Lil Blue takes a trip to Colorado Part 2

Another of our day trips in Colorado was to a town my folks mentioned would be worth visiting,  Nederland.   We took hwy 119 out of Boulder, and this is definitely a road Lil Blue was designed for.  Canyon walls on one side, the river/rapids on the other.  Speed limit was only 45 (we did 50), but lots of curves warning you to slow down to 30 or so (which I didn't).  Lori had rolled down her window to hang onto the outside of the car because I was having fun.

 Now, coming into town I slowed down to a little under the posted speed limit.  Highly recommend this, and glad I did because there was a local cop running radar just in the town limits.  The town sits on one end of a lake, but didn't see any boat traffic, and they may not allow motorized boats on the lake.  Just canoes and kayaks and such.

And of course mountains on the other.

The town was lovely, with a small town feel to it still.  Our first stop was at a place called The Carousel of Happiness.  http://www.carouselofhappiness.org/  Story is the actual mechanics are from an old turn of the 20th century amusement park in Washington, that ended up in a barn in Colorado for decades, when they ended up being bought by the guy who rebuilt it here.  All the actual "animals" he hand carved himself, and the building he and some of his friends built to house it.  We got to talking because he's a veteran also, plus he rented a hard top Fiat in Florida and loved it, just hadn't seen the convertible version before.  We chatted, he got in and got a feel for it, and was highly impressed (we get that alot).  Lori and I went in and took turns on the rides.

Afterwards we donated some money (I got on for free being a veteran, and it was only like a buck for Lori.  Felt that since he had such a good message (about happiness) with what he was doing, it was well worth it.  We went into a "store" that they're trying to get going that was more about the environment around the town, and the different types of critters and such, then proceeded to the old part of town.  This is a "must visit" kind of town.  Not so much touristy, but filled with local arts and crafts type stores, decent "mom and pop" bar and grills, an italian deli, etc.  We ate at a bar and grill for lunch which was really good, and very reasonably priced.  While munching, a local was talking to the bartender about how another local guy was streaking thru the middle of town (mind you this was Memorial Day weekend...so the town was full), but the police finally caught "Bob" and made him put his clothes back on and go home.  Here in Kansas you'd probably be thrown in jail and charged with being a sexual deviant or something.

Thought I took more pics of the down town area, but guess not.  Wish I had, this one doesn't do it justice.  Lori and I just fell in love with the town, and wish we could move there someday.  It had such a good feel to it.  Warm and inviting.  The people there were nice.  Maybe some day.

Lil Blue takes a trip to Colorado Part 1

     We went to visit my folks in Boulder Colorado, see our niece, finally meet her fiance Jon, and visit with a couple of friends of ours that are probably the nicest, most down to earth, and wonderful friends you could have Steve and Ann.  We got creative on packing, but had plenty of room in the trunk for our clothes bag, bathroom bag, and laptop.  We had a cooler in the back seat with drinks, a pillow and blanket (I have to have my squishy pillow, and Lori used them both to nap while driving across Kansas).
     First off, if you've never been, once you get west of Topeka..it's a really boring drive.  Nothing but miles and miles of nothing but fields broken up here and there by towns/small cities, the windmill "farm", and sporadic rest stops.  The only radio stations that you're able to receive for any length of time are religious, and farming/news.  We didn't get satellite radio, but have loaded a few hours of classic rock onto a memory stick for when we couldn't get anything good on the radio.     The drive out was uneventful, though fighting the cross winds was a struggle at times.  On our stop for lunch in a town in western Kansas, Lori just had to get this picture because of my love of Star Trek.

     Most of the drive across Kansas, I was only getting about 30mpg fighting the winds.  I had set my display up to show instant mpg as I was driving, and it fluctuated between 25-30 mpg for the most part, until we got out of the winds.  At some point in Colorado, mind you we were still slowly climbing uphill into the Rockies, it started reading 50-60mpg.  The Fiat is only rated for 40mpg highway, so this made me happy..no idea why.

     We finally reached Denver, and I will have to say that driving something as small as Lil Blue in Denver is not, as my dad said, for the faint of heart.  Big ole beat up trucks tailgating and speeding by (they looked like they belong more where we live..but one thing about midwesterners, they try to keep their trucks in decent looking shape as a matter of pride), and no one doing the speed limit.  It was like we took a wrong turn and ended up in the middle of a race track with hundreds of entrants, and every type of vehicle possible.  Finally navigated our way thru Denver and worked our way up to Boulder.  Ok...the scenery is breathtaking.  The view above Boulder is amazing.

We finally made it.  Total drive time was about 13 to 14 hours.  Lori said the Fiat actually felt more comfortable than her SUV (she did sleep a lot along the way).  

     On one of our days we went and met up with our friends Ann and Steve at an ice cream place on the other side of Golden, CO (think Coors).  The drive there was nice, though congested.  Had a great time visiting with them, and wishing we lived closer..they truly are the definition of "good people".  When we were on the way there, Lori spied a sign that pointed to what she thought was a historic mansion across from the Coors brewery (I was to busy paying attention to the road and the Colorado drivers), so on our return trip, since we had time, we decided to go check it out.  Turns out it's Buffalo Bill's, and his wife's, grave site atop this mountain.  Now, this road, I don't think anyone would've really tried their luck on really.  Did have a couple of kids (20 somethings) in a late 90's Camaro try to handle the curves like we could, and couldn't keep up.  They were squealing tires around each corner, while Lil Blue handled them like she was on rails.  They were having to take them slower than us also, so kept trying to speed up to catch up to us, then having to slow down for the bends.  They pulled over somewhere midway up.  We kept going up, and up and up.

Lori thought these were the actual mountains, and couldn't understand these were just the foothills.  The views are amazing.  It seemed like the road wouldn't stop going up.  But we finally reached the top.  It's a nice place to visit.  Nice little museum.  Big gift shop where we picked up a few items. and visited the gravesites.

Continued

A day trip to Topeka Kansas and Perry Lake

Another nice day in spring, we decided for a longer day trip.  We always wanted to visit the Rainbow House across the street from the Fred Phelp's clan's "church".  Picked out a route that would keep us off the highway, just south of I70 to Topeka, then up and around Perry lake and back on I70 in Lawrence.  The road out was a bit more fun than most, and we ended up stopping to look at a couple of historic buildings in Lecompton, KS.

This is the old territorial capital

and constitutional hall

     After a short stop (swinging by here was a whim), we headed out to the Rainbow House.  These folks do a bunch of charity work besides gay/lesbian rights and being anti bullying, but they wanted a base in the area that was a "middle finger" to the Westboro Baptist Church, and got a house that was for sale right across the street.

The people who reside there take turns every day greeting people and explaining their mission (and taking pictures for the "tourists").  What surprised me is when the guy said the people who go to the church (and mainly reside in the houses near the church), are actually fairly friendly and neighborly (when they're not spewing their politics and beliefs).

     After our visit, we headed for Perry Lake.  Choosing a road that took us up the west side of the lake, we stumbled upon a historic "village" up on the NW side.  The buildings were closed (looks like they hold flea markets and events there), but you could still pull in and walk around.  Lori and I spent an hour or so just peering in the windows, and looking at the various buildings.

After this, we decided to head to the other side of the lake.  Going east on the north side of the lake, we passed a house where a couple of people were talking, and there was a Fiat parked in the drive.  They looked at us and we at them, and we waved at each other.  We're noticing Fiat drivers are a friendly little "clique", and when ever we see each other, we wave..like bikers do, but in a hearty, friendlier wave.  Like we've discovered the car of perpetual happiness and fun (yeah, we're a strange cult).  Stopped in a convenience store for drinks, where an older lady, came in the store and hollered (this is the country after all) "who owns the Fiat?".  Being a bit sheepish to reply, I said we do.  Expecting a response of "can't haul much hay in that thing", or can't fit anyone in it...etc, this is the land of big ole pick up trucks and/or suv's, also if it's not American Muscle, it's not a car.  Surprisingly she said she liked it, and was glad to see they were coming back.  She remembered them from the 70's and how much fun they looked.  Chatted for a bit with her, then left for the east side of Perry Lake.  Sadly...the Dam Store is no longer there, having been bought out by a chain convenience store. but we stopped off at the lake to stretch our legs a bit.

We really are starting to enjoy our day trips.

Off to Lawrence Kansas

     We decided on a decent winter day to go visit downtown Lawrence KS.  I picked a route 24/40 hwy out, than K32 back.  The road out is nice, some gentle curves, nothing to challenging for Lil Blue, and the scenery is nice.  Our first stop was at an old souvenir place (not sure what it's used for now).

 Downtown Lawrence is a nice city with lots of stores to browse, and "mom n pop" restaurants to choose from.  It def. had a college town feel to it with the shops geared to them, but had a few antique stores also.  Our friend Julie said the Greek restaurant there is really good, and a must go for Sunday brunch.  She's never been wrong on dining before.

On the way back we took K32.  A little more curvy, but still no challenge to our little car.  As the sun was setting, we decided to get another picture.

It was a good day in December.  Also was able to find what I needed for Her Highness's Christmas present.