WHAT TO DO AND SEE IN COLORADO

WHAT TO DO AND SEE IN COLORADO

By Tom Boyd (#761L)

Roger asked me to write about what to see and do in Colorado for those who will be attending the upcoming 46th International ALPCA Convention to be held in Denver, July 12?15, 2000. I guess I am a natural for this Job as I was born and raised in Colorado. I recommend that you give yourself some extra time and take in some of the sights and activities.

Roger has already talked about his experience driving up Pikes Peak when tile Convention was In Denver in 1993. Pikes Peak is not the tallest mountain in Colorado, but it is probably the best known and is one of the 54 mountain peaks in the state that are over 14,000 feet high. It lies just west of Colorado Springs, my hometown, about sixty miles South of Denver. On a clear day the Peak can be seen from the Convention site. Like Roger said, you can drive to the top or make the trip on a cog railway. Pick a clear day and go early. It was the view from the top that inspired Katherine Lee Bates to write America the Beautiful.

It is hard to know where to start with only two pages to work with. There are museums and a wide variety of activities to be found throughout the state, depending on your interests. Colorado has more antique shops per capita than any other state in the nation. A lot of them have plates. So check them out when you are here. No telling what you might find.

There is no shortage of things to see and do in the Denver area. Nearby Colorado Springs has been a tourist destination since before the time of the automobile. If you have the time or want to get farther away, there are lots of places to camp, go boating, hike, or rent a jeep to really get off the beaten path. Many cities and towns owe their origins to gold and silver mining that was a major industry until late 1800s. There is much less mining going on now, so tourism has become a major summer industry

Denver is the capitol of the state and has a wide Variety of activities available These Include tile Museum of Natural History the Colorado History Museum tile U.S. Mint, Elitch's amusement park. Water World, the Botanical Gardens, and the Denver Zoo, to name but a few. A few miles west Of 1?70 is Georgetown. There you can tour an old gold mine or take a ride on the Georgetown Loop narrow gauge railroad Central City, also west of Denver is in the middle of another gold mining area and offers tours at the Lost Mine. From Idaho Springs, also on 1?70 west of Denver, it is possible to drive up Mt. Evans another of Colorado's 14,000-foot peaks.

North and west of Denver, near Estes Park, is Rocky Mountain National Park. The drive (U.S. 34) through the park offers places to stop to hike, picnic, and otherwise enjoy what this scenic area has to offer. Oil the west side is Grand Lake, another very scenic area that offers boating and other water activities.

Colorado Springs has been a popular tourist destination for as long as anyone can remember. Oil your way; you will pass the Air Force Academy. You can drive through and get a closer look at what you can see from 1?25. Once in the Springs, the Garden of the Gods and the Cave of the Winds are popular. Another good stop would be the Pioneer Museum in the old courthouse in the downtown area. West of the Springs on U.S. 24 and then South on Colorado 67 from Divide is Cripple Creek. This was one of the world's most active gold mining areas in the 1890s. There is a good museum, a train ride, and gold mine tours available there.

For you baseball fans, the Colorado Rockies will be hosting the Cincinnati Reds beginning Thursday July 13 at Coors Field in Denver. Colorado Springs has the Sky Sox, a AAA level team and farm Club of the Rockies. They too, will be playing home games during the Convention

For a thumbnail sketch for the rest of the state, let us use Salida as a starting point. Salida is about 150 Miles south and west of Denver. Going north from there on U.S. 24 through Buena Vista to its junction with 1?70 east of Vail is a scenic trip where you can see a number of the taller mountain peaks in the state. North of Buena Vista is the old mining town of Leadville. At about two miles above sea level it is the highest incorporated city in the United States.

Instead of going on to Leadville, go west on Colorado 82 toward Aspen, going over Independence Pass. Stop at the top and take in the view. From Aspen, go on to Glenwood Springs and take a dip in the naturally heated swimming pool there. The drive east from there on 1?70, will take you through Glenwood Canyon, a deep gorge carved by the Colorado River. The roadway through here is major engineering feat that took over twenty years to complete.

West of Glenwood Springs is Grand Junction, a fast growing area on the so?called western slope, and further west is Dinosaur National Monument. The scenery along the drive is less mountainous and is characterized more by flat?topped mesas.

If you go west from Salida on U.S. 50, you will go over Monarch Pass, through Gunnison, and on to Montrose. Just before you reach Montrose is the Black Canyon of the Gunnison River, a very deep gorge carved by the river, which is absolutely fabulous. Going north from Montrose on U.S. 550 will take you to Grand Junction, but the drive south to Durango is one you should not miss. The road between Ouray and Silverton is known as the million-dollar highway. Ouray is a good place to rent a jeep and drive into the backcountry, and Silverton is an old mining town that has changed relatively little over the last hundred years.

Once you reach Durango, go west on U.S. 160 toward Cortez. Nearby is Mesa Verde, the Anasazi Indian ruins that were built into the face of a cliff over a thousand years ago. From Durango, you can take the narrow gauge train ride to Silverton, which passes through some very rugged scenic country. Going east on U.S. 160 from Durango will take you over Wolf Creek Pass and into the San Luis Valley. This prime agricultural area is bounded by the Sangre de Cristo Mountains on tile east and the San Juans on the west. At the east end of the valley are the Sand Dunes with their wild deer that will almost eat out of your hand. South of Alamosa is Antonito, one terminus of tile Cumbres & Toltec narrow gauge railroad, with daily runs between there and Chama, New Mexico. East of Antonito is San Luis. Founded in 185 1, it is the oldest town in the state.

Three towns have legalized gambling. In my opinion, this has thoroughly ruined these towns, but I mention it only for those who may be interested. The towns are Cripple Creek, Central City, and nearby Black Hawk.

While nearly everything I have mentioned is in the mountains in the western half of the state, I would be remiss if I did not mention the plains that dominate the eastern half. There are those who would dismiss this area as being rather dull by comparison and derogatorily characterize it as an extension of Kansas and Nebraska. However, this part of the state can be pleasing in its own way.

Bent's Fort, near Las Animas on U.S. 50 and east of Pueblo, will give you a taste of tile very early days of westward expansion into Colorado, when the plains were first being settled. Las Animas lies on the Arkansas River, and the area along the river is a major agricultural area. The area around Rocky Ford is known for its cantaloupes and watermelons, but mid?July will probably be too early for them.

My trips hunting license plates have taken me to parts of the state that most people would never see or have little reason to visit otherwise. On one trip going south oil Colorado Highway 71 from Limon to Ordway, I remember stopping for a few minutes away from everything simply to savor the quiet and take in the view. This is a lonely stretch of 75 miles, and the only place along the way that could be called a town is Punkin Center, with its four or five buildings at tile junction of highways 71 and 94. It was a pleasant summer day with a rich blue sky and scattered clouds. The fields were green after some recent rain, and the sunflowers were in full bloom. The reddish aggregate used in paving the road added some more color. Some antelope could be seen in the distance, and tile natural quiet of the open country was a break from the ever-present background noise of civilization. Whenever I make that trip or any trip over a lightly traveled stretch of road in an unsettled area, I stop to enjoy the quiet. No matter how rushed you may be in your travels to Colorado, I would suggest that you find such a stretch of lonely road and take the time to do the same. It is a refreshingly therapeutic break that cannot be beaten.

This is a very brief outline of things to see and do, and these two pages can barely scratch the surface. If you want further details about what to do and what to see, feel free to contact me or look me up at the Convention. I will be glad to share what I can.