Fall, Colorado, 2013--Trip home and final thoughts

We headed home very early Monday morning.  It is a long day's drive.  We do like to get this behind us.  We usually grab a hot cup of coffee from a nearby McDonald's before heading on down the road.  Need something to keep us awake so early in the morning.  We usually stop for breakfast a couple of hours down the road.  We also need to get into Lawrence before 6 pm to pick up our dog from the "dog hotel."

One of the disadvantages of driving east is that the sun comes up over the horizon quickly.  We both thought we were going blind.  We stopped for breakfast shortly after the sun hit us in the face. By the time we had our fast food breakfast, the sun was high enough to not be a bother the rest of the trip.

We were cruising east on I-70 without a care in the world.  There was a car sitting in the median in the far distance.  Not another car to be seen.  James, as usual, is driving in the passing lane.  He does love that lane.  Lo and behold, car is a Colorado state trooper.  Oh no.  James is going 4 mph over the speed limit.  That's not enough to get a speeding ticket.  Well, he does stop us.  He informed my husband that in the state of Colorado one does not drive in the passing lane except to pass.  (I think we knew that.)  Thank goodness, only a warning.  Consequently, James did not drive in the passing lane except to pass the rest of the way to Lawrence.  I personally think the trooper was bored and just wanted to stop and chat for a bit.  Guess I shouldn't complain.  No ticket.  Just a waste of our time.

I am getting better with the navigation system.  Nissan needs to do something with their estimated drive time, though.  When we left Fort Collins, it said it would take us 11 hours and 18 minutes which would have us arrive at 6:12 pm.  We pulled into our house at 4:45 pm.  An hour and 27 minutes less than the estimate.  That is driving time.  Our 4:45 arrival time also included 2 stops to eat, 2 stops to purchase gasoline, and several stops to take advantage of roadside rest areas.  I am guessing another hour off of the original drive time.  That is basically ridiculous.  Our portable Garmin has a much closer estimate.  Nissan must think we are going to have a car problem every time we take to the road.

All in all it was a great trip.  I look forward to visiting my sister and her husband again in the next couple of years.  I certainly would like to see the inside of the Air Force Academy Chapel.  We have also talked about driving up to Cheyenne, Wyoming.  Thank goodness we didn't head that way this trip.

Fall, Colorado, 2013--Shopping in Fort Collins

We had a delightful day in Fort Collins.  Started off with a delicious breakfast prepared by my sister. We then slowly got ready to go to the Old Town Square in downtown Fort Collins. Stopped on the way at Jax. This is a sporting goods store similar to Dick's, Cabela's, and Bass Pro.  Then again, totally different. Jax is a Fort Collins store but you cannot believe the size of this place. There is even more than one building.

From there we traveled downtown.  In ways, downtown Fort Collins reminds me of downtown Lawrence, Kansas.  Many different boutique stores.  Also, a wide selection of restaurants representing many types of foods. We chose to eat at Cooper Smith's Pub & Brewing.

After lunch, we wandered around Old Town Square.  The advantage of this over Lawrence is that there are no cars in this area.  The photo below is in Old Town Square.

When finished here, we wandered through downtown on the walk back to our vehicle.  

This is my last post from Colorado.  I will make one more post with final thoughts in a few days.

Fall, Colorado, 2013--Manitou Springs

We stayed at a most delightful bed and breakfast in Manitou Springs.  I would definitely recommend the Blue Skies Inn to anyone that wants a wonderful experience.  The owner Sally is most friendly as well as helpful with anything you want to know.  She has basically built the inn herself with a bit of help.  Very artistic, down to the tiles that she has handpainted.  They bring your breakfast to your room in a lovely basket.  You have the choice of either 8:30 or 9. The breakfast is very filling and would also satisfy any vegetarians who stay here.  I am going to post a few of the photos I took as well as a link to the rooms that are available to the guests.

Blue Skies Inn Suite Index

We checked out about 10 and headed to downtown Manitou Springs.  Had a great time visiting many of the shops and boutiques.  I even made a few purchases which is so very unusual.  When finished shopping here, we climbed into Don's pickup and headed over to Old Colorado City.  I didn't even know this existed until we were visiting with Penny and Don.  This is also a very unique place to shop.  We started with lunch, though, at La Baguette French Bakery-Cafe.  Lunch was delicious.  I had a ham and swiss baguette while James had a most delicious-looking cheese and fruit platter served with a French bun.  

La Baguette French Bakery-Cafe

When lunch was done, we headed to a few of the very unique shops located in Old Colorado City. We were then off to the Garden of the Gods.

One can see photos of the Garden of the Gods but when you are there in person it is a spectacular sight.  We first went to the Visitor Center where we watched a 14 minute film on the creation of these rocks.  Very helpful.  We then loaded into the pickup to drive thru the Garden before heading back to Fort Collins.

Garden of the Gods

We had thought the drive down to the Colorado Springs area wasn't very pleasant due to the rain/snow mixture that was falling until we went over Monument Hill.  Well, it was worse coming home due to the high volume of traffic.  I know that Don had to be glad when we turned off I-25 to head west into Fort Collins.  I was.

Fall, Colorado, 2013--Colorado Springs

We left Fort Collins in a drizzly, very light snow mix about 11 am.  Traveled south thru Denver on our way to Colorado Springs.  Snow got heavier until we drove over Monument Hill where the snow stopped and the sun came out.  I know we are in Colorado but it is a bit early for snow.

Although it was cold and windy, the rest of the day was great.  The first place we visited was the Air Force Academy.  As we entered the gate, the guard told us that we were welcome to come in, walk around, and take as many photos as we wanted.  Unfortunately, the visitor center and the chapel were closed due to the government shutdown.  Major let down.  We then saw other tourists entering the visitor center.  It was open.  Yay!  The theatre which showed a film about the academy was closed but the rest of the center was open.  Very interesting.  We then took a short trail to see the chapel.  The chapel was closed.  I am sorry we didn't see the interior as I have heard many things about it.  But it is an awesome architectural building and I am so glad we were able to view it in person.  We then drove over to the Falcon Club for lunch and by the stadium before heading to the U.S. Olympic Center.

My favorite spot of the day was the Olympic Center.  It is a very nice facility for our athletes. There are quite a few sports that train here including men's gymnastics, wrestling, shooting, and weight lifting.  They do not train the women gymnasts because many are under 16 years of age. One must be 16 to train at the center.  There are many other sports in which they are privately trained.  In fact, I was surprised at how many.  We saw several athletes busy training.  

We then checked into our bed and breakfast.  Headed to supper at Crystal Park Cantina.  Mexican food and very good.  The place was packed.  That always says something about a restaurant.

Fall, Colorado, 2013--On the road to Fort Collins

Thursday morning we left Goodland and headed to Fort Collins.  I must admit that the road across eastern Colorado is not better than western Kansas.  Long and straight.  That is until you begin to see those beautiful rocky mountains.  Yesterday it was extremely clear and we were able to see Pikes Peak long before we normally do.  As we traveled north from Limon towards Denver we could see the mountains the bulk of the trip.

We had decided in advance to stop in Loveland at their outlet mall.  Well, that was a mistake. The outlet mall is basically empty.  It does have a Skechers store.  Lots of choices but not what we were looking for.  We also ran into the Nike store.  We purchased absolutely nothing.  We ate our lunch at a nearby Cracker and Barrel.  These are always good.

We headed on to Fort Collins.  We stayed off the interstate.  It took us only 30 minutes but it was through rural areas.  Fields of corn waiting to be harvested.  Arrived at my sisters shortly after two.

Today, Friday, we are heading to Manitou Springs.  Don't know if many of you have been following the weather but we picked the very worst weekend to come to Colorado.  A big winter storm is passing through.  Most of this is to the north in Wyoming and Nebraska but it is going to be very cold.  The high today is supposed to be 45 with north winds as strong as 22 mph.  Bit cool.  I have a feeling we don't have enough warm wraps.

Let you know how the day went in the morning.

Fall, Colorado, 2013--Traveling through Kansas

To my surprise, our first day on the road was very interesting.  We left home around 11 am.  Wanted to be in Salina shortly after 1 to eat lunch.  We lived close to Salina for 33 years but never had one of the very famous Cozy Burgers from Cozy Inn in downtown Salina.  This is a very small restaurant that has been in operation for 22 years.  They only serve very small burgers, smothered in onions, chips, and a soda.  We each had 3 burgers plus a soda.  Remember, though, they make 16 burgers from one pound of hamburger.  Click below to read about the Cozy history.

Cozy Inn history

We used the outdoor window to order our lunch.

After our delicious burgers, we headed to the town of Lucas and their famous Garden of Eden.  This was built by S.P. Dinamore.  He created the cabin home as well as the Garden of Eden from 1907 to 1928.  To my surprise, it was very, very interesting.  Plus, I think I would have enjoyed knowing this man.  I would certainly recommend taking the guided tour.

History of the Garden of Eden

Naturally, we needed to use the facilities while we were in Lucas.  These people are very creative. They have built the following in their downtown area.  This is also another reason to stop by Lucas on your way through western Kansas.

I must also mention Kansas highway 232 which runs from I70 at the Wilson, Ks, exit to Lucas.  A very scenic route in Kansas.  Lots of limestone hills, limestone fence posts, and many views of Lake Wilson.  Would certainly certainly suggest you take your time driving through these hills.

Then we were off to Goodland, Kansas, and the Comfort Inn for the night.

Fall, Colorado, 2013

We decided it was time to hit the road again.  We are heading west to Colorado to visit my sister and her husband.  They live in Fort Collins, Colorado.  We have not been to see them since the fall of 2009.  They have been here several times since then.  Even though we have not been to their home, they have joined us in Frisco a couple of times.  It will be good to visit to their home again.

We are stopping in Goodland, Kansas, overnight on the way out.  Plan to do a little Kansas sightseeing on our way.  People say there's not much to see in Kansas.  Will let you know if our couple of stops were worthwhile.  Unfortunately, we usually get in the car and drive straight thru to our destination in Colorado.  The road is flat, long, and straight until we get through Denver.  It is easy to miss interesting sites along the way.

I actually have a couple of great references for sightseeing in Kansas.  One is The Kansas Guidebook by Marci Penner.  I received this as a retirement gift and we have used it several times.  Actually, it was great source for places in and around Lawrence.  My copy is 2005 so am sure some of the things listed are no longer there.

Another source for this trip was a Journeys magazine which is an AAA publication.  I used the July/August 2013 issue.  It covered roadside wonders along I-70.  We will be getting off of the interstate a couple of times tomorrow.

Enjoy our trip!