Road Tripping Colorado

 Alamosa, CO

Donna makes road sandwiches while Francis begs for cheese.

Camping in Colorado

This morning we left Denver and headed south.  We stopped in Colorado Springs to visit Garden of the Gods but it was really crowded so Francis peed and then we moved on.  We had our Covid booster appointments in Pueblo for 2pm and we didn't want to miss them.  It's our last chance to get a free boost from Kaiser until we get to California next year.  

Look kids!  Garden of the Gods!
We have been before so we didn't feel like we were missing out on much.  What we didn't know until this trip is GotG is very pet friendly.

We arrived in Pueblo for our boosters a half an hour early so I went in to see if I could work some magic and I did.  Well I think it was less my magic and more the great service from the tiny Kaiser facility.  They got us right in and then we were on our way to 5 Points Campground.

5 Points is a beautiful but primitive campground.  There was no water on offer there and I forgot to fill our jug in Denver so we had to make a 10 mile drive to a small shop in Cotopaxi, CO to buy a jug of water.  The drive was really pretty.  We wound along The Arkansas River.  Donna said we were in a Fly Fisherman's Magazine and she wasn't wrong.  So many people were fishing in the river.  When we got to Cotopaxi I went into Cotopaxi Store.

As I entered the store (it was Friday night) I heard what sounded like live music.  A song was just finishing and then a woman on the mic said, "This next song got me kicked off Facebook so if you are looking for me on Facebook you won't find me." I knew I was in for a treat!  I found a 2.5 gallon jug of water just as a blues style song began.  The main theme of the song was basically, They say my name is Joe Biden but I can't remember who I am, and Hunter Biden smoked the crack cocaine.  This went on the while I tried to quickly buy my water.  I did take a look at the person singing but didn't take a photo so the best I can do is post a photo of what she looks like in my head now.

File photo of the far right musician in Cotopaxi.

We returned to our campsite after getting water, set up, and cooked dinner.  Donna found a Miller Light in the fridge in Denver as we were clearing out so we split that with dinner.  After dinner we saw a herd of big horn sheep on the hill.  It was going to be below freezing overnight so we prepped all of our warm sleepwear and then hit the hay.

Shortly after dinner the sun went behind the hills we were surrounded by and it got cold.

Zoom!  Enhance!

The final task of the evening was to use the toilets and while I was taking my turn Donna saw a scorpion hanging out in front of the outhouse. It made its way under a rock so I didn't get to see it. 

The next morning we slept in until the sun warmed up the area a little.  We made coffee and had breakfast and then watched the sheep have their breakfast.

As we packed the sun started peaking over the hills so we got some sun.

Francis waits for his car seat to be ready.

Oh no!  The campground in rural Colorado has gone all woke with their gender neutral bathrooms!  Maybe we will get a new song about it. 

The drive from our campsite to Alamosa, CO was easy and really pretty.  We stay in Alamosa tonight and then head south to Los Alamos, NM for another hotel stay.

2023 counties in Blue!

That's it for today.  Soon we will be in Albuquerque.  If you missed Catching You Up - Denver, check it out.

Catching You Up - Denver

 Denver, CO

I posed with a mine car at the Mines Museum of Earth Science in Golden, CO

Where Have You Been?

Oh yea, it was me that was missing.  You all have probably been checking in every day and seeing the same post over and over.  Well I am back to catch you up.  We are still in Denver but only have a week left.. This month has gone so fast.  We have been keeping busy so I will catch you up using photos taken the past week.

Saturday

Last Saturday we went to brunch with some friends and then toured the Leopold Brothers Distillery.  

Mango House is a shared space for refugees and recent immigrants.  They offer discounted stalls to people trying to establish themselves in the US.  The stalls include food stands and a grocery store.  Other services like dentistry and medical as well as lawyers are on offer to help people on their journey.  The food was great and it was a great place to support.  

Leopold Brothers is in an industrial area but they have done a great job landscaping.

Sunday

On Sunday I played in another pinball tournament.  It wasn't my best showing but I met some really nice people.

Tuesday

On Tuesday we walked over to the Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA).  They just opened their new collection called "Cowboy",  From their site, "The exhibition aims to shift the narrative of this figure’s cultural power and significance to be both historically accurate and creatively imaginative."  The point is when you say Cowboy you think of a tall, thin, cis, white man.  This is only a segment of the actual  cowboy population.

Rodeo Boys - Otis Kwame Quaicoe

Untitled (Cowboy) - Richard Prince
This is an interesting piece.  It is a photo of a Marlboro Ad.  There isn't much alteration besides cropping and more visible grain than the original photo which causes us to ask, how much change does work need to have to make it a new piece of art and not just a copy.  I had recently watched this video that talks about this so it was cool to see the photo in person.

Carnage - Ana Segovia

Laster that evening we went to Hell or High Water, a tiki bar very close to us.  The space was cool, the drinks were unique and good, and the bartender was great.

It was Tiki but also kind of horror themed.

The bartender found out we used to live in San Francisco so to celebrate SF she poured us, her, and the bar back shots of Fernet.  This is called a "bartender's hand shake".

Wednesday

On Wednesday we went back to Arvada for some adult roller skating and then were invited to a friend's place for dinner.

Skate or Die!  I chose to skate.

Did I mention our friends have a nice game collection?

I got some Indy lessons.

Thursday

On Thursday we drove to Golden, CO to visit the Mines Museum of Earth Science at the Colorado School of Mines.  

You could buy minerals at the museum gift shop.

I'd say, that's it, but that was a lot.  We have been busy and will continue to be busy until we head out later next week.  If you missed the previous post, and you probably didn't, Cheyenne WY can be found via the link.