Colorado

We have been going to Colorado regularly since December 1996, when we discovered the beauty, charm and excellent skiing at Winter Park. In addition to our time there during the ski season each winter, we spent much of 2000 there, and again during the summer of during the summer of 2004 (when we were between motor homes). Click on the links for more information.

2000: Aug. 20 - 26: McElmo Research Institute, McElmo Canyon, CO. Attended Elderhostel on Anasazi Archaeology, Cortez, CO (near Mesa Verde).

Aug. 26 - 30:  Grand Junction, CO.

Left Cortez, CO, and drove to Grand Junction with a side trip to Telluride on the way.  The scenery at Telluride is spectacular with beautifully laid out ski slopes, a golf course, the historical mining town of Telluride with beautiful Bridal Falls, and the Telluride Mountain Village accessible via gondola from the town.  It would be wonderful to ski there some day.  Our route from Cortez on Saturday was via Highway 145 through a canyon of red rock formations which were carved by the San Juan and Delores Rivers.

Another repair was needed on the RV while we were in Grand Junction; this time, the windshield began to pull away from the gasket at the top, so our "house" had to spend a few hours in the glass repair shop on the 28th.   Toured the Colorado National Monument on Aug. 29.  It's like a dry Grand Canyon without the crowds; lots of red cliffs, deep canyons and carved sandstone monuments.  Very beautiful and peaceful.

Colorado National Monument:  Monument Valley and "Coke Ovens" Formations
    
 

Twin Lakes near Independence Pass, CO

Leadville Train
   

Winter Park, CO, 2000

     View of Byers Peak from our Winter Park condo

 

From mid-November until the end of March we lived, worked and played in Winter Park, CO. We stayed in a 2-bedroom condo in Winter Park Lodge II, which is actually in the town of Fraser. Playing there included skiing for me, snowshoeing and snowmobiling (Tom and I are in the middle of the picture, friends Ruth and Chuck Cope are to our right).

Working was part-time for me and full-time for Tom.  I worked in Snow Biz Accessories, a ski accessory shop located in the base area of the Winter Park ski area.  I generally worked weekends and holidays.  Tom worked at the Vintage Hotel as a desk clerk 5 days a week.

Christmas was spent quietly and working, since we had no family with us this year.  However, beginning in January, we will be hosting friends and relatives, so I'll have plenty of ski companions.  Our first guests began arriving January 2 and continued through February 9. Guests included:

Deb and Tim Short and their 3 children
Martha and Bill Blodgett
Ruth and Chuck Cope (on right in snowmobile picture above)
Daughter Laura and her husband Eric Smith
Mary and Thompson Strode
Ann and Saint Lee
Polly and Ed Horger

On one trip to Denver, we attended the Colorado Indian Market at which I bought yet another pot to add to my pottery collection. This one is from the Acoma pueblo in New Mexico and was purchased from the artist, Caroline Sarracino. It is about 3.5" high.

March 22, Tom and I attended the Luciano Pavarotti concert in the Denver Pepsi Center. Wow -- what an experience to see and hear him in person. The audience even got to join in on one of the encores! Cynthia Lawrence, soprano, formerly of Boulder, was also part of the program.

March 28 - April 5, 2001: Left Colorado in new motor home to attend Monaco and Family Motor Coach Association RV rallies in Stillwater and Oklahoma City, OK. Pictures are of caravan of Monaco coaches in front of and behind us as we traveled from Stillwater to Oklahoma City:

2004: Having sold our motor home, we traveled to Colorado staying in motels and hotels. We visited Royal Gorge by train, beautiful Ouray where we took a mine tour and walked to Box Canyon Falls, Telluride where we stayed at the Wyndham Peaks Hotel, Avon where we took a fun 4-wheeling tour with a yodeling guide. Tom played golf at Aspen Glen. And of course, we visited Winter Park where he played golf at Pole Creek.

In Telluride, a gallery was going out of business, so of course, I couldn't resist the purchase of yet anothe r beautiful piece of pottery.
This one is by Hopi potte r Donna Navasie Robertson, granddaughter of Joy Navasie, knows as Frog Woman because of her distictive frog signature. Donna's signature is the frog with a tadpole and the initials D. R.