Author: Matt (Page 6 of 23)

Mom Goes Camping

10/23/2011 / Matt

November is sneaking up on us and you would never know it. We still have a lot of trees that are just now beginning to turn color here in the city. We were up in the Puma Hills last weekend on a camping trip with my Mom and while there were still some beautiful patches of golden aspens, the bulk of them had pretty bare limbs.Â It’s a touch late in the season for most people to camp in the mountains. However, my Mom was here for her first visit withÂ Great Grandson and Josh’s birthday in Pueblo. To make travel simpler to Pueblo, we rented a RV from a local place here in Denver and an opportunity for a scenic return trip home presented itself.Â It would be Mom’s first Colorado camping experience! We loaded the RV and headed south on the beginning of this adventure. We took a short rest break at the Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs and then on to Josh & Selenda’s home in Pueblo.

We had a good time chatting over dinner that evening and breakfast the next morning catching up on events in everyone’s life. After that it was out to see and feed the horses. Josh and Selenda own three horses at the moment and Mom really enjoys their beauty.

I also got an opportunity to drive Josh’s race simulator, whoo hoo! That was great! Thanks for taking the time away from your studies to share it with me.

Getting back on the road again, we headed west towards the mountains and got to Canon City right about lunchtime. We stopped at the Holy Cross Abbey and fixed lunch in their parking lot. The Abbey is beautiful and someday I would like to get inside for a look-see. After lunch, we headed up into the mountains and wound our way up Hwy 9 to Hartsel. Doubling back a short distance east on Hwy 24, up and over Wilkerson Pass; then north into the Pike National Forest to our campsite. The last mile was the killer for Mom with a nasty washboard road but she toughed it out and we arrived safely.

The campsite was one that Rhonda and I had used a year or so ago. It sits up on top of a small hill and affords wonderful views in all directions. I wasn’t sure if I could get the RV up the windy forest road and into the campsite as the RV was pretty long (30-footer) but I took it REAL easy. With Rhonda guiding me, it went fine and we soon were making “camp”. Making camp has a different connotation with a 30 ft RV than it does with our Jeep and tent! We knew we had missed the full moon by a few days but were still anticipating watching it rise over the mountains in the east. It got completely dark before moonrise and we were treated to an amazing display of the Milky Way which can only be appreciated away from the light pollution of the cities. Mom laid down on the ground so she could look up and see it in all its glory. Quite a sight to behold! Shortly thereafter, the moon rose over the horizon and bathed the landscape with moonshine and the darkness was transformed. To take the chill off, we spent the rest of the evening chatting around the campfire and finally went into the RV for a restful nights sleep without the noises of the city.

The sky was magnificent at dawn. I could see it just fine out the window but Rhonda and Mom got dressed and went outside to get the full effect and watch the sun rise. We spent the rest of the morning just sitting around soaking up the sunshine, admiring the scenery, and watching the wildlife. We actually had a pair Bluebirds stop by the campsite for awhile on their late migration south! A real delight for us all. By noon, the winds had started blowing a bit too much for our comfort. We packed up and headed the RV back towards civilization. Along the way we made a small detour alongside the South Platte River where it first comes down out of the mountains at Eleven Mile Canyon. Mom got the opportunity to take her shoes off and walk out into the cold stream. It was a milestone moment! A quick tea/coffee/snack break at the charming tea house in Florissant and we were back in Denver for dinner! Whew! Lots of milestones in this weekend!

I got Published!

9/29/2011 / Matt

Wow…I got my first photo published!

I had submitted a short article and some photos of the Glenwood Springs Rallye to Classic Motorsports magazine back in July. The editor made a few comments like they might use it but I never saw anything in the next issue so I more or less forgot about it. Today I got the November issue in the mailbox AND an email from the editor asking for my mailing address so they could send me a check. I quickly flipped through the magazine and sure enough they used my story and one photo. WhoooHooo!

It will be interesting to see how much the check is for. I hadn’t really thought about getting paid for it but I suppose that’s how it works. [Follow up – I got the check but decided I had better keep my day job]

The Conclave – the premier British Car event in Colorado

9/21/2011 / Matt

The timing finally worked out to attend the premier British Car event in Colorado. The Colorado English Motoring Conclave is the largest and best-known British motoring event in the Rocky Mountains. This year was the 28th annual event and it started out with the Ride Through the Rockies on Saturday. A regular event, the tour takes you on an enjoyable drive along some of the less traveled and twisty roads in the foothills. The tour route is kept secret until the directions are handed out Saturday morning. We met up with our friends Randy and Mimi that morning and joined a very long line of cars departing for the mountains.

The route did not disappoint as we found ourselves on some very interesting roads in parts of the foothills I didn’t even know existed. The tour ended at a nice restaurant back in the Western Suburbs where we enjoyed a nice lunch as the rain clouds began moving in from the west. The drive home was through a pounding rainstorm and the Jag got all filthy. It never totally stop raining that day and consequently, we did not get the car cleaned up for the show on Sunday.

Sunday dawned clear, sunny, and warm. We went on over to the car show anyway which is held at Oak Park in Arvada, CO. The number of cars and marques represented at the show is simply amazing. I don’t know the exact numbers for this year but was told that typically there are over 500 cars. We wandered about looking at the Triumphs, which I have a special fondness for, and ended up having a nice chat with Lavonne Peterson about her 1962 TR4. Lavonne told us that she and her husband Dale had purchased the car new while they were living in Minnesota and have kept it all these years. The car is in immaculate condition and I couldn’t leave without dropping the hint that I sure would like to purchase it if they ever decided to sell it 😉

We saw many fine examples of Lotus, MG, Austin Healey, Sunbeam, Morgan, Rolls Royce, and of course Jaguars. I was particularly fascinated by a Jaguar MkII Saloon that looked like it would be a lot of fun. The Lotus Caterham Seven has always looked like it would be blast to drive as well.

Scottish Festival and Games

8/29/2011 / Matt

We made a Sunday outing a couple of weeks ago to attend the 48th Annual Scottish Festival and Games over in Highlands Ranch.This was our first time at this festival and we got to see quite a variety of activities. There were Massed Pipes and Drums, Pipe Band Competitions, British Dogs Exhibition, Four Stages of non-stop Celtic Music, Scottish Athletic Competitions, Scotch Tasting, and of course…a British Car Show. We drove the Jag and joined up with the other British Cars for a little parade through the festival grounds and then we parked them all on the field for display. Aside from a number of beautiful Jaguar XK-120’s there a couple of quite nice older Rolls-Royces.

We wandered about and visited the Genealogy Tent to see if we had any Scottish ancestry lurking in our background but it looked doubtful. Our friend Cynthia had much more luck and discovered that she had some direct lineage to the Cumming Clan. They adopted her and she was quickly pressed into duty carrying the clan standard (flag) for the big parade of Clans. The Clan thing is really a big deal and they all had tents set up telling about their history and lineage. There were 55 clans represented as I recall.

There were lots of folk dressed in authentic costume, including a lot of men wearing kilts. We only got to see a little bit of the log-tossing event and a wee bit of sword fighting. The Celtic music was playing away in the background and we stopped by the Macallan tent to got an education on what it requires to be classified as “Scotch Wisky” and do a little “tasting”. By the way, there is no “e” in whisky in case you didn’t know that. Everyone seemed to leave the tent in a better mood than when they went in.

I then sampled a traditional Scottish snack called a “bridie”. A bridie is a savory pie similar to a pasty, but the pastry is not as hard and no potato is used, making it much lighter in texture. The filling is made of minced steak, butter, and beef suet seasoned with salt and pepper, and sometimes with an addition of minced onions. It was quite tasty although a bit greasy.

The clouds rolled in along with some thunder and impending rain so we headed back to the display area and put the top up just before the rains drifted in. All in all it was an enjoyable event and I would recommend it.

Train Rides – Folk Music – Birthdays

8/11/2011 / Matt

This past weekend was a rather full and “eventful” three days. Friday was a “taking care of business” day in Colorado Springs. Both of us needed to see several medical providers and there was a cargo trailer to be purchased. Despite our best efforts we seemed to be constantly running behind as we kept having to wait for this, that, or the other. But, eventually we were able to head south for our weekend getaway in La Veta, CO. We arrived just in time to get checked in at the La Veta Inn and get downstairs for our dinner reservation at Alys Restaurant.

We dined out on the patio and enjoyed the live music as Tom Munch kept a steady string of tunes going. Alys came out and personally assisted Rhonda with her gluten-free selections while I sipped on a local brew. The dinner was exceptional, kudos to Alys and crew, and we liked Tom’s music enough to buy a couple of his CDs.

Saturday had a plan. We had purchased tickets on the Rio Grande Scenic Railroad and were headed to the top of La Veta Pass where, in a natural mountain amphitheater run by solar and wind power you’ll find Fir, Colorado, the site of the Mountain Rails Live Summer Concert Series; The only Rocky Mountain concert venue that is accessible solely by train. The weather was shaping up beautifully, clear blue skies with a few clouds and nice warm temperatures. We walked over to the train depot and soon were boarded and chugging up the mountain. The track winds in and out of the canyons, along the sides of the hills, and it goes pretty slow so there is plenty of opportunity to take in the sights. At the present time the sights include black bears who are frequenting a grain spill up between two tunnels. We saw five of them chowing down on the spilled grain when we went past.

It took about an hour to get to the top where we de-trained, had a bit of BBQ for lunch, and then went down and enjoyed the music. Steve Gillette & Cindy Mangsen from Vermont opened with traditional folk music and some original songs. Playing the guitar, concertina and banjo, they had a rich harmony, compelling songs and a good dose of humor. The main attraction was Weavermania, a folk group dedicated to recreating the songs and music of The Weavers, whose musical influence can still be heard in the Kingston Trio; Peter, Paul and Mary; and in every coffee house and folk club in the country. All of the music was great and we really enjoyed the afternoon. Late in the afternoon, the train took us back down to La Veta and we relaxed a bit before having another great dinner at Alys’ and heading for an early bed.

Sunday we hung around for awhile and then headed up Hwy 12 to Cucharas Pass and then took the dirt road on up the mountain to Cordova Pass, a high pass (11248 ft/3428 m) to the west of the peak. There we went on a short hike and enjoyed the views of the Spanish Peaks and surrounding areas. The drive down the east side of the twin peaks took considerably longer than we thought and we ended up being late to our grandsons Birthday party by the time we got back to Pueblo.

The party was a big success and everyone had fun, especially the handsome boy, who demonstrated that cake is not meant to be eaten but rather smeared around on your forehead! Looked like fun to me but I got “that look” from Rhonda when I thought about trying it 😉 Presents were opened and he will definitely be entertained for awhile with all the new stuff.

On the way back through the Springs we picked up our cargo trailer which I found on Craigslist. I call it my “mobile shed” because our current house does not have a shed and this provides not only space to store the lawn mower, bicycles, etc. but also all the stuff we had in temporary storage during the move. Our backyard has a place all rocked-in for parking a trailer so this works out perfect.

James Peak – Camping Trip

7/15/2011 / Matt

I’ve been working a 9/80 flex schedule this summer so I can have some extra three-day weekends and we finally got out for a camping trip last weekend. All of our old spots are too far away now so we got to go exploring and find something new. I was a little leery of how crowded the mountains might be close in to Denver but I guess we went far enough out that it wasn’t a problem. That decision was partially solved for us by a burning ban from Boulder to Hwy 119 around Central City/Blackhawk. Going camping without having a campfire is just wrong so we ended up going west of Hwy 119 out into the Arapahoe National Forest and found a spot up in Mammoth Gulch that had a really nice view of James Peak.

The weather has been a bit sketchy here lately with pretty frequent rain storms and the weekend didn’t turn out to be any different. We got to our site by mid-afternoon on Thursday and managed to get camp set up before the storms rolled over the mountains. I had picked up a new tarp before heading out and sure was glad we had it. I used it to make a lean-to and we put our chairs and “kitchen table” under it, made a cup of coffee, and waited for the storm to roll on by.

The first storm produced enough rain to point out some flaws in the tent site selection with regards to campsite drainage. In particular, there was one waterway that was determined to go right beneath our tent! A minor diversion channel took care of that problem and I was grateful for the early rain. Those are not the kind of things you want to find out in the middle of the night. The rains came and went throughout the weekend but we managed to stay dry and overall we still had a lot of nice weather in between.

One unpleasant side-effect of all that rain was an abundance of mosquitoes. I have to confess I’ve gotten really spoiled living in South Central Colorado where mosquitoes were practically non-existent. Fortunately, we had some oils that Rhonda had brought along and some OFF which kept them from biting (mostly) but it’s still a little disconcerting having them swarm all around you.

Abby was kept entertained by the local squirrels and chipmunks and thoroughly enjoyed the weekend too. We went for a short hike on Saturday down to the valley floor and found the creek that we could hear rushing along from our campsite. It has been a late spring in the mountains and there is still a lot of snowmelt which keeps the creeks moving right along. The water was incredibly cold but that did not keep Abby from getting in. There were a number of folks fishing the creek trying to catch a mountain trout for supper. Abby went fishing too but she didn’t catch anything either 😉

We had heard trains chugging along during the weekend so after we packed up Sunday morning we down into the valley and found the Moffat Tunnel which was built in the 1920’s to connect Denver with Salt Lake City and then on to the West Coast. The tunnel goes under the Continental Divide, is 6.2 miles long and comes out near Winter Park on the other side. There were a bunch of vehicles(30 or so) parked there which seemed odd until we realized there is a trailhead there for the Indian Peaks Wilderness Area.

We decided to go home a different way and headed up to Nederland, CO where we stopped for coffee & ice cream, and then a picnic lunch by Barker Meadow Reservoir. We then followed Boulder Creek down the canyon, on into Boulder, and finally back to Aurora.

Rallye Glenwood Springs

6/17/2011 / Matt

Rallye Mark one off the Bucket List. I’ve always wanted to participate in a road rally and last Friday we were car #52 and crossed the Start Line at 8:52am. The 59th Annual Rallye Glenwood Springs was underway. This was Time Speed Distance (TSD) Rally and Rhonda was the designated driver…I was the navigator. A little background may be in order.

A TSD rally consists of a set of instructions specifying a route to travel, and a speed at which to travel. A team, consisting of a driver and a navigator, attempt to travel the specified route at exactly the specified speeds. A TSD rally is not a race. Traveling too fast results in penalties as does traveling too slowly and no rally will ever require you to drive in a reckless or illegal fashion. Arriving too early at a checkpoint hurts your score, as does arriving too late. You are scored on how closely to the correct time you arrive. The rally route generally takes you over lightly traveled rural roads in the scenic countryside.

The weekend was a great experience and we had a really terrific time. The people were wonderful and the event was very well organized. The Rallye traversed a Westerly route out of Arvada, CO into the foothills and eventually connected to US-40 which took us up over Berthoud Pass (11,307 ft) and through Winter Park. It wasn’t too difficult to follow the route instructions but there were some tricky spots that messed us up and we lost time getting back on course. Somehow it just didn’t seem all that important given how much were enjoying the drive through the mountains with the top down on a beautiful Colorado morning.

We continued on US-40 till we made Kremmling where we stopped for lunch. We then headed South on Hwy-9 for a short ways before diverting Southwest onto the back roads eventually coming out and ending the event at I-70 and Dotsero. The latter part of the route tended to have slower speeds and made the drive a tad bit tedious but the scenery made up for it. We had varying scores…too early…too late…almost spot on, and in fact I’m not sure what our final tally was. They haven’t posted the results yet. If you want to read some more about the basics of Rallying look at this article: Rallying for Beginners…and others

The Tour on Saturday was actually more fun than the Rallye or at least I thought so. It is not a timed event but has a similar flavor to Rallye in that you have to follow a prescribed course (more or less) and find answers to the Tour “questions” along the way. For example; one question was “British Car owners would like this Ranch _____”. So when we drove by the “Spare Parts Ranch” we knew we had nailed that one and went on to the next Instruction…”Turn Left onto Surface Way Rd”. Typically, there were three or four questions to be answered in each of the small towns we went through. This created some amusing scenes of British Cars roaming back and forth through the town at very slow speeds while driver and navigator craned their necks looking for signs. This route went on a southern loop down around the Grand Mesa National Forest and back north along the west side of the Maroon Bells which were absolutely stunning.

Sunday was the Car Show in Two Rivers Park and the cars were parked right along the Colorado River on a beautiful, sunny Colorado morning. There were plenty of interesting cars including a 1936 Triumph Gloria Southern Cross which I had never seen before.

Next year will be the 60th Annual Glenwood Springs Rallye and the plans are underway to make it a very special event. Do mark your calendars for the second weekend in June 2012 and come out and join the fun. Here are some photos of the events:

The Slideshow thingy is not working …just click on the first picture then arrow through them.