Hello again Colorado!! Now this is more like we were expecting!

Hello again Colorado!! Now this is more like what we were expecting. We visited Eastern Colorado in June. It presented a barren vastness and farming landscape we didn’t count on as Colorado. US25 is taking us the length and east of the Rockies through Denver, ColoradoSprings to Haggards RV Park in West Pueblo. This location puts us not further then 2 hours drive to everything we would like to see and we Love it! Clean, family run and the price suited us very well. In the evenings we watched the Antelope and Mule Deer herds graze and the babies run (note: conscious effort to avoid song lyrics). But that is exactly what we saw.

Day one we drove to Gardens of the Gods. It is a very heavily visited city park with amazing Sandstone formations. A perfect picture catches every corner of your eye. There is easy parking and paved walking. Mountain bikes have trails and rock climbing is available for registered and equipped technical climbers. This is such an easy place to spend time. It was fun to over hear jaded teenagers enjoying this family stop.

*Kissing Camels

*Balancing Rock

 

 

Ivy Wild Elementary School has been repurposed as an artist market, organic café and a brewery. All are separate businesses working together. The business attitude in the shops and bakery were overly nonchalant. The brewery was good. Cool idea with a bit to much art and not much execution.

We talked about driving up Pikes Peakf or 30 seconds and then made reservations to ride the Cog train to the summit. The streets are tight and curvy to the parking lot. It is easy to see the parking attendants are use to the congestion, commandeering the road and parked us easily in their tight lot. The train station is cute and tiny packed with ticket holders trying to get in from the rain. The rain had stopped by the time our train was leaving the station. Going up we saw the transition from plains, forests and alpine tundra. We had amazing long distance views of the mountains, water falls and a few hardy hikers. At the top we did talk to a couple who just completed their eight hours climb. Our top of the world experience was a surreal visual. No rain, but the clouds were thick and rolling. We were not disappointed by any means. There was a mystical billowing in the air outside giving it a after life feeling. Inside the gift shop / snack bar it was a packed frenzied quest by visitors to buy souvenirs and go to the bathroom. We did get the best fried doughnuts and coffee. Plus my new favorite snack; Peanut butter chip stuffed marshmallows ( www.stuffnmallows.com ) for the 1 ½ hour trip down.

*Cogs and Cog Rails get you to the top

*Maybe if we put in a quarter I could see the view

*Droping off the end of the world

*Pikes Peak was inspiration for "America the Beautiful"

*Blue Sky at 14,000 feet

 

The first time I had heard of the Air Force Academy I was watching The Lucy Show with my parents. Lucy and teenage Little Dezi were taking a tour. I was impressed with it then and am still impressed upon seeing it. The academy area has a busy welcome center with and informational film and academic museum. The walkway takes you to the cadet training area, complete with marching formations. I was most excited to see the chapel. From all the pictures I had ever seen, I never realized how the architecture felt like flight. Such a perfect union of air defense and God. The interior was as inspirational. A guest was playing the floor to cathedral ceiling pipe organ and day light through the stain glass ceiling completed the spirit of this simple multi denominational interior. The Air Force Falcons Football Stadium was a fun stop. It was as easy to imagine the soaring football as much as the flying covers of the new graduates.

*Air Force Academy Chapel

*Sky Light Stained Glass

*The first two pews are always reserved

* Go Army

 

Just off from Garden of the Gods is Glen Eyrie. A beautiful English Tudor castle built in 1871 by General Palmer. The castle was built around the ballroom fireplace. It was said that “if they had it in New York they had it at Glen Eyrie”. Now owned and run by the Christian organization the Navigators, tours of the castle and grounds are $6.00. It functions as a B&B, Convention center, with fine dining and high and low teas. What is the difference between high and low teas? The height of the table (baboom).

 

 

*Ready for the Afternoon Tea

 

Colorado Springshas a US Olympic Training Center. If you are in the top 10% in the country for Boxing, Fencing, Mens Gymnastics, Shooting, Swimming Weightlifting Wrestling or a Pentathalete you can train here free. Also Paraympic Judo, Shooting, Cycling and Swimers. This is a free guided tour which included the shooting range, wrestling gym, pool (yes, Olympic sized) and gymnastics gyms. I am not a huge sports fan but I love American exceptionalism. After seeing Donnell Whittenburg train and compete I have a sports figure worth following.

*Prospective

*Work ethic

*Gets you to the top of the list

 

It was a beautiful and sad trip to Royal Gorge. On the way up we did notice a lot of burned trees. Royal Gorge itself had beautiful views and was really deep. That’s about it. When we stopped at the welcome center we found out that the bridge and most attractions for the area had been closed down do to the fire last year. We don’t feel like we had missed anything we needed but it was sad to see so many businesses closed because of the lack of tourism. 

* I am a dork.  The spines hurt more coming out the going in -

 

On the way home we had a slam on the breaks moment. Museums of Colorado Prisons! Heck Ya!!

CannonCity is the home of “Old Max”. Built in 1935 Colorado Territorial Prison was the first womens prison in the area. It is adjacent to the currently active prison built in 1868. The museums heavy duty individual cell prison is set up as vignettes to notable Guards, Prisoners, Prison life, the death penalty, discipline, you get the idea. This was a fascinating audio tour. Items on display were prisoner crafts and weapons. Dramatic news articles, the last hangman’s noose used and the “Old Gray Mare’ gas chamber. It had the honest feel of the classic Jimmy Cagney movies I adore. Old Max has been the star of several B class movies. “Cannon City Prison Break” was permitted only with the approval of Warden Roy Best, with the condition he headlined as himself. The gift shop is full of craft items made by the current prison population. Here is a bit of 20^th century history you seldom here about or believe. This was a great fun and informational tour, fit for the whole family.

*Colorado Territorial Prison "Old Max"

*The gated neighborhood next door

*Who wouldn't want a shank table top?

*Movie posters of films from OM

 

Our day in Denver starts with a drive to the Molly Brown House. One of my first favorite movies was The Unsinkable Molly Brown starring Debbie Reynolds. I know that that movie is quite removed from the true life story of Margret Brown. This is a case were the real story is more interesting then the movie character. She was a prolific fund, raiser, rights activist for miners, women, children and animals. She ran for Senate three times before women had the right to vote and drove an ambulance for France in WW1. After surviving her trip on the Titanic she started and raised money for Titanic survivors and their families. Her historically amazing life story was muted as her daughter was embarrassed by her mother progressive, flamboyant and bombastic nature and chose not to correct rumors. The house tour was nice. It had been redecorated in what the curator thought the house would have looked like under Margrets decorative style. It was a beautiful home (no pictures inside) in a great classic Denver Neighborhood.

*Molly Brown story is better then the house -

 

 

Hammonds Candy gives free tours with samples! The same recipes have been used since 1920 with some fun new additions. Our favorite was the Pigs and Taters chocolate bar (bacon and potato chips in really good milk chocolate). It is crazy to see huge glops of molten sugar become handcrafted canes. Oh, and no tiny tour gifts to get lost in the bottom of your purse here. Everyone gets a giant candy cane. Todays flavor is root beer. Calories are too precious to waste on bad candy. This is where I would spend my money ( www.hammondscandies.com ).

* just great fun

 

 

It is a short drive to Golden from here. We did take a lunch stop at a cute neighborhood bar and grill for what Les and I both agreed was the BEST burgers we have had. Mine was with mushrooms andgouda. Les had a straight up classic. The Highland rock our burgers and beer in a comfortable atmosphere ( www.highlandtavern.com)

Coors Brewery in Golden is the largest single distributer brewery in US. We waited over an hour to get a pass from the elfin nazi coordinator that would take us to the plant. Coors gave us a nice audio tour with the promise of two brews at the end. When we made it to the pub and it was packed. No one seemed to want to leave this tasting room with great conversations an easy roll. Coors needs to open a pub.

*Free beer is worth some inconvenience*That Famous Mountian Spring Water

 

The National Museum of World War II Aviation exists in a combined effort of volunteers and Westpac Restorations www.worldwariiaviation.org. Unlike any other military based museum we have gone through this is a working environment. Tours are only guided, complete with a history briefing. WWIIA was special to us for its focus on the plane Les’ dad flew the B17, Willow Run Bomber plant, where my Mom worked and New Guinea where my Dad was deployed. Our tour took a break so we could run outside to see the flight of a WWII newly restored Marine plane ( sorry can’t remember what it was – but it was cool to see ). Part of the tour included a visit to the state of the art renovation hanger. It was heartwarming to see the varying degrees of planes from wrecks to polish. Most of the restorations are being made for private collectors. This was a real mechanically historical treat.

 

*My Moms First employer

*Way to step up and get things done Ladies - Salute you

*Restored and back from it flight

*Checks were painted on the Thunderbolts to help the US Navy identify them and NOT shoot em down for the Normandy Invasion

*This Thunderbolt was retreved from New Guinea and scheduled for restoration

*This one is getting a new skin and wiring

*Propeler fabrication Department

 

I recommend stopping in Trinidad before you cross over to New Mexico. Oh Yes, it is part of the Santa Fe Trail but its fortunes and history were made in coal mining and refining. To this day 5 miles out of town you see mountains of Coal slag and an unintended art exhibit in the rows of Coke ovens. These brick arched ovens were used for coal refinement to make condensed coal called coke. This is an interesting and beautiful industrial scenic view. Trinidad is seeing resurgence by tapping into its history as a western town. It is attracting historians, artists and archeologist. Dinosaur and ancient human fossils have been identified in this area. Take the free town trolley ride and soak up this charming comfortable town.

*Slag Mountain

*This was one of the coolest industrial ruins I have ever seen

*Each arch was a Coke Oven

*The Court House is Sand Stone and Morter Free.  Weight and gravity is all that holds it together

* A Sears and Robuck House - The Painted Lady

*We finally found a real Pictograph

*Trinidad Miners Memorial - Complete with every miners name

*The Air Quality Inspector

 

*Nope - not a Gilded Cage

*This town is just a nice treat - worth a long visit

 

 

Our trip through Colorado was sprinkled with intense rain moments and sunshine.  General observations showed no litter anywhere, a very active police force, and more then average abandoned or broken roadside cars. The majority of the people we spoke with had moved to CO within the past year and the basic pot sale rate was $200.00 per ounce.  No worries, you could get a customer appreciation card.  Love CO!  

 

22 July 2014

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