Category: Uncategorized

Colorado Feb 2015

Another typical spring run to Colorado.  We took the Honda, left mid-day on Monday Feb 16, arrived a day later at nephew Jeremy’s house.  New place for him, interesting neighborhood just a mile or so to downtown Denver.

Pictures are of his house and surround neighborhood.

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The first day there was warm, in the 50’s.  To a Cheesehead, 50’s and direct sunlight in Colorado feels like 70F.  We walked LoDo, checked out the extensively remodeled Union Station.

Union Station

2nd day – still warm weather.  An obligatory walk in Washington Park.

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Much snow was forcast.  We lost our good weather for a day or two.  Later we learned that Boulder, and much of the Front Range, set all time snow records for February. But in between these blasts, we caught another warm’ish morning and strolled the 17th street strip east of downtown.

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More days, more snow, much colder.  Another walking tour of LoDo, this time with temps around 15F, and windy.

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Jeremy’s house is a virtual doggie day care center.  Here’s Joey, Grace’s dog, and Sova (aka Sofa), Cami’s dog.

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At some point, we migrated north to Longmont, where our good friends Chuck and Tricia had arranged for us to crash their pad while they were in Florida.  It was great to be able to sling our crap all over the place without annoying anyone.  Nice sunny house, and Longmont is an interesting, up and coming town.  Affordable.

We drove by the Ryssby church, out in the country between Longmont and Boulder.  Got married there in 1989.

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Snow storms kept coming, we kept dodging them.  Walked around a sodden and melting Boulder, temps around 50F, very strong sun.  Again, it felt like summer.

The iconic Dot's Diner, on 28th St. (I had huevos !)

A stroll down the Pearl St mall includes the obligatory visit to the Pepper Corn, world’s largest and most complete kitchen store.  I could have shot 50 more photos in there . . .

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Visited good friend Kathy Cain in Boulder.  Her dog Gracie is just a riot.  A consumate “fetch the ball” dog.

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Pier Natural Bridge Park – Richland County

A friend told me about this small county park, located 5 miles north of Richland Center. Said you could camp there.  So on the way up to LaCrosse with my nephew Jeremy, we detoured away from Highway 14 to look at it.  It’s a small’ish park, with a few larger grassy fields, an outhouse, a covered picnic table structure.  The salient feature of this park is a narrow (< 100 yard) rocky ridge that runs north and south, for a mile or so.  It’s like the Great Wall of China.  The Pine River, barely a stream here, cuts under it at one point, causing this stone wall to form a “bridge” of sorts over the water.

There’s a general store at the entrance, and it’s old.   We checked into the particulars of camping.  $5.29/night, it goes without saying that there’s no electricity.  When I asked where the designated camping spots were, the gal brightly informed that “anywhere you can stick your camper or tent” is just fine.  The official Richland County web site says “six camping spots”, but if everyone cooperated and crammed in, you could probably put several dozen RV’s in there.

Aside from the price, the appeal of this site is that it’s situated in what is hoped to be hundreds of miles of new territory that’s good for bicycling.   Then of course, there’s the tremendous nightlife potential of Richland Center itself.

Here’s the pictures:

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