Autumn in the Rockies!

So after we got Janie and Corey married, it was time to slow down 

and relax a bit.  And then we heard the highway call us:

Let's go see Colorado in the fall! 

We took off in the blue Mustang to see what we could find.

First stop Amarillo, where we usually cruise Sixth St (the original Route 66)

down through town. Here they're getting ready for Halloween:

 After stopping in at "The Nat" for some antique browsing,

we drag on down to a new spot called "Handlebar".

It was just a straight up biker bar, with a logo featuring a skull head

with a handlebar mustache, holding on to ....motorcycle handle bars!

If you look past the chick in front, you can see the skull head behind the bar.

 

What was weird 

was the fact 

that even in this 

biker dive, 

they provide a baby

 highchair ----->>>>>>>

for the little ones, 

who might stop in 

for a cold brew!

We're always on the lookout for new spots, and we got word 

about this place called Coyote Bluff Cafe. It's not very big, but 

they're famous for their Burgers and Fries!

 They seated us right beside the bathtub...full of beer!

 We shared this burger with half fries and half rings

and you can see how excited I was:

Next time I'm getting the Chili Cheese Fries with jalapenos.

Man they looked nasty, but great!

Next morning we head on up to the edge of New Mexico,
and then due north into Colorado.
Next stop, Pueblo Co!

It's a modern city, but they've preserved one section, Union Street, 

that's shoulder to shoulder with historic buildings and shops

It wasn't time to eat, 

or even have desert, 

but I spotted this place

and couldn't resist 

a photo at the 

Bite Me Cake Company.

It's early October,but they're definitely 

ready for Halloween!

Another beautiful street view:

Check out this colorful mural on the side of this building:

For dinner we stopped in at Toni and Joe's for pizza

And guess what else we saw...

 Two of the most interesting men in the world:

That was fun, and really good pizza.
 At dark we cruised back to city center and
walked the city's new River Walk!

Next morning we drove
scenic Hwy 96 out of Pueblo
and enjoyed nice scenery,
across and around the Rockies.
At lunchtime we pulled in
to Cripple Creek,
which was a charming mining town
 a hundred years ago.

Nowadays, even though all the
storefronts remain, inside them all the shops
 are connected to create large casinos!

I mean the entire town
looks like dozens of stores,
but they're side by side casinos!

But alas,No craps tables were open,
 so we moved along.

We got to Colorado Springs in the afternoon, booked a room,

and then went exploring.  We discovered an exhibit on the Courthouse grounds 

that featured many, many butterfly statues.

There was something going on that drew a big crowd,
but we weren't sure what was the deal.

 And when the wind started gusting, we were afraid the butterflies

 were going to get airborne, so we shoved off to see some more sights.

We weren't very hungry, so we found
a family style cafe that evening and had soup.
It had been a long day, so we made it an early night.

Next morning, we drove west out of the Springs to a natural
red rock park called The Garden of The Gods.

 
It's a free preserve that features plenty of remarkable formations,
and some wildlife. Below you can see a wild turkey herd!

Halfway up the
rock you can see
our son Jamey.

Not really, but there's always some guy
that makes us
not miss our boy
so much.

Rock climbing is permitted, but only by licensed climbers, 

with proper gear. No amateurs!

One of the more famous formations is the Kissing Camels.

Can you see them?

This was a splendid way to spend an hour in the great outdoors!

 On the
left, the
Three Amigos


And on the right,
Poppy climbing on the rocks and making the
"Shhh, don't tell"
sign.




These slanted rocks remind me of  Casa Magnetica at Six Flags.

Believe it or not, we did all this, and it was still morning!
So we circled over to Colorado City to look around.

It just so happened that this morning
they were having a Farmer's Market, so we joined in!
Sharing some tasty hot apple cider!
It was so yummy we shared a second cup!
(Look closely at the background...this is not the same photo!)

Roasted peppers are a big deal up here, at this time of year.
And here's how they do it: in slowly turning wire baskets,
cooking for a couple of hours!

After lunch we drove on up to Denver
and booked a room in the Cherry Creek suburbs.
It's an upscale section of Denver, near to downtown, but
with it's own particular vibe.

It's named for this creek that has been preserved in it's very natural setting, 

which provides an escape from the city for drivers, bikers and strollers!

From there we drove up to Colfax, which is the main 

east/west avenue, right through the center of Denver.

Colfax would remind you of Lancaster/Camp Bowie in that 

it stretches all the way across town, and was once the main road in town!

From Colfax we took Federal north up to 32nd Ave because we remembered

this eclectic neighborhood up there called Highland Square.

It was still pretty cool, but you know how it gets when the local crowd
creates something everybody wants in on: next thing you know Chipotles
is pushing out the little guy that made it cool in the first place!
But walking the area, we met some new friends;
Jacqueline (Mom), and sons Marco and Luca. They were a hoot,
and because they own like ten restaurants in town,
they gave us a card for free dinners at the one named after Luca!
If you're reading this, you know how much I like free food,
but, alas, it wasn't meant to be. This night was not a night for pasta,
so we saved the card for another day.

Instead, we cruised back down Colfax to to a little
sidewalk spot called Kinga's:
They specialize in Polish Vodkas, and Polish food.
You know, like from Poland.

That was quite an experience, and another try at a selfie:

Next morning was Saturday and we came upon this Farmer's Market 

on the grounds of this high school in downtown Denver

Just fun being outdoors in fine weather!

That afternoon we head west, across the mountains, then south
to Buena Vista, trying to stay below a big cold front bringing in snow!
Buena Vista was a spot Grandma and Papa Britton would visit,
where they would buy creamed honey to bring back home.
We searched, but sorry, no more honey 😢
We did see these wild deer foraging for food...

And these two bear cubs playing on the lawn!

When we woke the next morning, we had a little snow.

On our way back to Pueblo, we passed through a cute little town
named Florence, that had an over abundance of antique shops,
so we pulled in at Spirit Riders to look around.
This is Barry and Barb, who own the shop. Barry is an artist
and author; all the paintings in the background are his work

and all the books on the table are also his!
Plus they sell cool these cool Victorian Steampunk glasses too!
They have a great story, but we'll save that for later.

Or you can check em out right here:   Barry and Barb

On our way up north a few days ago, we stayed at another place in Pueblo,

but we spied this vintage motel, The Coronado!  We decided then

 if we stopped in Pueblo on the return trip, we would check it out.

We didn't know it when we checked in, but we learned that this
retro place had been featured in the original National Lampoon's 
Vacation, where the Griswald family headed across country
in their new station wagon to Wally World. What a Blast!

For dinner that evening, we got a tip about the best pizza in town.
It's served at the Do Drop Inn Pizza Factory.

 

They've got a great Happy Hour, and their buffet includes salad, 

four kinds of pasta with sauces, and of course...

PIZZA!  It was awesome, 

and was made with a slightly

 sweet crust, just to keep it

interesting!

Yeah, we'd go back.

Next morning we shoved off early, and headed south.

The plan was to make Amarillo today, 

then on home tomorrow.

But at Raton, NM it was still so early in the day,

we got the idea to turn right instead of left, and drive over 

to Red River for a quick selfie. This is where we came many times 

when them three was still living with us, 

so we figured it would be a hoot to do a drive by!

This picture is through the front windshield of the Mustang,
just to capture the beauty of the snow flocked trees from the night before.
And sadly where our story ends for this trip. Just think
curving mountain road, black ice, shoulder, now downhill,
now roll over and into the stream that was actually melted snow!

But hey, it'll be a great story!