October 5, 2019. Frisco, Colorado. One of the reasons we selected Dillon as our home for two weeks is that it is central to six or seven ski areas. Yesterday, we toured Vail and Frisco. We didn't spend much time in Vail. If there is a central business area, we couldn't find it. We drove around a bit, then backtracked to Frisco.
Frisco did not disappoint. Its current population is about 3000 residents. It was chartered in 1879, although trappers and prospectors inhabited the area for 60 years prior its chartering. The Frisco Historical Park and Museum occupies an entire city block and features original historic structures. The second Frisco school stands on the site of its original construction. It was designed to be a tavern, but never operated as one. Within a year of its construction, 1901, it was purchased by the school district and used as a school until 1963.
The park also displays a log chapel, a trapper's cabin, a ranch house and Frisco's only jail. The jail was originally constructed in 1881 and contained 4x7 foot cells. The rest room in the one remaining cell consisted of a rusty pail. I wouldn't want to spend much time there.
The park has eleven original structures. We wandered from building to building. Each has a video or audio relating its history and prior occupants. The school house has a miniature model of the town of Frisco from the 18th century. It was an interesting 90-minute walk down history lane.
Today, we spent some time at the Silverthorne Outlet Mall. We weren't actually shopping, we were walking and the Mall provided the sidewalks. We did enter a few stores. Shopping with Annie Farkley is not something I relish. Annie is careful and meticulous in all she does. Shopping is no exception.
In the grocery store we have to check the "sell by" date on every item that goes in the cart. We (she) reads the small print on every container or package. I, on the other hand, stroll down the aisles cavalierly tossing processed foods into the cart. Should there be a brief separation in the store, as soon as we are rejoined, she looks in the cart, instantly spotting the junk I've put in. Whatever I added to the cart, she takes out. She then pulls out her magnifying glass so she can read the small print. When she returns the item to the cart, she looks at me with sad eyes, shakes her head and walks away. You have not shopped if you haven't shopped with Annie.
Tomorrow is another day. Tonight there is no plan for tomorrow. Life is good.
Goodnight.
October 2, 2019. Georgetown and Dillon, Colorado. The drive from Longmont to Dillon was supposed to be two hours. We managed to extend it to three by stopping in Georgetown, Colorado. One of Annie's favorite troubadours made a movie there once and Georgetown had that going for it. Additionally, we stopped there on one of our many trips to Colorado in the 1980s. The girls played on a playground which is still there. It bears little resemblance to what it did then. I remember it having a slide, a merry-go-round and some swings accented with a few picnic tables. Now, there is a miniature town constructed over a quarter of the block.
Georgetown blossomed as a silver mining community during the Civil War. It was founded as a gold mining camp in 1859. Silver was discovered in 1864. Georgetown was not a mine town per se. It was a commercial community where miners would come for purchases and entertainment. The silver mines were located several miles from town.
Prior to the collapse of the silver market in the 1890s, Georgetown grew to a population of 10,000 residents. There was even a movement to relocate the state capitol from Denver to Georgetown. However, when the value of silver plummeted, Georgetown fell on hard times. It regained some of its prior glory in the 1950s as a tourist town boasting a historic district and offering retail items to travelers driving to the ski resorts in Summit County. Georgetown remains as the county seat of Clear Creek County, having wrested that honor from the now larger Idaho Springs in the 19th century.
Upon our arrival in Dillon, we made the usual run to the grocery store. Once the fridge was filled to overflowing, we settled in, sitting on the deck looking out over Lake Dillon. The aspens have turned on the mountainside across the lake.
Today, we slept in, watched recent developments in Washington and took a walk on the trail below our condo, between us and the lake. We have no plans for tomorrow. I've said before that having no plans is one of the best things about our form of travel. We'll find something to do, of course. But, we won't feel compelled to rush around to complete an activity just because we happened to think about it the day before. Some may call that indolence. I call it relaxation. And, I don't particularly care what "some" may think about it. So there.
Goodnight.
September 30, 2019. Pearl Street and Searching for Color. We have spent the last two days anchored in Longmont. Yesterday, we watched the Chiefs beat Detroit, then drove the short distance to Boulder. There is a revitalized downtown retail area there called the Pearl Street Mall. We've been there once before and were entertained by the street performers and unique visitors, many of whom are locals who come to town when the moon is full. The first grouping of pictures were taken on Pearl Street. Annie Farkley finally found a bear she wasn't afraid of. That must be because the bear is such a dapper dresser.
Today, we set out to tour some small mountain towns west of here. First on our list was Nederland. The road to Nederland goes through Boulder Canyon. We made it about six miles on the winding, mountainous, narrow highway before we were turned back by a flag-woman who told us there were repairs being made ahead and we should go back the way we came. I asked if there was another route to Nederland. Yes, she said, but she didn't know what it was. So, back we went to Boulder, checked the GPS, and took another route.
We made it about six miles on that route and were detoured to another road. Four or five miles later, we were met with another detour which led us to Ward. That was fine, because it was a town we wanted to visit, too. A mile outside of Ward, we were met with additional construction, one-lane traffic and a dirt road.
We began to realize that we had been climbing in altitude since leaving Boulder. Our reward was a brilliant display of golden aspen splayed across the mountains. Before seeing the aspens, we saw a dozen or more vehicles on the shoulder of the road. They were, apparently, in search of color, too.
We stopped in Nederland and milled around a bit. It is an interesting mix of old and new. There was a small shopping area and a cafe located in a rail car advertised as having belonged to Buffalo Bill Cody. I don't necessarily vouch for that. Could be, I suppose. We saw interesting artistic doors on some older houses. One such door had a sign next to it telling us that the property was posted. I wonder why the resident would go to the trouble of elaborately decorating the door, then tell others to stay away. Curious.
It has been another couple of good days. Tomorrow, we will move on to Dillon where we will be in a condo for two weeks. Dillon is in Summit County, Colorado. It is surrounded by ski resorts, Keystone, Breckenridge, Vail and others. We will be at elevations over 9000 feet. I am looking forward to breathing in the thin, crisp, autumn air.
Goodnight.
September 28, 2019. Fort Collins to Longmont. Downtown Fort Collins is quaint. We browsed a bookstore recommended to us by our oldest daughter. We then sauntered the several blocks of local and national retail stores. Flowers, sculptures, skeletons climbing buildings and piano players assaulted our senses.
After leaving the downtown area, we drove through the campus of Colorado State University. We were looking for the married housing complex so I could take a picture of unit M-2 for a friend who lived there with his wife and first child 50 years ago. We failed to locate it. A new football stadium has been constructed in the same area and the married housing complex may have been a casualty of progress.
Before leaving the area, we looked at a number of real estate developments. Fort Collins is routinely named as one of America's most livable cities. The population is about 165,000 and it rests in the shadow of the Rocky Mountains. It is about halfway between Denver and Cheyenne, just off I-25. We aren't planning a move, just gathering information.
We did the same thing when we reached Longmont. We will be here three nights. I am not sure what we will do the next two days. I suppose we will explore Longmont, Boulder and maybe Lyons, Ward and Nederland. From here, we move to the Dillon area in Summit County, on I-70. We will be there two weeks in a vacation home.
Today's pictures depict downtown Fort Collins, a Colorado visitors center, Berthoud - between Fort Collins and Longmont off highway 287, and four aspen trees which reminded us of our four daughters. That warm thought brought the end of a good day. I hope your day was good, too.
Goodnight.
September 26, 2019. Home to Colorado. We made our first trip to Colorado in 1974. We stayed in a house on the Taylor River near Gunnison. Our first night was spent in Colorado Springs. I was completely awestruck by the view of Pike's Peak and Cheyenne Mountain. I kept leaving our motel room to look at the towering monoliths surrounding us. With one exception, we have traveled to Colorado at least once per year, sometimes as many as 3-4 times per year. This year, we cut our summer stay here short, so we are back to spend a month in the mountains. It is like coming home. To torture the lyrics of a great John Denver song, we're coming home to a place we've been before.
The drive out was uneventful. We followed the example of Fred and Anna, staying the first night in Colby, Kansas. We stopped at the outlet mall in Loveland. The American Flag waved over an empty parking lot. I recall times when the mall swarmed with shoppers. Not so now. Several of the buildings have been taken over by churches. There are used cars for sale on part of the lot. One of the sales clerks told us that several more stores will close by the end of the year. With time does not always come progress. Sometimes, it is the opposite.
Our first overnight stop in Colorado was Fort Collins. We arrived too early to check in to the hotel, so I got the oil changed in the car. One of the servicemen noticed the squeaky noise under the hood. He suggested we have it looked at by a repair shop. "It could be the bearings in the clutch to your air conditioner. If it fails completely, your engine could seize and you'll be stranded."
That was enough for Annie Farkley. We first went to a dealership. There we were told that they couldn't get to it for possibly two days. He recommended a locally owned repair shop. Ten minutes later we were there. I told the intake guy that we were traveling and would like to have the repair made as soon as possible.
Fifteen minutes later, a mechanic told us that the tensioner on the serpentine belt was bad. "You should replace the belt at the same time," he said. "It will save the labor expense of replacing it later."
We were at the shop no more than and hour. The squeak is no more. I am $500 poorer, but I really don't mind so much when the repair is correctly diagnosed and completed quickly. We have spent two days sitting in waiting rooms on previous trips. This was a breath of fresh air.
Today, we drove up the Big Thompson Canyon to Estes Park. The elk were resting on the golf course, the YMCA was sparsely populated and we enjoyed having Estes pretty much to ourselves.
Tomorrow, we will explore Fort Collins, population about 160,000 and home to Colorado State University. From our drive-abouts, it looks like a nice community. More later.
Goodnight.
