SuSu is Back and Went to Loveland, Colorado

Time marches on and sort of left me in the dust for a couple of months!

But now I am catching up and over the next few days I plan to add the adventures I had, bringing this all up-to-date.

During my time in Colorado, which was spent mainly in the north-eastern section, or the Front Range as it is called and up close to the Wyoming border, I did manage to make a few day trips to Boulder and Loveland and several other small local towns.

Loveland

Street art is big and Loveland is the art capital of Colorado with some of the most gorgeous sculptures I have seen.

"Molly, Deeter and Susie" is one of my favorites and was created by Loveland's Pat Kennedy, then donated to the city in 2007. It is just one of the many sculptures that appear around just about every corner, in every tiny or large park or public space. It would take days to see them all but I saw enough to know that next time I am there, I will make a point of spending several days exploring. I consider my time there just a taste of what the area holds.

"Persistence of Vision," another sculpture by Pat Kennedy was the first one to catch my eye. Outside the historic Rialto Theatre, it is dedicated to the memory of Phyllis Wallbye who was the Arts editor of the Loveland Reporter-Herald newspaper. And right close to the newspaper office is the charming bike-riding paperboy! Down on the main street, a sleek, stylized cougar rests on the back of a bench and close by, in a tiny park, an apparently controversial, elegant nude woman cuddles her baby. So classically gorgeous, I wonder why anyone would be offended by the sculpture, titled  "Moulding Our Future" by Denny Haskew.

Loveland isn't all bronzes and art. There are also wonderful restaurants and coffee shops that are begging to be visited. From my short time there, I get the laid-back atmosphere and the vibe that to me indicates a lot of gentrification is going on. The lovely old buildings are begging to be restored and it is starting to happen. Some of them have been gutted and converted to very expensive condos.

Loveland is snug up against the base of the Rockies, so ski areas are very close, plus it is not far from Denver so it could possibly become a bedroom community which would be a shame, really, as it has so much charm now.

Next time I am in Colorado, I will make sure I go back to Loveland and take in more of the sites. It most likely won't be in the winter as I am not much of a snow person, so watch for updates next spring.

Where in the World is Ault?

 

Where in the world is Ault?

If you blink as you drive north on Hwy 85, from Eaton, Colorado, you might miss this dot on the map, billed as "A Unique Little Town," covering a total area of 0.7 square miles (1.8 km²). Incorporated in 1904, it is also known as “Gateway to the Pawnee Grasslands.” 

Ault sits directly on a railway line, (a rail runs through it) with vast farm lands stretching for miles around it. The main landmark is the tall grain elevator that appears to be out of use.

Although the town is tiny, it's well worth a stop to explore the antique stores that line the main street. On the day I visited, it was the middle of the week and the streets were quiet. We had the run of the place, and wandered through acres of antiques, marveling at the finds! One of the stores specializes in china and glassware, so the other granny Susan queried about some china she has stashed in a box somewhere. Next visit, we'll take the stashed china with us.

My favorite so far, is Jen's Antique Mall, (we didn't have time to visit all the stores). Located in an old (the whole street is old!) building, there are nooks and crannies to explore and an enormous assortment of stuff. I saw lots of old kitchenware and utensils, old toys, masses of salt and pepper shakers and other goodies that I didn't know were considered antiques as I used them when I was a kid! Hmmm.... makes you think!

Although we were too late to partake of the goodies at Gray's Cafe, (they close at 2pm) the cinnamon rolls are famous in this neck of the woods. Apparently they are huge! So next time we make the jaunt north to Ault, we'll plan on being there before they close, preferably for the also famous breakfast.

Jen's Antique Mall

220 1st St Ault, CO 80610 (970) 834-2877

JR's Antiques Etc.

(China and glassware) 213 1st St, Ault, CO 80610 (970) 834-2291

Antiques Whistle Stop LLC

213 1st St Ault, CO 80610 (970) 834-2198

Gray's Cafe

200 1st St Ault, CO 80610 (970) 834-0741

Exploring Locally

As those of you who read this blog know, I believe in exploring and adventuring wherever I happen to be. Recently, I've been moving around a lot, which gives me great opportunities to get out and discover what's happening.

Arriving in Eaton, Colorado ahead of the snow that hit the Rockies the day after I wound my way through them, I quickly got settled at  Susan and Dan's, which is right in Eaton, a small, farming community. That doesn't mean bucolic, pastoral fields of cows grazing, corn growing and vegetable gardens in every yard. This is industrial farming. Miles and miles of flat, cultivated and irrigated land that is just now being turned and will soon be fertilized with heaven knows what! And with the oil and gas boom, just about every field is dotted with fracked wells. Not a pretty sight, but the locals are happy - megabucks pouring into the area and MacMansions popping up in place of corn.

Aaaahhh...progress...

However...

Nothing is going to stop the exploring, so Susan and my first little adventure was into Greeley, a college town about 10 miles from here. Sunday morning and we got a recommendation for a good coffee shop (NOT Starbucks, or Charbucks, as I call it) and made out way into the University District to The Blue Mug @margies, a charming place that reminded us of Port Townsend. Funky furniture, high ceilings with wonderful old tinned tiles and most importantly...good coffee. It wasn't too crowded, being Sunday and the college students were probably still sleeping off heavy Saturday night parties. It wasn't really warm enough to b out on the delightful patio, though. Once it warms up a bit, that will be the place to enjoy sit out  under the big umbrellas and enjoy the surroundings.

As I mentioned, Eaton is a tiny dot on the map, but one of Susan's favorite places is The French Corner, an antique-y store with some lovely stuff. It smelled so good, too as there are bowls of potpourri strategically places, as well as scented candles to brighten the dark corners. It's in an old building that lends itself to the decor. The prices, for the most part, were reasonable and there is a huge variety of goods. We spent a sensory-filled hour or so wandering, touching, smelling and just enjoying.

Eaton actually has two French Corners and we visited both, the second one appearing to have more of a "sale" appearance, although I don't think that is the intention. Either way, both locations are fun places to go.

Yesterday, we planned to go to Fort Collins, which is half an hour or so away as there is supposedly a Farmers Market right in Old Town. Well, we didn't find it, but Old Town is a place I plan on going back to explore. We found out later that the market was indoors! So no wonder we didn't see it.

We made a circular route back to Eaton, but as I had found a Groupon for a tea place in Greeley, we decided to do that instead.

What fun that was!

For Susan, who lived in the area 30 years ago, it was an eye-opener, as the area has grown up so much, getting gentrified and moving beyond being an agricultural town known for its meatpacking plant (which is still here to handle the animals from the local stockyards). There are lovely old building, many brick ones that are starting to house a lot of restaurants, specialty stores and places like Cranford Cove Tea Tavern.

What a delightful place that turned out to be! The Groupon worked getting us in there and I know we will go back. It's in a storefront location and has a surprising twist to the tea theme. Of course, you can get a cuppa but the specialties are alcoholic drinks made with various teas and spirits! My libation was a hot spiced rum drink made with the special chai blend (I always go for rum) and Susan's was a Lemon Drop made with green tea and ...hmm I forget but it was delicious!

Making the Tea Tavern even more special is that it is not-only-for-profit enterprise, that benefits Love Made Claim, a non-profit with "a mission to reach those in the sex industry with the truth that they are loved and valued." I do like to support social entrepreneurs as I believe this is the way of the future.

The Blue Mug

931 16th Street, Greeley, Colorado 80631 (970) 356-6364

The French Corner Market

" A Vintage Shop" 108 Oak Ave ( Hwy 85 ) Eaton, Colorado 80615 970-454-2006

Cranford Cove Tea Tavern

823 10th St. Greeley, CO 80631 970-515-5527

Spectacular Drive to Colorado

I am so glad I decided to forgo Route 66 along the southern route through Arizona and New Mexico to Colorado. The scenery on my chosen route, US70, was unbelievably spectacular. Every twist and turn displayed new views and awe-inspiring rocky vistas. My overnight was in Richfield, Utah and from there, I had a choice to either drive north through Wyoming and miss some of the mountain passes, or go up and over. I chose the latter as I didn't think I wanted to see all the fracking wells that Susan said she had seen in Wyoming, coming from Washington.

Crossing the state border into Colorado and heading up into the mountains, I remembered how I had felt when I first came to Colorado back in the very-early 70s, when Aspen was a very small village and Snowmass only had a couple of ski runs. I actually learned to ski on the bunny slope in Snowmass! It was in John Denver's day, and I so wanted to move to the Rocky Mountain High he sang about. I loved the mountains and the smells, the clean air. We (my ex Randy) and I spent quite a bit of time there as his brother lived in Snowmass. We were there in all the seasons, my favorite being spring, when the mountains and meadows bloomed. We never did make the move...I had discovered a tiny town called Ouray that seemed, at the time, to be perfect.  Driving through Grand Junction this time, I almost made the the right turn on Highway 550 to go check it out. Maybe on the way back? On Highway 70, I cruised through Vail and Breckenridge where it was snowing! During my weather check that morning there was no indication that it would do that, and I was fortunate that it was very light, although the white stuff was piled high alongside the highway and there were signs saying "icy road" so I was very careful. My little car does not have all weather tires! And I didn't carry any chains, which in hindsight was probably not a good idea! I made it up and over the mountains without mishap, enjoying the change in scenery - gone were the golds, browns, reds and tans of the high desert. Emerald forests and blinding white snow blanketed the mountain sides and the road winds up and down, through valleys and alongside rivers and through some very l-0-n-g tunnels, which I don't like!

Late in the afternoon, I popped out on the eastern side of the Rockies - and stretching as far as I could see, it was FLAT! No wonder people thought the earth was flat - it sure looked like it from my perch! The Flat Earth Society is probably in Denver! From there, it was literally, downhill! Traffic and trucks and people!

Thank goodness for Lucy (my and Betsy's name for Waze) who directed me around rush hour traffic to Eaton, Colorado where I got a big welcome from Susan and Dan and the animals!

p.s These are all iPhone 5 pix and I shot and edited them in Camera+, a really cool app that has lots of editing options.

On the Road Again

 

I managed to blast out of Los Angeles traffic around 11 this morning, missing any congestion . As soon as I  got on the 210 freeway, I turned on an audiobook and cruised. Harry Bosch kept me amused most of the day.

I did manage to drive a short section of Route 66 in Victorville, which was very uninspiring. In fact, most of the scenery, until I reach northern Nevada was desert, desert, and more desert with a lot of cactus breaking up the monotoned scenery.

When I reached Las Vegas, I decided not to stop - I think I want to pick a "special" and go for a weekend and see a show and take in the sights. It needs more than a quick drive by - especially if I want pix.

There was a huge solar plant, I think it's called Searchlight and I wasn't the only one slowing down to check it out. And by slowing down, we slowed to 70 instead of 80!

Then I got to the good part! Amazing rock formations and cliffs, striated layers of various hues and colors formed on both sides of the highway and it was the perfect time of day - late afternoon and it just glowed. The tops of some of the bluffs were frosted with a light snow glaze which shimmered in the golden light.

I know I was driving erratically; it was hard to keep my eyes on the road, surrounded by such spectacular beauty. I actually hadn't realized how close the highway is to Zion National Park and that what I was seeing on my right, was the western border of the park.

As darkness fell, it became apparent I wasn't going to get to Richfield for the night, but figured 500 miles was a good day and pulled in to Beaver, Utah for a good night's rest.

Barring anything untoward, I should be in Eaton tomorrow evening.

Change in Plans

A change in plans and a slight delay. As much as I would love to do the Route 66 portion of the trip, some time constraints (and dollar constraints) have cropped up. So I have decided to simply go the most direct route, which is US15 through Las Vegas, Utah and into Colorado.

Of course, at Ryan's urging, I will drive the strip in LV as it has to be more than 40 years since I was there and much has changed. I might even throw some quarters in a one-armed bandit - oh wait! It's all electronic now! I guess I will buy a card and try my luck anyway.

The delay, which isn't a biggie for me, is I am waiting for the plumber to show up at Ryan's house to replace a blown water heater! Hopefully I will be out of here by noon and miss the outbound Los Angeles traffic.

Route 66 via 65

2014-03-12 17.45.34

What does that title mean?

Just that I am planning a trip along part of Route 66, something that I have wanted to do for eons. And that I will have just turned 65 the week before I leave. I am not doing the entire route, just part of California, Arizona and a section of New Mexico, before I turn north through Santa Fe to Colorado.

Originally, I had intended to go north from Los Angeles, through Las Vegas, Salt Lake City and over the top through Wyoming and down to Eaton, Colorado where I am headed to visit my BFF Susan. But when Ryan suggested going the southern route, and I discovered that US40 runs right along the old Mother Road, it didn't take much to persuade me to go that way. Obviously, it will take longer, but I don't have to be in CO any particular day, so can take my time, pottering along, taking pix, and enjoying the ride.

I went to AAA this morning, got real maps (nothing like real paper maps for planning), the tour books and the Route 66 book. I will also download one of the Route 66 apps for my iPhone.

There isn't a lot of time for preparation but my car will be serviced tomorrow, tires rotated etc. And I will have just about everything I own in the car with me as I head out on an epic road trip.

Another adventure! I hope you come along for the ride.