Glenwood Springs has been a working town and a resort town at the same time since the hot springs pool opened in 1888. Doc Holliday came for the water, the railroad came for the coal, and everyone since has come for the canyon. Between the Roaring Fork and the Colorado, on lots that climb the hillsides, the building never stops. We’re ninety minutes down I-70 in Grand Junction, on the flat where the big iron lives. (970) 241-4368.
Hillside homes in Glenwood mean retaining walls, stepped foundations and gutters three stories off the downhill side. The 34-foot towable boom lift sets up on outriggers where a scissor can’t, the Bobcat mini excavators dig the wall footings and drains, and the MT55 mini track loader fits through the gate a skid steer won’t. Compactors, concrete mixers and vibrators finish the job.
Glenwood’s hotels, restaurants and fleets get washed hard and often. The hot-water Hotsy units, up to the trailer-mounted 3500 PSI Trail Blazer with its own tank and reels, strip grease off a kitchen pad or road salt off a shuttle van. Own one instead: seven Hotsy models are on our floor, the full detergent line beside them, and we are the factory-authorized Hotsy service center for the whole valley.
Defensible space is not optional on the hillsides above town. The Barreto chipper, stump grinders and log splitter, Husqvarna saws and pole saws, and a dump trailer for the slash make a weekend of it. Bring the saw back to our Husqvarna bench for a sharpen and a tune before next year.