Lots of fun things were afoot in the spring and summer of 2014 in Colorado!

 

• Colorado School of Mines Spring 2014 Commencement – The big ceremony to mark the end of the academic road for CSM’s finest students.

May Outings

• North Table Mountain Hike – One of the twin Table Mountains looking over Golden makes for a great day hike.
• White Ranch Park Hike – A beautiful park that hangs on top of the mountains and looks down onto the plains.
• Elk Meadow Park Hike – Elk Meadow is centrally located in Evergreen but you feel like you are miles from civilization when hiking through the park.

Guanella Pass and Front Ranges Back Roads Weekend

• Lunch in Georgetown – We stopped in Georgetown for lunch before heading up and over Guanella Pass.
• Georgetown Powerhouse – The neat century-old electrical power generation station in Georgetown.
• Silver Dale Hike – An old mining district now given back to the trees.
• Guanella Pass – A beautiful mountain road up and over the Rocky Mountains.
• Hiwan Homestead – A homestead built around 1900 for the rich and famous of Denver.
• Apex – A ghost town far off the beaten track in the mountains of Colorado.
• Driving the Back Roads in Gilpin County – Lots of sketchy back roads in the mountains.
• The Carousel of Happiness – A very unexpected carousel in Nederland.
• Nederland – The little mountain town of Nederland is an odd and quirky place.
• Nederland Mining Museum – A little mining museum in the middle of town packed full of old rusty equipment.
• Near Eldorado Ski Area – We found a quiet pullout off the road to the ski area for lunch with stunning views of the Nederland area and the Front Ranges.

 Cripple Creek, Victor, and Cañon City Weekend

• Heading to Cripple Creek – Pikes Peak is sighted on Highway 67.
• Evening Overlook of Cripple Creek – Looking down on the little town of Cripple Creek.
• Evening in Cripple Creek – Strolling around downtown Cripple Creek to take in the sights.
• Carr Manor – The little boutique hotel / bed and breakfast we stayed at in Cripple Creek is a really interesting place.
• Cripple Creek Overlook at the Heritage and Information Center – A good overlook of the town of Cripple Creek and surrounding mining district.
• The Mollie Kathleen Mine – An old hard rock gold mine that is now open for tours.
• Cripple Creek District Museum – An interesting museum that details the history of the mining district.
• Cripple Creek and Victor Narrow Gauge Railroad – A fun little narrow gauge line that runs all of four miles through the old mining district.
• Outlaws and Lawmen Jail Museum – The old jail in Cripple Creek saw use up through 1997.
• The Burros of Cripple Creek – Feral burros of the old mining camp population roam the streets.
• Going Down the Shelf Road – This road is supposed to be scary but it was actually a lot of fun.  No problem for my little lowered Subaru.
• Skyline Drive in Cañon City – A beautiful little road up the spine of a hogsback ridge on the west side of Cañon City.
• Royal Gorge Jeep Tour – A fun little Jeep tour of Royal Gorge and the surrounding area.  We even got to cross the bridge over the gorge!
• Museum of Colorado Prisons – Heather loves prison museums.
• Royal Gorge Route Railroad Dinner Train – A great train through a great canyon with great company and great food.
• Bighorn Sheep Canyon Rafting on the Arkansas River – With a flow rate of 4300CFS, the Arkansas River was roaring for our raft trip!
• Driving Up Phantom Canyon Road in a Thunderstorm – Things got dicey when a thunderstorm rolled over us while we were inside Phantom Canyon.
• Victor – The quiet little mining town of Victor was once something much bigger.
• Goldfield – A little bedroom community in the Cripple Creek Mining District that now only has a few houses and some memories.
• Vindicator Valley – A little valley filled with historic hard rock mining equipment from the boom days.
• American Eagles Overlook – A view into the belly of the massive Cripple Creek and Victor Gold Mining Company strip mine.

Other June Happenings

• North Table Mountain Hike with Kate and Mark – We took Kate and Mark up on North Table Mountain to frolick in the wild grasses.
• My Car Gets Rear-Ended – My car and my neighbor’s car got rear-ended by a driver at 5 am the day after my birthday as they sat parked on the street.
• Apex Park Hike – My first foray into Apex Park.  I’m certain it won’t be my last.

4th of July Weekend with Heather’s Parents

• Avon – We stayed in Avon for a couple days prior to and over the 4th of July.
• Rafting the Eagle River – We went down some fun rapids on the Eagle River.
• Beaver Creek Morning – The little resort of Beaver Creek is a fun place to spend a morning.
• Beano’s Cabin – A long lunch was had at Beano’s Cabin on the slopes of the Beaver Creek ski resort.
• Beaver Creek – An afternoon in Beaver Creek waiting for the 4th of July fireworks.
• Vail – This little resort town is trying extremely hard to be Switzerland or a mountanous part of Germany.
• On the Way to Leadville – Driving up the canyon to one of the famous mining districts of Colorado.
• The Abandoned Town of Gilman – A mining town fallen silent after the entire place was found to be toxic from all the mine waste.
• Red Cliff – A little town in a canyon that once was a happening place.
• Camp Hale – The old home of the 10th Mountain Division.
• Turquoise Lake – A beautiful lake just outside Leadville.
• Twin Lakes – Two lakes linked by a channel that are absolutely out of this world.
• Leadville – The town that almost was the state capital.  It is returning to a better state since I was last here in the early 90s.
• Leadville, Colorado & Southern Railroad – One of the most beautiful railroads in Colorado. The train follows the old Highline toward Fremont Pass.
• Another Day in Leadville – The little mountain town of Leadville is very picturesque.
• The Matchless Mine – We went to visit Baby Doe’s cabin.
• Heading up the Canyon Toward Fremont Pass – The little mountain valley from Leadville to Fremont Pass is beautiful.
• The Climax Mine – A huge mine on the edge of forever.
• The Buckhorn Exchange – A century old restaurant full of death and delicious meat.

Other July Happenings

• Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me at Red Rocks – Heather and I joined Becky to watch Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me at the Red Rocks Amphitheatre.
• Apex July Hike – Heather and I ventured up Apex Park’s trails for a few good views.
• Walking Around the Colorado School of Mines on a Fine Summer Day – Just like the title says, I took a walk around the beautiful School of Mines campus.

 

A Long Weekend in Grand County for Justin and Megan’s Wedding #onefineday719

• Berthoud Pass with Heather – The pass looks a bit different when not covered in snow.
• Lake Granby – A big reservoir on the headwaters of the Colorado River.
• Grand Lake – The beautiful town and lake that share the same name.
• Stillwater Pass Road – We ventured off the pavement and checked out some exciting back roads.
• Sunset at Granby Ranch – The sun sank low in the west as we watched the sky turn from blue to amazing shades of red and pink.
• Cottonwood Pass Road – A great gravel drive through some of the more obscure parts of Grand County.
• Up the Chairlift at Granby Ranch – In the summer, chairlift rides are free at Granby Ranch if you’re just going up to walk around and take in the view.
• Justin and Megan Get Married – Using the hastag #onefineday719, Justin and Megan got married at the Shadow Mountain Ranch just outside Granby.
• Corona Pass Road – While the local tourist office and the signs on the road say that it is an easy gravel road passable by 2WD sedan, I wouldn’t suggest taking a passenger car up this road unless you really know what you’re doing.

 August Outings

• Amos Lee at Red Rocks – We went for a wonderful concert where Amos Lee sang with the Colorado Symphony.
• Casa Bonita – The Colorado cultural institution of Casa Bonita, complete with lagoon and cliff divers.
• The Denver Train Station – While waiting for my aunt to arrive on the train from the western slope of Colorado, I checked out the new Denver train station.
• Mount Evans – My aunt came to visit for the weekend.  We went up Mount Evans to check out the view.
• The Fort Restaurant – We went with my aunt to The Fort Restaurant for a great meal.
• The Carousel of Happiness with My Aunt – We visited the Carousel of Happiness with my aunt to have a ride.
• USA Pro Cycling Challenge comes through my neighborhood – The bicycle race roared by the end of my road on the way down to a finish in Denver.

The End of Summer

• Panorama Point Fall Aspen Hike – A beautiful little hike at Golden Gate Canyon State Park.