and- - Stubbs Barbecue sauce?

Gosh, this is Texas.

Gosh, this is Texas.

This really is Texas.

Well, you're doing something really unique, helping these folks just gain all that confidence that, yeah, if you think you can, you really can.

- You can.

Yeah.

- So that's cool.

After all, sometimes feeding the stomach is the way to open the heart.

These are mine.

- Cheers my friend.

Cheers.

- Replenish some of the carbohydrates and the sugars.

- Let's not forget the sugars.

- Oh dude, that's awesome.

Wow.

- Wow.

(upbeat country music) - Are there stereotypes of Texans up here?

- No.

And by, no, I mean, yes.

(group laughing) - Do we check most of the boxes?

- Yeah.

I mean like every- - I mean, you guys are, you sit in some of those boxes, one foot.

- Yeah, go ahead.

Go ahead.

Roast us.

- Listen, I may or may not have skied in jeans maybe once in my life.

- I've never worn jeans skiing.

- I have.

Busted.

- You have?

- Are you kidding?

- For sure!

- Yes.

- They get soaked.

- Well because- Well, okay.

We couldn't afford all the extra thousand dollars ski bibs.

- You rent them!

- Not the bibs!

You don't rent the bibs!

- Never wear another man's bibs.

- Yeah, that's right.

Yeah.

A bib is a sacred thing.

All right.

Back to the map.

So even to this day, a majority of the Texas border is defined by water.

And it was no different back in 1836, however, there was a very different river involved, The Arkansas.

Today, it's one of the best rivers in America for adrenaline-pumping whitewater rafting.

And to do just that, we're headed to American Adventure Expeditions.

And this is owner Michael Kissick.

This is, I've heard one of the most popular rafting rivers in the country.

- In America.

Yeah.

- Really?

- Approximately 200,000 guests go down this river every summer between all the different companies.

And the cool thing is is there's over a hundred miles of raftable water here.

So they can spread 'em out throughout all these different sections.

- Wow.

- You know, we have stuff for kids as young as four or five years old.

- Oh, that's cool.

- And then we have class five, some of the most challenging rapids that you'll find in the state of Colorado.

- Woo.

- We found on this river.

- So you guys today are going through Brown's Canyon National Monument.

So over 20,000 acres of protected land.

- How likely is it that I'm getting totally wet today?

- Pretty likely.

- I'm up for it.

- If we don't, if you don't get wet- - Are you all up for it?

- We didn't do our job.

- Okay.

Alright.

Now I know what to expect a little bit.

There are a lot of things you can do in modern Texas.

Rafting rivers like this is not one of them.

And after a short bus ride, and our guy Jimmy giving us some safety training, it's river time, baby!

(energized country music) Man, this is incredible.

Like the water's freezing, but it's so clear.

I feel like we're just skimming right above all the trout.

Oh no!

Oh no!

I'm hosting a show!

I can't do this at the same time.

Whoa!

Bigger waves!

Very quickly, it's time to buckle up, buttercup.

- Four, two!

Row.

Two.

Whoa!

There we go!

Hey, little washing machine!

Hey, I love it!

Nicely done right there.

Yeah.

Good job, bud.

- My coffee.

- This is Good Luck Bridge coming up.

This is a signifier coming into Brown's Canyon National Monument.

Everyone stand up.

Let's give it a tap with our paddles.

(paddles thudding) Yeah.

(group laughing) - And now we're really in it.

Our only way out is downriver, which means we'll have to navigate a series of rapids and obstacles with very formidable names.

- Forward, one, this is Decapitator on the right.

Watch out right side, and a left back one.

Right after the canyon doors is Pinball.

We are the pinball!

- Despite the peril, Brown's Canyon is an amazing place.

And just as I'm taking it all in- - Forward, one!

- Oh yeah, that's it!

- Oh yeah, that's it!

He's navigating this river like butter.

I'm like, "We're definitely gonna hit that rock."

No, we won't.

- No.

One of the real guys coming up, it's called Zoom Floom.

- Is it?

- This is the biggest rapid of the day, my friends.

- Zoom Floom!

(group cheering) - Forward, one!

(water rushing) - But that's how a river trip goes.

Moments of absolute serenity interrupted by moments of impending doom.

- Left back, one!

Got out of it yet, forward two, one, two.

Got out of it yet, forward two, one, two.

Now we can throw 'em up, team!

Good job!

Yeah!

- Woo!

What an amazing ride that was!

But the water was, well, freezing.

We're soaking wet.

And I could use a bit of a warmup.

Luckily we're headed to just the spot.

The Mount Princeton Hot Springs Resort, built around some of nature's best hot tubs that bubble up on Chalk Creek.

This geothermally warm water is also pumped into a number of pools, creating the perfect place to relax after an epic day.

- Oh, this is gonna feel- - Oh, this is gonna be incredible, dude.

- I'm in right away.

- Wait, wait, wait, Tom.

No, no, no, man.

We're not going to the pool.

What're you gonna do, splash and be fit?

No, no, no.

We're going to the source, baby, the river!

Come on!

- I'm coming!

- This is really awesome.

So there's the creek, and it is all basically snow melts coming down the mountain like frigid cold.

But up here against the sides are all these little pools that are on top of these bubbling hot springs that come up out of the rock.

The question is, is there enough hot water to cancel out the ice cold water that is coming through?

All right.

Texans are brave, if anything, also slightly stupid.

also slightly stupid.

(Chet speaking in a foreign language) - Looks like it's hot- - Like a bubbling hot tub.

You know, it's just liquid magma.

- Here's the challenge.

- Dude, ah me.

- Make no expression at all when you get in.

- Poker face, dude.

(laughs) All right.

- Hold it.

- No lie, Like it just felt like a burning blow dryer on my back.

Right over in here.

The top of the body, I'm losing all feeling because it's so cold.

But my toes are just warm and cozy.

- It's like you tease- - When you really think about what's going on here and the fact that that's coming from lava... Oh, that's kind of impressive.

- Like kind of mind blowing.

- Yeah.

- So this creek actually sits along a fault line.

It's a break in the Earth's crust, allowing the heat from below to warm the water above.

And since 1879, folks have been tripping to this resort to warm their bodies and soak in the relaxation.

This is muscle treatment at its finest.

They say you should rotate between hot and cold.

Just do it at the same time.

- The original Icy Hot.

- Yeah.

(laughs) - Goodnight, Chet.

- Goodnight, Tom.

Goodnight.

Old Texas.

This is Old Texas.

Does it also make it New Colorado?

- It was Old Texas.

- It was Old Texas.

- Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.

Then there's fighting words.

If I could move my my muscles to fight you, I would.

All right, I think I found the best spot in the river.

The water's coming from the upper pool, so it's like 105 degrees.

Whoa!

But you know, here at this resort, it's not just a spa day.

All right.

So at the top of the upper pools, there is a 400-foot hot springs water slide.

there is a 400-foot hot springs water slide.

- Oh my God.

- You better believe we're doing that.

Woo!

(upbeat music) After all we've done today, this feels amazing.

Ah, I gotta say Colorado, I'm a little bit jealous that this isn't still Texas, but I like this.

(water gurgling) While this hot water is pretty refreshing, I think I could use a cold one and some dinner.

So to cap off the day, let's head back into downtown BV for pizza and craft brew at one of its most iconic spots, the Eddyline Brewery.

One step inside and it's clear this place drips Colorado, from the artwork to the brews.

Even their cans are all about mountain biking and kayaking.

And the name couldn't be more Colorado.

What's an "Eddyline"?

Where's that name come from?

- So "Eddyline" is the river, essentially.

It's a river term.

If we're in the river, and you have a big rock, and you just put it right in the river, right behind that rock, is gonna be the slack water, right?

So it's out of the current but the Eddyline, essentially that's gonna be a line from the current to that slack water, right?

It's, kind of the way the brewery looks at it is, you know, you got the hustle and bustle of the current, the everyday life, you know, the work and all that stuff.

And then you kind of hang out in the eddy, you know?

- Yeah.

Yeah.

- Yeah.

- We're all on the Eddyline right now.

- Totally, totally!

- This is Tommy.

And upon closer examination of the cans, well he bears a striking resemblance to the Eddyline mascot.

He's a living, breathing Coloradoan, and his other gig?

Yep.

He's a river guide.

- Those are my folks right over there.

I took them out, yeah.

Yeah!

We went out earlier today.

- Today?

- Yeah!

- Welcome to Colorado.

- That's right, bro.

That's right, dude.

That's right.

- Thank you.

- We were talking about stereotypes.

- You just- - This is, I mean, in the best of ways- - Tommy is it.

- Love it.

- In the best of ways.

- Love it.

- So y'all make all of these in the building right behind you?

- Yes, sir, this red building right here.

- That includes 20ish beers ranging from Mexican lagers to sours, to their most popular Crank Yanker IPA.

- Yeah.

- From Denver.

- Yeah.

- In every grocery store is Eddyline.

- Oh, totally.

Yeah.

- Is this Colorado's craft beer?

I mean, like... - It's definitely, I'll tell you it's definitely up there.

There's definitely, people come in all the time and they're like, "Hey man, you know, I've been drinking it for like, like 10 years, but I never came up here to get it."

You know, and they'll just drive out here to get it.

- We have a beer in Texas called Shiner.

- Yeah.

Shiner Bock.

- Yeah.

Shiner Bock, Texas.

It is a rite of passage to make a pilgrimage to Shiner, drink shiner beer in Shiner, Texas.

- Yeah.

All right.

- I feel like this is what it is here.

All the beers Tommy has put on this flight are incredible.

Oh, that's good.

- Yeah.

Lemonade shanny.

Yeah.

- That's like lemonade.

- I'm just over here quietly sipping away, this is the epic day.

I hope you don't mind.

- Hit it.

That's what I say, bro.

- But it isn't just the brew that brings people into this mothership for dinner.

Because from this kitchen comes some of the most amazing hand-tossed wood-fired pizza in the centennial state.

Oh yeah.

- Thank you.

- Thank you very much.

- Thank you so much.

- Cheers, man.

- Cheers.

I'm gonna give this about five minutes, and then it won't be here anymore.

That's really good.

This rounds out your Colorado experience.

How do you feel about it?

- Dude, I am humble and grateful, man.

- Good.

- Yeah.

For sure.

- I'm glad to know that.

- For sure.

- I think we found common ground here on this trip.

here on this trip.

- All right, Tom, here's a matter of utmost importance.

- Okay.

Shoot.

- Colorado.

There's a lot more than we can do in a single day trip.

- Very true.

Yeah.

- Lots to explore.

- Done this much.

- I'm gonna leave this in your hands from here on out.

Can you handle it?

- Chet, I got this.

- That's what I wanted to hear.

- All right buddy.

- This was a day trip of Old Texas proportions.

From the heights of its mountains, to the bottom of its river valleys, along with all the people, food and experiences in between.

You know, Texas is an idea of bigger than its borders.

After all, our state motto is friendship.

And we've certainly found plenty of new friends along this journey.

So I will see all y'all back in Texas.

Vaya con dios, amigos.

Oh wait, dude, Daniel, you gotta get in the truck with me too.

- Wait- - The whole crew, we have to go back to Texas.

- Wait, I wanna stay with Tom though.

- What?

You can't sit in- Get in the truck.

- Okay, okay!

Let's go.

Let's go.

- The "Daytripper" is made possible by Rudy's, real Texas barbecue.

Shipping nationwide at rudys.com.

Karbach Brewing Company from Houston, Texas, makers of Karbach Lager, a beer that is proudly partnered with Don't Mess with Texas, please dispose responsibly.

Visit Georgetown, where big ideas meet small town charm.

Georgetown, the most beautiful town square in Texas.

Texas Farm Bureau Insurance, protection and peace of mind for Texans since 1952.

Don Hewlett Chevrolet Buick in Georgetown.

Making Texas road trips possible for over 50 years.

Don Hewlett Chevrolet Buick, Texas True.

Coca-Cola Southwest Beverages, Texas' local bottler providing the Lone Star state with a variety of Coca-Cola products.