Where’s WALDO?

I’m taking a little detour from my ‘On the Road Again’ saga; appropriately so as we continue our RV adventures from one coast to another! In past posts, I have shared adventures through Seattle and Boston. Check them out for interesting adventures/fun facts if considering visiting or possibly setting up new digs.

I am consolidating Colorado Springs and Ft. Collins in this post and will write about the Black Hills/Mt. Rushmore area in S. Dakota as Buddy and I begin to explore these historical wonders of our country.

Passin’ through(hover over the italicized names to link to the website)… Buddy and I spent the day in Old Colorado City walking the kitchy old style downtown while eyeing a variety of unique shops and tasty eateries. We enjoyed a yummy lunch at La Baguette and I sampled a chocolate éclair that brought back sweet childhood memories of eating this creamy pudding filled chocolate topped pastry with my dad. Another common sight in most areas of Colorado(besides the occasional green crosses highlighting the local dispensaries) are the pubs… no shortage of brews on tap in this state!

Garden of the Gods is the magical backdrop of Colorado Springs and a haven for rock climbers- hence the name of this post: Can you find the rock climbers in each of these pictures?? Scroll down in the Photo Gallery and find the climbers!

 

The surrounding community next to this incredible landscape seemed no different than other Colorado residential areas. BUT, take one turn and towering majestic red and grey rock formations come into view. We experienced different perspectives of the same rock formations as we meandered through the various jagged and pot marked stone groupings jutting out of the red Colorado soil.

And, the icing on the cake was witnessing the many rock climbers prepping their ropes with their partners to ascend the irregular stone giants and then gently tap against the rock’s side as they rappelled their way back to the flat ground below. In some cases, the climber would take a brief pause at the top and raise both arms high above to celebrate his climbing victory. Of course, my victory would only need to include keeping both feet on the flat ground below at ALL times!

Moving on to Ft. Collins, Colorado… this was a spontaneous stop due to Mother Nature blowing her breath in strong gusts along the open countryside(not a good combo for RVers). Buddy and I explored the historic Old Town and home to the Colorado State University Rams- CAM the RAM.

We found this downtown area to be an enjoyable walk from the town square park that included an unexpected treasure of history                            

and ended up on the main street with classic style brick buildings as well as a fun college vibe. Buddy and I enjoyed a tasty lunch at Austin’s American Grill and stopped by the nearby cookie shop for a buy 6 and get 2 free deal. Did I forget to mention the 15+ variety of Frisbee sized cookies to choose from? It was soooooo hard to decide!

… Sweet memories of a couple of days on the road as we make our way to spend time in the Black Hills of South Dakota.

Five Fun Facts about each of these areas:

Colorado Springs:

1. The United States Air Force Academy is located in Colorado Springs
2. Colorado Springs is the second largest city founded in 1871
3. Colorado Springs is rated as the number 1 physically fit cities in the U.S.
4. ‘America the Beautiful’ was written by Katharine Lee Bates after visiting the city
5. This city is one of the sunniest places in the country with more than 300 days of sunshine per year.

Ft. Collins:

1. Old Town Ft. Collins served as the inspiration for Main Street USA in Disneyland
2. It is illegal to ride a horse while under the influence in Ft. Collins
3. More than 60, 000 Canadian geese winter in Ft. Collins
4. Ft. Collins also enjoys over 300 sunny days per year
5. Home to the original trolley car west of the Mississippi, Car21 has been fully restored and is still in operation May through September

Colorado:

1. Colorado has the highest mean altitude of all the United States
2. Colorado has more microbreweries per capita than any other state
3. The first license plate was issued in 1908 in Denver, Colorado
4. It is illegal to throw snowballs at a person or building in Aspen, Colo.
5. The first Teddy Bear was invented by maids at The Hotel Colorado in anticipation of giving it to its famous visitor, Theodore Roosevelt.

 

Until next time…