Boring Western KS rewarded by Colorado
Sep 6th, 2006, 05:54 AM
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Boring Western KS rewarded by Colorado
After a hot Kansas summer, we took advantage of a long weekend to visit Colorado. We left KC at 2:30 in the afternoon and got as far as Colby the first night. The drive across western Kansas is as boring as ever. There’s a bunch of adult book stores along I70. Next to one of them was a huge bill board. A church must have rented the bill board. It said something to the effect that “the Lord has his eyes upon you.” Pretty funny. We watched for the twin spires of the cathedral in Victoria and for the World’s Largest Groundhog to kill time.
We stayed at the Motel 6 in Colby. DH and I have decided that this is the last time we stay in a Motel 6. We couldn’t even say that it was clean. DH is allergic to cats. Evidently the last people in the room had a cat. All night he sneezed and blew his nose. I had strange dreams about honking geese and semi’s blowing their horns on the interstate.
We got to Leadville a little after noon the next day. Leadville must be one of those towns with a lot of local characters. We ate lunch at Rosie’s Brew Pub. A man sitting a couple seats away from me was talking to the bartender and told her he was a geologist. Another man came in wearing overalls, a Hawaiian shirt and a straw hat. He looked like Huck Finn on acid. He sat between me and the geologist. From his conversation with the bartender I could tell he had probably smoked or ingested too much of something in his life. Huck Finn started talking to the Geologist. Huck told him that he loved Jesus and went to Mass everyday. Then I heard the Geologist say that as far as he was concerned Jesus should have been fed to the dogs because of all the woes of the world he has caused. After I realized that lightening didn’t strike the Geologist, I waited for Huck to start a fight with him. But Huck just mildly commented that maybe the world might have been better off without religious leaders like Buddha and Mohammed.
Aside from the entertainment provided by the locals, the food was really good. I had chicken salad that had almonds and grapes in it. DH had a Reuben. The corned beef was homemade. I took a bite of his sandwich, which soon reminded me that I don’t eat Reubens because they contain sauerkraut. The beer was good too. Our lunch was $25.
We then went on the train ride in Leadville. It was $27 per person for a 2 ½ hour ride. The train takes you up to where a mine used to be. It stops for a while at an old water tank, where you can get off the train, tour the cab and caboose. The engine was diesel. It was a relaxing ride but not real exciting. We wouldn’t do it again.
We toured Baby Doe Tabor’s cabin for $6 apiece. This was pretty interesting. Baby Doe married a man that owned the Matchless Mine. This mine produced about 10-15 thousand dollars a day in silver. The two of them spent about $100 million in 20 years. Then when the US switched to the gold standard from silver in 1893, they lost everything. Baby Doe’s husband died and Baby Doe returned to Leadville and lived in a shack at the mine, which they no longer owned. Townspeople helped support her until her death in the ‘30s. The legend says she froze to death, but she actually died of a heart attack. When she was found a couple of days later her body was frozen solid because the fire had gone out in the shack.
That evening we ate a place we really liked downtown. But I can’t remember the name of it. It only serves one meal. You can’t split plates or ask for substitutions. The night we went the meal was prime rib, salad, baked potato, bread and green beans for 9.95. Well drinks were on special for 1.50. We had to wait at the bar for about 45 minutes to get a table. We had fun talking to the hostess and bartender.
We stayed that night at the Silver King motel. It was a whole lot nicer than the Motel 6. It was comparable to a Ramada or Holiday Inn.
The next morning we drove to Aspen over Independence Pass. This pass is a beautiful drive over the continental divide. You can look back over the road and see the many switchbacks. The pass is about 12,000 feet in elevation. At the top there is a pullout with a paved trail. I walked on the trail to look over below. There was a woman at the end, lying on her back, breast feeding a child. This child would talk to the woman and then go back to eating. Struck me as an odd place for a snack, especially for a kid that was old enough to talk.
I had gotten a night at the Gant in Aspen through Priceline for $100. This was a fantastic deal. I knew it was a condo but expected something similar to a Residence Inn. We got a regular apartment, 2 bedrooms, 2 full baths, 2 balconies, huge living room with a fire place and a kitchen. It was so gorgeous DH didn’t want to go anywhere.
We walked to downtown Aspen to find a place to eat lunch. Aspen is an expensive, upscale place. We looked at several menus and couldn’t find anything that looked good. I didn’t feel like a $9 bowl of tomato soup or scallops in a bed of squid ink. We ended up at the Red Onion. The seating host there was very rude and tried to ignore us. I had carne asada which was ok and DH had a taco salad which he didn’t like. I think it cost less than $30.
Maroon Bells only allows access by car before 9 and after 5. So we went shortly before 5. We took chairs, a bottle of wine and DH’s cigar. We then sat by the lake and enjoyed the sunset. Several people walking by commented that we knew how to enjoy life. The Maroon Bells are as beautiful as ever.
The staff at the Gant had recommended that we go to Jimmy’s for dinner. We walked there and found it packed. There was an empty seat at the bar so DH told me to sit there. Promptly, a waiter informed me that there was a waiting list for bar seating. We had never heard of a waiting list to get a drink at a bar. We left and wondered if maybe we weren’t young and hip enough for Jimmy’s.
DH loves pizza so we se went to Brunelleschis, which was nearby. This place was also packed but we were allowed to sit at the bar. We each had a gourmet pizza and drank Fat Tire beers. The pizza was ok but not worth $11 apiece. We also learned a lesson about Aspen. When you order something, find out the price first. Each beer was $5. We ran up a hefty tab for just pizza and beer.
I had noticed the same thing earlier downtown. Some stores had sale merchandise outside. Nothing had price tags on it. I guess if you have to ask you can’t afford it.
The next morning after fixing a great breakfast in our beautiful condo, we got back on the road. This was on Labor Day. We had planned working our way to Denver, stopping in Georgetown. Along the way we stopped at a grocery and picked up picnic stuff. We then had a picnic along a stream with a bottle of Prosecco. Once we passed Dillon, which I think is about 40 miles from Denver; we got into the worst traffic jam. At times, it was a dead standstill. Most of the time we could only go 10-15 mph. We didn’t stop in Georgetown as planned because we were worried about time. It took us over 2 ½ hours to drive from Dillon to Denver.
We ate dinner at Casa Bonita. DH and I have only been married 10 months. But both of us have been to Casa Bonita many times with our children before we knew each other. We definitely didn’t go there for the food, but for sentimental reasons. It’s odd that only knowing each other for 2 years that we have so much in the past in common. Casa Bonita is the same as it has always been. Not very good food, but very entertaining.
We meant to stay that night in Denver on the west side. We weren’t paying attention and the next thing we knew we were past the Denver hotels. If you plan on staying in west Denver make sure you exit by the old airport. There are no hotels you would want to stay in until Limon. In Limon we stayed at a Holiday Inn Express. It was great; it had only been open 3 weeks.
The next day we made the long drive back to KC. The Kansas speed limit on I70 needs to be increased from 70mph. I’ve lived all my life in Kansas but can’t find much good to say about western Kansas.
Overall it was a great trip. We really liked Aspen and want to spend more time there.
We stayed at the Motel 6 in Colby. DH and I have decided that this is the last time we stay in a Motel 6. We couldn’t even say that it was clean. DH is allergic to cats. Evidently the last people in the room had a cat. All night he sneezed and blew his nose. I had strange dreams about honking geese and semi’s blowing their horns on the interstate.
We got to Leadville a little after noon the next day. Leadville must be one of those towns with a lot of local characters. We ate lunch at Rosie’s Brew Pub. A man sitting a couple seats away from me was talking to the bartender and told her he was a geologist. Another man came in wearing overalls, a Hawaiian shirt and a straw hat. He looked like Huck Finn on acid. He sat between me and the geologist. From his conversation with the bartender I could tell he had probably smoked or ingested too much of something in his life. Huck Finn started talking to the Geologist. Huck told him that he loved Jesus and went to Mass everyday. Then I heard the Geologist say that as far as he was concerned Jesus should have been fed to the dogs because of all the woes of the world he has caused. After I realized that lightening didn’t strike the Geologist, I waited for Huck to start a fight with him. But Huck just mildly commented that maybe the world might have been better off without religious leaders like Buddha and Mohammed.
Aside from the entertainment provided by the locals, the food was really good. I had chicken salad that had almonds and grapes in it. DH had a Reuben. The corned beef was homemade. I took a bite of his sandwich, which soon reminded me that I don’t eat Reubens because they contain sauerkraut. The beer was good too. Our lunch was $25.
We then went on the train ride in Leadville. It was $27 per person for a 2 ½ hour ride. The train takes you up to where a mine used to be. It stops for a while at an old water tank, where you can get off the train, tour the cab and caboose. The engine was diesel. It was a relaxing ride but not real exciting. We wouldn’t do it again.
We toured Baby Doe Tabor’s cabin for $6 apiece. This was pretty interesting. Baby Doe married a man that owned the Matchless Mine. This mine produced about 10-15 thousand dollars a day in silver. The two of them spent about $100 million in 20 years. Then when the US switched to the gold standard from silver in 1893, they lost everything. Baby Doe’s husband died and Baby Doe returned to Leadville and lived in a shack at the mine, which they no longer owned. Townspeople helped support her until her death in the ‘30s. The legend says she froze to death, but she actually died of a heart attack. When she was found a couple of days later her body was frozen solid because the fire had gone out in the shack.
That evening we ate a place we really liked downtown. But I can’t remember the name of it. It only serves one meal. You can’t split plates or ask for substitutions. The night we went the meal was prime rib, salad, baked potato, bread and green beans for 9.95. Well drinks were on special for 1.50. We had to wait at the bar for about 45 minutes to get a table. We had fun talking to the hostess and bartender.
We stayed that night at the Silver King motel. It was a whole lot nicer than the Motel 6. It was comparable to a Ramada or Holiday Inn.
The next morning we drove to Aspen over Independence Pass. This pass is a beautiful drive over the continental divide. You can look back over the road and see the many switchbacks. The pass is about 12,000 feet in elevation. At the top there is a pullout with a paved trail. I walked on the trail to look over below. There was a woman at the end, lying on her back, breast feeding a child. This child would talk to the woman and then go back to eating. Struck me as an odd place for a snack, especially for a kid that was old enough to talk.
I had gotten a night at the Gant in Aspen through Priceline for $100. This was a fantastic deal. I knew it was a condo but expected something similar to a Residence Inn. We got a regular apartment, 2 bedrooms, 2 full baths, 2 balconies, huge living room with a fire place and a kitchen. It was so gorgeous DH didn’t want to go anywhere.
We walked to downtown Aspen to find a place to eat lunch. Aspen is an expensive, upscale place. We looked at several menus and couldn’t find anything that looked good. I didn’t feel like a $9 bowl of tomato soup or scallops in a bed of squid ink. We ended up at the Red Onion. The seating host there was very rude and tried to ignore us. I had carne asada which was ok and DH had a taco salad which he didn’t like. I think it cost less than $30.
Maroon Bells only allows access by car before 9 and after 5. So we went shortly before 5. We took chairs, a bottle of wine and DH’s cigar. We then sat by the lake and enjoyed the sunset. Several people walking by commented that we knew how to enjoy life. The Maroon Bells are as beautiful as ever.
The staff at the Gant had recommended that we go to Jimmy’s for dinner. We walked there and found it packed. There was an empty seat at the bar so DH told me to sit there. Promptly, a waiter informed me that there was a waiting list for bar seating. We had never heard of a waiting list to get a drink at a bar. We left and wondered if maybe we weren’t young and hip enough for Jimmy’s.
DH loves pizza so we se went to Brunelleschis, which was nearby. This place was also packed but we were allowed to sit at the bar. We each had a gourmet pizza and drank Fat Tire beers. The pizza was ok but not worth $11 apiece. We also learned a lesson about Aspen. When you order something, find out the price first. Each beer was $5. We ran up a hefty tab for just pizza and beer.
I had noticed the same thing earlier downtown. Some stores had sale merchandise outside. Nothing had price tags on it. I guess if you have to ask you can’t afford it.
The next morning after fixing a great breakfast in our beautiful condo, we got back on the road. This was on Labor Day. We had planned working our way to Denver, stopping in Georgetown. Along the way we stopped at a grocery and picked up picnic stuff. We then had a picnic along a stream with a bottle of Prosecco. Once we passed Dillon, which I think is about 40 miles from Denver; we got into the worst traffic jam. At times, it was a dead standstill. Most of the time we could only go 10-15 mph. We didn’t stop in Georgetown as planned because we were worried about time. It took us over 2 ½ hours to drive from Dillon to Denver.
We ate dinner at Casa Bonita. DH and I have only been married 10 months. But both of us have been to Casa Bonita many times with our children before we knew each other. We definitely didn’t go there for the food, but for sentimental reasons. It’s odd that only knowing each other for 2 years that we have so much in the past in common. Casa Bonita is the same as it has always been. Not very good food, but very entertaining.
We meant to stay that night in Denver on the west side. We weren’t paying attention and the next thing we knew we were past the Denver hotels. If you plan on staying in west Denver make sure you exit by the old airport. There are no hotels you would want to stay in until Limon. In Limon we stayed at a Holiday Inn Express. It was great; it had only been open 3 weeks.
The next day we made the long drive back to KC. The Kansas speed limit on I70 needs to be increased from 70mph. I’ve lived all my life in Kansas but can’t find much good to say about western Kansas.
Overall it was a great trip. We really liked Aspen and want to spend more time there.
Sep 6th, 2006, 06:15 AM
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"There’s a bunch of adult book stores along I70. Next to one of them was a huge bill board. A church must have rented the bill board. It said something to the effect that “the Lord has his eyes upon you.”
I took a picture of it earlier this summer!
I took a picture of it earlier this summer!
Sep 6th, 2006, 06:30 AM
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Found it! "Jesus heals and restores" (in huge letters; this is a popular Bible school term) and below that in smaller letters, "Pornography Destroys". It was set up by Bruce and Donna Owen, who were horrified at the business that rented a vacated Stuckey's property near theirs. It's now easier to find porn in Abliene than in Times Square.
Sep 6th, 2006, 07:56 AM
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BoniseA - very funny trip report! Thanks for posting. I am visiting friends in KCMO later this year and driving from there to Colorado Springs, then on to Santa Fe. I really wasn't looking forward to the trek from KCMO to Colorado, but now you've confirmed my suspicions about what a boring drive it will be. Oh well, at least we can check out the adult stores and billboards along the way! 
Sep 6th, 2006, 09:28 AM
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travel_addict, If you get a few miles off I-70 you will find some great things in Kansas
Here is one example: http://www.kansastravel.org/castlerock.htm
Or stop in Lucas, its a hoot! http://www.kansastravel.org/lucaskansas.htm
Keith
Here is one example: http://www.kansastravel.org/castlerock.htm
Or stop in Lucas, its a hoot! http://www.kansastravel.org/lucaskansas.htm
Keith
Sep 6th, 2006, 09:35 AM
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Western Kansas is really different. There were so many religious signs, mostly anti-abortion. But we noticed that the Ponderosa bill boards advertised that they served alcohol in big letters, like that was more important than the food.
In Colby, we ate at a steak house. I noticed the bar tender pouring what appeared to be an under-aged server a large dose of rum in his coke. The bar tender noticed me watching and said that to live in Colby, one has to drink.
I didn’t see the one bill board I always watch for. There used to be one that advertised vasectomy reversal. It was for a clinic in Texas and had a 1-800 number. Why would they advertise there?
Maybe truck drivers like porn and desire vasectomy reversals?
In Colby, we ate at a steak house. I noticed the bar tender pouring what appeared to be an under-aged server a large dose of rum in his coke. The bar tender noticed me watching and said that to live in Colby, one has to drink.
I didn’t see the one bill board I always watch for. There used to be one that advertised vasectomy reversal. It was for a clinic in Texas and had a 1-800 number. Why would they advertise there?
Maybe truck drivers like porn and desire vasectomy reversals?
Sep 6th, 2006, 12:28 PM
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I always take US-24/40 or even 36 when in that part of the country much more enjoyable. Anything to stay of I-70. The Interstates always put me to sleep.
http://www.nps.gov/nico/
http://www.nps.gov/nico/
Sep 6th, 2006, 12:36 PM
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What a fun trip report Bonise and I loved all the comments from the other posters also, a good chuckle for the day! And congratulations on your recent marriage it sounds like you and your husband really know how to have fun!! BTW, I love Prosecco too.
Sep 6th, 2006, 01:09 PM
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travel_addict,
I visited Lucas to see the Garden of Eden, and mostly stumbled on the rest.
I think Kansas fails to promote the things that are unique and interesting. What is with that slogan, "Bigger than you think" That is why I launched that website in January.
Keith
I visited Lucas to see the Garden of Eden, and mostly stumbled on the rest.
I think Kansas fails to promote the things that are unique and interesting. What is with that slogan, "Bigger than you think" That is why I launched that website in January.
Keith
Sep 7th, 2006, 04:16 AM
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Thank you everyone for your comments!
Travel Addict:
Lucas is really neat. The man that built all that is in a glass masoleum (sp?) in the back yard. If you pay extra you can go look at him.
Keith:
Have you seen the bumper stickers that say "Kansas: as bigoted as you think"
Travel Addict:
Lucas is really neat. The man that built all that is in a glass masoleum (sp?) in the back yard. If you pay extra you can go look at him.
Keith:
Have you seen the bumper stickers that say "Kansas: as bigoted as you think"
Sep 7th, 2006, 04:46 AM
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BoniseA, no I haven't. I've been tempted to get a T-shirt that says "I was born here, but I wasn't educated here."
But fortunately the State school board has little control over the local schools. The ones in my area are some of the best in the nation.
This year the community I live in was ranked #13 in CNN/Money and Money Magazine's 100 Best Places to Live in the United States. One of the neighboring communities is #6.
Keith
But fortunately the State school board has little control over the local schools. The ones in my area are some of the best in the nation.
This year the community I live in was ranked #13 in CNN/Money and Money Magazine's 100 Best Places to Live in the United States. One of the neighboring communities is #6.
Keith
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