“Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature’s peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop away from you like the leaves of Autumn.” ― John Muir
We just got back from a family vacation in Colorado visiting my oldest son, who graduated college last year and immediately moved to Colorado to start his life. The trip was fun, enlightening, exhausting, and a lesson in how the easy money policies of the Fed result in mal-investment and the impoverishment of the middle class.
I don’t want to be a downer, as our week in Colorado was a fantastic journey where we witnessed some of the most stunning panoramas and beautiful awe inspiring vistas of our lives. My son is in the perfect place, as he loves mountain biking, hiking, snow boarding, camping, and hockey. After a week in Colorado, you realize why it is the least obese state in the union. It’s a perfect setting for those who enjoy the outdoors, as Colorado has 300 days of sunshine per year, along with the most snow per year.
I’ve only flown twice in the last eight years, so I wasn’t looking forward to getting molested by some obese low IQ TSA thug. Our flight was early on Wednesday morning and to my surprise the TSA line was non-existent. Getting a body scan still creeps me out. I hope my body scan grossed them out. This massive over-reaction to terrorism has stopped no attacks and cost citizens hundreds of billions and the loss of freedoms and liberties.
We flew Southwest Airlines and they were on time and appeared to be efficient. Of course, our flight was packed with families with babies. The four hour flight was a non-stop crying-fest. It wasn’t easy to read a book with the constant screeching, but at least we got free peanuts and pretzels. What happened to getting meals on four hour flights? Flying is an ordeal to survive, rather than a pleasant experience.
The stressful part of the trip wasn’t over when we landed. After getting our luggage, we had to catch the Budget bus to pick up our rental car. After waiting in line for 30 minutes we jammed ourselves (me, wife, two teenage sons) and our luggage into a luxurious Chevy Cruze. We couldn’t figure out the air conditioner for ten minutes, couldn’t adjust the seats, and didn’t realize the mirrors were inclined until we were on the road. But we finally got underway.
Kevin lives in Loveland, 50 miles north of Denver. Since he was working, we decided to checkout downtown Denver. We scanned the internet to find something interesting and the 16th Street Mall came up 1st. As we got off the highway an electronic sign warned us to lock up our valuables and be careful. Not exactly a good sign. The downtown area was singularly unimpressive and seemed like it would be dangerous after dark.
As we walked to 16th Street and then along this outdoor mall, I was shocked by the enormous number of homeless, beggars and mentally unstable. The stores along 16th street were just your standard national chains, with a sprinkling of restaurants. There were plenty of vacant storefronts. At least the beggars had a sense of humor. One held a cardboard sign that said: Will Kidnap Trump Until After Election if you give me money. Another said: My Girlfriend Needs Breast Implants.
The beggars were all young men. They had no disabilities. They could be working at low level jobs. The narrative in the media says Denver is supposedly one of the booming markets. The visuals don’t seem to match the storyline. We ate some lunch and got on our way to Loveland to check into our week long residence at the Comfort Inn.
It was a straight shot up I-25. We noticed a number of weed dispensaries along the highway with witty names like Rocky Mountain High. We could glimpse the Rocky Mountains in the distance, but there was an ozone warning and the smog blocked our view. My initial reaction on the trip up north was the vast amount of open space, farmland, and surprisingly operating oil wells on the farmland. Despite all this open land, developments of McMansions were jammed together on postage stamp sized lots along the way. Profits take precedence over everything in today’s society.
I’ve kept hearing Colorado’s economy is booming, as home prices have soared higher than the 2005 bubble highs. But then I stumbled across this chart showing Colorado in recession. The downturn in the oil industry surely has been a major factor in this economic contraction.
From a distance everything looks great. I grabbed a local paper and read about bidding wars in Loveland for homes that are on the market for less than a week. As you drive around the vast expanse of Colorado you see Pulte, Lennar and dozens of other home builders frantically building new developments to capitalize on the housing boom part deux. Twenty year old modest ranchers go for over $300,000. It’s pretty clear the Fed’s suppression of interest rates is creating another mal-investment boom in real estate.
We decided to checkout the Loveland Outlets and I was shocked to observe they had about a 70% vacancy rate in this 15 year old retail center. The adjacent retail areas seemed to be doing better, but just down the road were signs announcing another retail center. When developers can get extremely low interest loans, the ROI in their spreadsheet models always looks awesome.
Again, it’s faux prosperity, as the Fed’s easy money policies allows for the appearance of economic growth when it is just promoting the creation of debt financed bubbles. When the country hasn’t added any net new goods producing jobs in the last two years, while adding 500,000 waiter/bartender jobs, you know the debt based housing and auto boom will eventually bust.
An economy can not survive on low interest rates and low paying service jobs. The rubber meets the road when the budgeted sales tax revenues needed to maintain the town come in significantly below budget. People making low wages and getting crushed by Obamacare premiums and high dollar deductibles don’t have money to spend. Therefore, sales taxes decrease and towns must scramble to raise more tax revenue. That’s why weed dispensaries will be on the ballot in November. Government bureaucrats don’t cut spending. They gouge their constituents with more taxes.
As you drive down the main drag in Loveland, Eisenhower Boulevard (Rt 34), it resembles most suburban enclaves across the land – Wal-Marts, Lowes, K-Marts, McDonalds, KFCs, Jiffy Lubes, Targets, Chick-Fil-As, Safeways, Starbucks and every other mega-chain outlet in the country. The degradation of Colorado is far less progressed than in Pennsylvania, and specifically Philadelphia. The roads and overall infrastructure are still in good shape.
You can judge the decay of a municipality by the little things. Philadelphia’s streets are filled with garbage, sewer and water pipes explode regularly, gaping potholes swallow vehicles, crime is rampant, they are drowning in debt, and they can’t even time their green lights for smooth traffic flow. The streets of Loveland are clean, with no potholes, and the traffic lights are perfectly timed to keep traffic flowing. It was a pleasure navigating their roads.
The declining tax receipts, vast number of homeless and beggars in every locality, and proliferation of space available signs reveals why Colorado is already in recession. But, the real pain will not be felt until the Fed induced real estate bubble collapses again. Anyone buying an overpriced house in the last two years will be 20% to 30% underwater and foreclosures will skyrocket. We’ve seen this show already and the rerun will be just as bad. The retail development and new home communities will stop dead in their tracks, with the resultant surge in unemployment.
But that’s in the future. We were in Colorado for a week to enjoy the sights, food, and breweries. Kevin had to work on Friday so we decided to drive up to Fort Collins, home of Colorado State University. It was a delightful little college town, with quaint shops, nice restaurants, breweries, and ice cream shops. It had a laid back peaceful vibe. Everyone was polite. The streets were clean. And I noticed for the first time Colorado’s friendliness towards dogs. Dogs were welcome in bars, stores, and restaurants.
As we walked toward the campus of Colorado State, I was surprised to see a little restaurant called Taste of Philly. Evidently two Philly transplants brought Philly cheese steaks and soft pretzels to Colorado. The campus is spacious, well kept, green, and growing. They are building a new football stadium for the Rams. There are 32,000 students enrolled and the facilities were top notch. After buying a couple hats and shirts as mementos, we headed back to town. After five miles of walking we needed a beer.
As we trekked towards the renowned New Belgium Brewery, we saw our first weed dispensary up close and personal. It was aptly named Organic. We were curious to see what it looked like inside, but we had two teenage sons with us, and they weren’t allowed in the store. So, we kept going. No brownies for us.
As we passed some railroad tracks we noticed a large number of men sitting and laying on blankets under some trees. We assumed they were just enjoying the sunshine. But, we quickly put the sight out of our minds as we arrived at the New Belgium Brewery. They ship their products around the country and my wife is well acquainted with their beer, since she works at a bar that serves their beer. It was a very funky place, with a hippie vibe. We sat outside listening to music, tasting their beers, and enjoying the atmosphere. Everyone was happy. No worries. Waitresses brought bowls of water out for the numerous dogs.
As we walked back towards our car, we realized the people on the blankets weren’t enjoying the sunshine – they were homeless and waiting for the Fort Collins Rescue Mission to open for dinner. There was a huge line of men waiting for the doors to open. Even in upscale artsy college towns there are people starving on the streets. I’m sure drugs are a major factor in most of their spiral into homelessness and poverty. The mission was on the edge of town, away from the nice restaurants and quaint shops.
Little did we know the five miles we slogged on Friday was going to be a walk in the park compared to what Kevin had in store for us on Saturday. He was going to lead us on scenic back roads into the heart of the Rockies for an eight mile round trip hike straight up a mountain. We were completely unprepared for some of the most stunningly beautiful views we had ever witnessed with our own eyes. It was difficult to keep my eyes focused on the road, as we were awed by our winding 5,000 foot ascent through the Roosevelt National Forest up to Kevin’s favorite hiking trail called Peaceful Valley – and the name fit.
After the breathtakingly beautiful drive ascending to the 10,000 foot elevation in the Rockies, we pulled into the camping site. There were dozens of families relishing the great outdoors in campers, RVs, and tents. They seemed to be enjoying themselves greatly. Some people don’t need fancy hotels, five star restaurants and credit card financed vacations to exotic locations to enjoy themselves. We exited our vehicles and began an upward trek from 10,000 feet to 11,000 feet. The hike proceeded along the most scenic route I’ve ever had the privilege to witness.
They don’t call them the Rocky Mountains for nothing. The entire four mile trek to the top of the trail required non-stop hopping from rock to rock. Virtually the entire trail was rock. There were few dirt interludes. The temperature was about 85, but the trail had periodic shade, so the conditions were fairly nice. The trail sloped gradually upward, so it wasn’t too exhausting, even for an out of shape 53 year old like me. My 147 pound son could hike 10 miles without blinking an eye.
The trail wound along next to a beautiful stream/creek/river. I was surprised by the complete lack of wildlife along the entire route. My son had seen a moose in his previous hike on this trail, but we saw no moose, deer, or even a squirrel. One small snake slithered past me on the eight mile round trip. We took dozens of pictures. I’ve included a few below so you can see the majesty of the Rocky Mountains, but they don’t do justice to the vast beauty all around you. The lower half of the trail had many picturesque views of the stream.
As we continued the climb Kevin kept urging us on saying there wasn’t much farther to go and the we were on the home stretch. Of course, once we made it to the top we then had to hike back down four miles to where we started. But as we went higher the views became even more remarkable. I started to realize why he loves living out there. Even at the end of July, there was still snow in the mountain passes.
Besides the stunning beauty, the other thing that struck me was the peace and quiet. If you just stopped, stood still, and listened, you experienced absolute solitude. The hustle, bustle, noise, and filth of city life was a thousand miles away. We were experiencing nature in all its silent untouched glory. The hikers on this trail care about the land. I didn’t see one piece of garbage or strewn water bottle during the entire eight mile journey. You can’t walk five feet in West Philly without stepping on garbage or debris.
Kevin promised us a stunning view when we reached the crest. And he wasn’t lying.
And here’s the picture to prove we made it to the top. Suck in that gut Jimbo.
Kevin said the four miles back down the mountain would be a piece of cake. He lied. Dani and I significantly lagged the youngsters on the way back. Being 30 years older and far from in shape, I was exhausted by the time we finally reached the car. We had hiked for over four hours. It was around 5:00 pm and Kevin’s next stop was Estes Park, another quaint town nestled in the Rockies, for dinner. The drive down winding mountain roads with steep cliffs and no guardrails was a bit of a white knuckler. I can’t imagine driving on them during a snowstorm. Estes Park was bustling with tourists, and many with European accents.
After some grub at an Irish pub we got some scooped ice cream at a local shop and headed back to Loveland on Route 34. The road wound along the scenic Big Thompson River, which periodically floods and wipes out the road and anything adjacent to the road. It was cloudy, but we saw the sunset over the Rocky Mountains in our rear view mirror.
I’ve never slept so good in my life. Kevin decided to be kind to us the next day. The plan was to drive to Boulder and rub shoulders with the beautiful people. I was underwhelmed by Boulder. You can see there is much wealth pulsating throughout the area, but it is fairly understated. The shopping/restaurant area on Pearl Street was bustling with residents and tourists. Jugglers and contortionists performed for money.
Every restaurant we tried to enter had a 30 minute wait. We eventually settled on the Cheesecake Factory. I hadn’t been in one since eating at the original in Redondo Beach in the early 1990s – before they became a national chain. The service and food were good. And it just happened to be National Cheesecake Day, so the cheesecakes were half off. Kevin, his girlfriend and myself shared a huge hunk. Hey, I was entitled to a reward for hiking eight miles at 11,000 feet.
As you walk around the towns and hike along the trails, it becomes clearly evident that most people in Colorado are in good shape. The active lifestyle of the population, along with 300 days of sunshine, appears to keep their obesity levels at a minimum. The other thing you notice is how lily white the residents are. Colorado is 83% white, with a less than 4% black population. I’m sure that has nothing to do with Colorado having one of the lowest violent crime rates in the country.
The most fascinating aspect of Boulder was their extravagant homeless shelter. As we passed by, a bus was dropping off homeless at the shelter. The homeless get a freaking bus. No wonder they’re headed to Colorado. It’s almost as if the Haves are feeling a little guilty regarding their extreme wealth, so they built a Shangri La Shelter to ameliorate their guilt. This is what the Fed’s warped monetary machinations have created.
The next day we were back to long hard trail hiking. Kevin told us it was only four miles. He downplayed how steep the hike up would be. We arrived at the Horsetooth Reservoir late in the morning to begin our hike.
We began our long hard slog in search of the Horsetooth Falls. Once we reached the falls, it became evident the drought like conditions had dried up the falls to a trickle. See if you can find the falls. Dani is standing where there should be a pool of water.
The temperatures were above 90 and the two mile upward path was brutal. But we trundled on.
A nice fellow hiker offered to take a picture of our entire clan. I’m the fat one in the middle.
The trek down the mountain was much easier and the incentive of going to another micro-brewery kept me going. We reached the Fort Collins Brewery just in time. Not being a beer connoisseur, I ordered a paddle to try different varieties. It seems I’m partial to a red ale.
It’s amazing how many micro-breweries are located in such a small area. You also have the Coors and Budweiser brewery operations close by. Kevin has acquired a taste for these micro-brewery craft beers. I pondered why they are so predominant in Colorado. Is it the water? Is it the altitude? Is it the lifestyle? Or something else? All I know is they make some tasty beers. Over the next couple days we visited the Grimm Brothers Brewery, the Verbotin Brewery, and the Loveland Aleworks. They provided board games, shuffle board and of course beer. Dani was partial to a dark beer called Killer Boots. I liked the sour beers.
The breweries had a laid back vibe. The staff were jovial and helpful. Some patrons were with friends. Others were drinking while working on their computers. And everyone had a sense of humor.
As you may have noticed, we jammed a lot into our six day stay. But we weren’t done. One last hike on one of Kevin’s favorite mountain biking trails was on tap for the next day. It was another scorcher, which was fitting, because we were headed to the aptly named Devil’s Backbone Trail. This park was within the city limits of Loveland. They also have a massive lake. I think Kevin’s picked the perfect place for his preferred lifestyle. And he has a 10 minute commute to work. I’m jealous.
The trail wasn’t steep, but it was long and hot. Not much greenery around Devil’s Backbone. But there are million dollar homes on the ridges overlooking the park.
Their views are pretty spectacular. After all that heat we grabbed some lunch and decided to bowl at The Summit, a sports supercenter, also in Loveland.
After spending a week in this stunning paradise, it’s tougher than you know to go back to my two and half hour daily round trip commute into the slums of West Philly. John Muir’s words were right 100 years ago and they are right today. I am losing precious days and my days are spent trying to make money. I’ve got responsibilities. I’ve got bills to pay. I’ve got kids to get through college. We’ve got aging parents to help. I work because I have to.
I’m not learning anything in this trivial world of distractions and iGadgets. I don’t fit into this materialistic society. I don’t do small talk. I have no patience for fools. I prefer solitude. If I can survive this despicable rat race for seven more years, I’ll be joining Kevin in Colorado and living the life I’d like to live. The sun is setting and time is slipping away. Those mountains are calling me home.
“I am losing precious days. I am degenerating into a machine for making money. I am learning nothing in this trivial world of men. I must break away and get out into the mountains to learn the news” ― John Muir
Great write, jimbo. And you can make seven more years. It’s what men do. You won’t be sixty, plenty of life left to live. I figured Colorado would make an impression on you. Glad you enjoyed it so much. Little breaks from the grind keep us sane. Get back to it. Your family depends on it. And counts on it. And that’s the best thing you can say about a man.
It is always fun to read the stories of people who are out there on the road, so to speak. An old friend once told me the difference between vacation and travel. She said that vacation was for relaxing and having a good time. Travel was for the soul.
Looks to me like you got some of both.
Cheers
I’ve been waiting for your dispatch from Colorado. The economic/cultural observations are interesting and the fantastic experiences Kevin created for you seem to have altered your future. I have found that the lives my adult children established for themselves and invited me into are a rich source of new experiences as well. I hope you will be able to visit him often.
Very nicely written. Made me want to move to Colorado. I have a nephew who will be opening a restaurant there in two years. That should be about right for my retirement, although the Maine coast in Summer is not to be missed. Especially the northern coast. Fresh lobster from the cold northern Atlantic is icing on the cake. Decisions…decisions.
Sounds like you had a wonderful time. Peace.
Wish you luck but time waits for no one. I took a government job in 2000 because I wanted to retire early and it offered medical insurance after 10 years. I stuck it out and after 10 years and a few days to make sure I had the time retired at 58 to my little paradise on Sarasoata Bay with my boat docked 40 feet below. On my 64th birthday my doctor called and told me to go to the ER. I had complained of a rash on my calf earlier and had been sent to a dermatologist ( though I only saw a nurse practioneer) and was given some cream. The rash went away but I felt rundown and the doc had some blood work done. Hence the order to report to the ER.
I had a rare disease called Wegeners. One in 40,000 or so will get it. My immune system decided my kidneys were the enemy and attacked them. I’m now on dialysis now and trapped by it. Hooked to a machine three days a week for 4 hours. I’ve gone from a slightly overweight 185 lbs to l45 lbs. I weighed 165 lbs when I graduated from high school.
Unless you are working at a job you love I recommend you take a hit to your income and go where you want to go. You just don’t know how much time or the quality of the time you have left.
My sympathies, unit472.
I am an engineer, at the beginning primarily a chemical engineer working in an oil refinery to start off. I slogged through puddles of chemicals and oil, my steel-toed leather boots soaked it up so much that my wife made me take them off outside and carry them to the balcony of the 800 ft2 apartment we were living in. I worked twenty years in oil, chemical and related industries, slogging through and working with some majorly hazardous stuff.
Went back to school for an M.S., then Ph.D. Halfway through the Ph.D. my wife came down with cancer: I’D been slogging through unmentionable gunk and SHE got sick! There is no justice / Loki-Kokopelli has a nasty sense of humor. Got her through surgery, chemo, radiation and she’s still here, hanging tough. But the gal I married can’t hike any more than a few blocks, even shopping can wear her out, and the leg muscles and ankles hurt, need massage every night for the pain and stiffness, tight and sore all the time.
DO IT NOW. Go hiking and camping, swim and fish and climb; dread not the nursing home in extreme old age, but the walker that finds you young, unsuspecting and very, very disappointed.
So you’re retiring in six years ? Am I missing something. Why are so many people our age retiring when we are facing a fourth turning that’s going to make the great depression look like a slumber party. I can understand going to Colorado . At least you’ll be in a gun friendly state with plenty of water but retiring ?Anyway glad you got out of Pennsylvania for a while .
Loved living in Colorado. First got there in 1981. I’ve lived all up and down the Front Range from Pueblo (wife’s home town) to Denver. We’re in Utah now…Ogden…outdoor sports town USA. Ogden has a bad reputation in Utah, but we think it’s a bit harsh and undeserved. This is a nice community and we love it here. Homes are still affordable. The Wasatch are two blocks from our front door. The elevation is a little lower too. We’re 4800 feet. It makes a difference as you age. We have commuter rail to SLC and the airport, so it’s pretty easy to live without a car here (and save thousands) if that’s what you want to do. It was tough in Denver, even though I bussed it to work every day. Always thought I wanted to live in the high country, but then everybody I know who’s lived in places like Breckenridge, Aspen, Vail and even Steamboat has moved on. The altitude and weather wear on people. Ogden’s fairly cosmopolitan. People are active. The LDS Church rules here, so this isn’t a party culture, but the natives are extremely pleasant and friendly and you can get a drink if you want one. They don’t exclude newcomers and there’s not this mindless native/alien caste system as there was in Colorado when I lived there. That said, even here is getting kind of crowded. The Wasatch Front is 2 million people and the population is predicted to double by 2050. We’ve got our eyes on Idaho. Somewhere on the backside of the Tetons out from Idaho Falls or Rexburg or maybe up in the Panhandle past CDA. Time will tell. The northern Rockies are God’s country. Now that we’re here, can’t imagine living anywhere else.
I was born and lived in Colorado for 60 years. I left it 5 years ago and would never want to live there again. I gave my home to my daughter and bought myself a home in the most beautiful place on earth with the most angelic people God ever put on this earth. I now live in Northern Georgia. The cost of living is 2/3rd’s less than Colorado and I have a large home with plenty of land that would sell for over a million if it were in CO., my cost…..under 250,000. The weather is great, seldom cold. You can garden year around. The people here are so nice, layed back, kind, decent and honest. There is plenty of water here and they are gun friendly.
If you plan on retiring in Colorado you better have plenty of money and plan on not living long.
That’s funny you should mention northern GA. My wife and I moved to w Texas to make some cash while oil was over $100-almost as soon as we got here, it plummeted. Oh well, we’re still making a few bucks but Lamesa is wearing thin and out sights are set on southwestern NC or northern GA. I’m an artist and have clients in Atlanta and although Asheville is creepy liberal, it’s a great art town.
You’re dead on about the cost of living and the climate-and the political atmosphere. Although the folks here in W Texas are the same sort. I could take some more elevation but compared to where I’m at now, 3500′ would be heaven.
Anonymous was me..The Greatest BB in the world.
#1. The mountainous states are the better place to be when the SHTF. I live in Nevada, which is a bit too close to Commieland (California), but should be OK. I am setting up a second home in a mountainous area of Central America.
#2. As far as renal failure goes, look into getting nightly dialysis, if you can arrange it, or a renal transplant in a foreign country.
I told you about the bums in downtown Denver. They showed up quickly after pot was legalized. You are right that it can be dangerous after dark-there have been a few cases of groups of Dindu’s beating people with baseball bats in the wee hours. There are unique places but you have to know where to find them. Duck Soup downtown for one, right on the 16th Street Mall. I loved Glassman and Hanson jewelry store when I lived there, got some fabulous estate pieces for next to nothing. The Boulder Dushanbe Tea House is not to be missed: http://www.boulderteahouse.com
If you ever want to see what I consider even more breathtaking views head a four hours drive west out of Denver through the mountains on I-70 to Grand Junction. Find the Colorado National Monument and take a ride on Rimrock Drive.
The problem with Colorado is it is filled with mindless liberal dolts. Almost as bad as California. The loss of the oil industry has hurt the liberal government’s largess. Like Betty Davis in “What Ever Happened To Baby Jane”, Colorado hides behind the ‘makeup’ of a lost past, its pristine beauty, courtesy of a benevolent Creator. Look here, at the mountains and streams, not the degradation of failed liberal policies, the homeless, the empty strip malls, the indolent and the Mary Jane dispensaries. Ya! We will legalize Mary Jane and collect revenues from the taxes which shows the hypocrisy of the liberal left and their professed disdain for marijuana as a gateway drug and their secretly trying it but not inhaling it. That’s kinda like having sex without the orgasm. To the Liberal, when it comes to needing money, anything goes. Trouble is the Mary Jane dispensaries are a cash business thanks to the FEDS. How much revenue in taxes never gets paid?
Ya! Mary Jane the Soma of the Colorado state proving once again that non-inquiring minds don’t really want to know, besides they’re easier to control.
Of course, there are good places, beautiful places, in Colorado just like in other States. Take Aspen, playground of the rich and famous. How many homeless there, holding sign in the street saying “Feed Me”?
Not many I suspect.
Ya! Colorado is a beautiful place to live if it weren’t for the addled Liberals running the joint.
I’ve been to Colorado Springs, Pueblo, Denver, Aspen,–“I’ve been everywhere, man. I’ve been everywhere!” O.K., cut the lyrics Johnny. Skied Buttermilk on more than one occasion.
I’m not a Flatlander, I’m mountain folk! I’m looking out my breakfast nook window as I write this, at an Evergreen forest. The trees not 10 feet from the house. In the winter with the snow, the beauty is indescribable as the snow capped mountains reflects across the lakes, the pristine blue cloudless sky. You can almost see a hundred miles.
Tourists come up here all year around to get away from the steel and concrete that they are exposed to in their daily life, to be renewed, to clear the mundane cobwebs from their gray existence. They return to their lives refreshed to face once again their dull livelihoods. But…to be truthful, I take it all for granted–on occasion . Oh! Sometimes I see a vista that’s breathtaking, that reminds me of how lucky I am. And, sometimes, I yearn for steel and concrete in the same way that tourists yearn for the green forest and snow. Ya! Sometimes steel and concrete makes me feel more alive, but I’m always so glad to get home and often thank God for what I got.
Homer,
You are full of crap on marijuana being a gateway drug. You dumb, stupid people need to do a little research and quit repeating the lies the gubbermint has told you. Taxes paid? You support the state tyranny and believe taxes should be paid? You are a hypocrite. You call your self conservative but support legal theft? Idiot.
Your views would be funny regarding marijuana if the FACTS didn’t show otherwise regarding marijuana.
The traveler to Colorado noticed a LOT of homeless on the streets of Colorado — young men who COULD be working but are panhandling on the streets of Denver, Ft Collins, and throughout the state. Why? Well since the liberals in northern Colorado (pot users) voted to saddle the entire state with ‘legal recreational marijuana in 2014″ Colorado has been over run with persons from out of state moving to Colorado JUST so use recreational marijuana. Parents have dragged their minor children with them and dumped their neglected children on society to do the parenting for their children. FOR EXAMPLE: Last fall a town with a population of 410 people had 40 NEW children dumped into their public schools because their marijuana / drug impaired parent(s) moved to Colorado to recreate (no not hiking but drugs). The school system spent a lot of time taking the filthy children to the local community center for showers and clean clothing. Then the school had to hire ‘special education teachers” because the children were all under performing in school — between parents consumed with their own destructive pot usage and the kids being exposed to pot fumes in their homes their little brains have been negatively impacted. The school super. wrote an emergency appeal letter to the governor for funds to hire MORE special education teachers.
Small quaint towns in Colorado that NEVER had anti-panhandling ordinances in their 120 year plus history have been forced to pass such ordinance to deal with the annoying drug impaired users begging for MONEY so they can continue to recreate. Car and home break ins have increased because of the Colorado recreational pot industry — none working drug users have to get money someone how to feed their drug addictions. Hence, car and property insurance rates have INCREASED.
In May 2016, the city of Pueblo (not including the county of Pueblo) handed out 25,000 free (ie taxpayer funded) needles to the heroin addicts in the city. The physician in charge of the program said ‘we have no idea on how to get a handle of this growing epidemic of drug addictions in Colorado’.
Homeless shelters in Colorado from Jan 2014 – June 2016 saw over usage demands from the out of state homeless moving to Colorado for drugs swell the ranks of the homeless by 100% and some shelters were hit with 150% increase in demands.
The city of Pueblo, Colorado with a population of about 130,000 has OVER 100 documented homeless camps. Thanks to the recreational marijuana usage.
Pueblo, Colorado now has the highest number of homicides in the state of Colorado — yes, the street drug industry is linked one way or another to the crisis. (eg increase in homelessness; international drug cartels from Mexico, South America, and Dutch cartels; gang shoot outs)
Last winter the Colorado Parks people did several media interviews warning and pleading with people to NOT use marijuana and go hiking. They notified the public that drug users were illegally camping in the state / federal parks and defecating /urinating any place they wanted to vs. using camp grounds with porta potties. They reported on stoned hikers and rock climbers who got themselves into problems and had to be rescued. One fool who was stoned fell off a rock cliff into a canyon area below that was infested with rattlesnakes and stinging nettle (plants). It took a team of state employees (ie taxpayer funded) 8 hours to hike into the rattlesnake canyon area to rescue the stupid. Another story highlighted were the two stoned pot users who as dusk approached one winter eve and a major blizzard was moving into the area decided it was be a wise thing to go hiking in the mountains. Needless to say the stoned men became disoriented because of their stoned minds and the blizzard they set off into and so once again state employees (ie taxpayer funded) men and women put their lives at risk to rescue “two stupids” from themselves.
SWAT teams frequently are called out to pot operations (grow centers, manufacture, and distribution centers) because of break ins as people break into steal the ‘stashes’ and ‘cash’.
Communities have had to pass ‘anti-squatter’ ordinances because of the pot and related drug users (meth, heroin) users moving into the state and taking over vacant land, vacation property, or anything that is not currently occupied.
Pueblo West in Pueblo County this past spring over a about 2 weeks time had about 12 MASSIVE illegal grow operations of pot and meth production operations in residential properties. Many of these dwellings were residential houses that were rented out in good faith to these people who took advantage of the landlords, neighbors, and community for their own selfish objectives to make money off of the manufacture of drugs. One renter in Colorado Springs caused $25,000 in property damage to a house a landlord had just restored so make a modest income flow for himself and his family. A Colorado Springs real estate agent told the media that because of Colorado’s recreation pot industry she has gone from a 4 page rental agreement to TWENTY pages to help prevent the destructive, selfish druggies from destroying private property intended to provide safe quality living spaces for people.
ER visits for children and pets are skyrocketing as these vulnerable populations get into the adults pot stash — some are mistake and, unfortunately, other times by intention as the adults think it is funny to see stoned children or pets.
Wait times for drug rehab in Colorado pre-legal recreational pot used to be 2 – 3 weeks, now the wait times are MONTHS.
The FACTS — violent crime is UP including homicides related directly to the liberal drug laws in Colorado; child abuse and neglect is UP in Colorado; ER visits are UP regarding marijuana and combination over doses (friend’s wife RN training during the week in a small town ER rotation witnessed 3 -5 drug overdoses every night–small hospital is NOT equipped for drug over doses so they are flown out of the community (taxpayer tab of $100,000 per FLIGHT); drug impaired homeless rates have skyrocketed placing a DRAIN on services for those who have through no poor choices on their parts are sincerely in need of support; grade school children are now SELLING pot to their classmates; heroin use has skyrocketed in Colorado since Colorado legalized recreational marijuana; international drug cartels have moved into Colorado from Mexico, Latin America, and Dutch.
FACT town of Hugo, Colorado has had their water supply tainted with THC and made it unsafe for the community.
You’re not painting a very pretty picture. The Liberal establishment coming to a town near you.
Look, Colorado Native, what you read is not what I wrote. So, lighten up on the castigation and re-read the comment until you fully understand it. Reading Admin’s postings and the comments do require some level of thinking. I truly hope you didn’t read my comment in a pot induced stupor, but then again it’s Colorado.
John Denver’s ‘Rocky Mountain High’ takes on a whole new meaning, I guess.
Terrific stuff.
Between HP and the Air Force I’ve probably spent 15 months total in Colorado. I also loved almost every moment there … some of the same places mentioned in the article …. (didn’t care much for Denver … it was pretty dirty and grimy when I was there, but that was a long time ago).
Chain stores/restaurants/whatever have absolutely ruined America with its sameness. It wasn’t that long ago, in my lifetime as a yute, where traveling to another state (or even within your state) pretty much guaranteed uniqueness, and a local flavor. Sure, that still exists, but ya gotta look long and hard for it.
Oh … do you need to have your teen-aged sons GLUED to your hip??? I mean, you passed a pot shop, an organic one at that, and you couldn’t stop in for 5 minutes to grab some Sweet Mary Jane?? Piker!
Sweet Jane is about DRUGS?
Mary Jane=pot, Maggie.
Probably not. Maybe when Lou Reed wrote Take a Walk on the Wild Side, he was urging folks to vote Republican.
Great write-up Mr. Quinn. I’m glad your son is doing well. I was last in the area described about 2002. Very similar to some of the mountainous areas in New Zealand plus the craft brew scene is hopping (pun intended) over here too! If you and your wife ever have a hankering to visit over here, you can be my guests when in the area I live in (currently and likley to stay Wellington but I live well outside the city). Happy to show you around. Wellington is like Colorado, you walk most places and lots of “hills” (I thought they were small mountains when I first moved here) to climb to go places!
I’m a bit of a freak. Born in Baton Rouge (Coon Ass but white) moved to Colorado. Beautiful state. But so much for that…glad you enjoyed family and friends Jim and not Avon.(yeh not your real name)
Love you both. Take care. ~Brad
The Rockies are great. It is beautiful country. It is more beautiful when you share it with loved ones. Sounds as if you had a wonderful time. To bad Colorado is on the way to being commiefornia east.
Fuckin’ A admin! Your experience in CO make me love my life in the PNW even more. Now you understand why I say that if heaven exists, we are surrounded by it at all times……..you just have to take the time to appreciate. I never got that impression at all when living or traveling the eastern seaboard or the south. The Smokey mountains and parts of TN and KY were an exception but there is far too much “civilization” in that part of the country. I enjoyed my time there immensely but nothing is like the magnificence of the west to make you a believe that heaven surrounds you! Even the desert SW will knock your socks off whether you are on your knees or on a high promontory!
I spent part of my childhood in CO. My parents were born there. I even lost my right eye there. My personal paradise is central Idaho precisely for the indescribable beauty and unparalleled solitude. Everytime I return home from a trip to or even through one of these places I kid my boss that I need to be retrained because I had defragged my *wet drive* while I was away and my work skills went to the recycle bin! I cannot wait for the day I finally step into the woods for the last time and never step back out.
We could even be twins. Red ales. Sour beers. Low tolerance for bullshit. Preference for solitude. Appreciation of the great outdoors. I’m a fat fuck too! Try to cultivate an appreciation for geology during you final seven years in PA and you’ll be able to read the history of the earth like book which will make your future even more enjoyable and uplifting!
How does Avalon feel about her baby’s transition to becoming a man? I’m happy for both of you. You’ve raised the kind of family America needs and was built on!
I meant to add that you’re right regarding pictures not doing the experience justice. Even the best photographers in the world fail to capture the enormity of it all. Even the night skies take on an enormity that is impossible to convey. You just have to soak it in person to appreciate what seems more dreamlike than real even in person.
NM has the same effect. Actually, the entire SW does that.
One of the shuttle astronauts commented on the SW as they flew over it to do a U-turn and land at Edwards. He remarked on how beautiful the land looks west of the Rockies.
We had an Eskimo lady here. She said the desert had something more appealing than the metropolitan area south of us. I said it was the land that stretches off into the distance everywhere you look. It does not confine your spirit like the narrow city streets down below (LA).
Years ago, when I first got here, you could look up into the night sky and see a billion stars. I had grown up in a small city whose lights blotted out 98% of the night sky.
Avalon misses him tremendously. It took everything she had not to cry when we said our good byes. I’m really proud of Kevin. There are good, hard working, frugal, non-IGadget addicted millennials out there.
Jim, You really need to go back in the fall when the aspens are turning color. Run out on I-70 west. Get off the interstate and then run some of the secondary or tertiary highways between the tunnel and Grand Junction, north or south. Stop in on some of the little towns and you will see the America that has largely vanished in the bigger cities/towns.
Actually instead of going thru the I-70 tunnel, take the old highway (Hwy6) up and over the divide. It stunned me that at loveland pass I was higher than Mt. Hood in Ore.
Uh Ohhh.
Jim got the ‘go west’ bug.
Whatever you do, don’t ignore it. Plant it, nourish it, feed it and grow it. Living in a healthy western community will set you free and you will actually begin to have days when you don’t give a tinker’s damn about what happens in the rest of the world. I’m 43 now and I still trail run about 4 or 5 days a week (at least my half crippled middle aged version of it). My kids giggle at me as they scurry up the trail ahead. I blew their minds todays though. I sprinted up a piece of trail that looked like it was made for goats, stood at the top and asked them what took so long. They were huffing a bit and inside I was dying… but I kept cool and made like I was king of the hill.
Anyways – you won’t regret it if you do.
A few pics of the places we like to hike to:
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A sub alpine lake the locals here like to hike to. We took this pic a few weeks ago. It was a beautiful day.
The next two are from trail that goes up a mountain just down the street from my house. We run this one regularly.
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The video won’t post, it is an oldie but goody. Did I tell you my mom was born in Fort Collins?
Why do you bother with vacations?
How about designing a life you don’t have to run away from?
Happiness, joy, fulfillment etc….. believe it or not….. is a choice. 🙂
Jus’ sayin’ 😉
That was a great story. It was interesting to see the change from when I first started reading your essays, the under story of our lives bleeding out across the landscape mimics the way our country has done the same thing and the anger, energy and frustration is spent like rocket fuel getting us to the place where we really belong. Life just unspools on us; you marry and get a career, have kids, build a home, next thing you know they grow up and head out, the career becomes an anchor that keeps us tied to a place we no longer love, you age and your priorities and views alter and then it’s your children that help you see the world as something new again.
There was so much in that, beneath it all, your chart was like a callback to an old joke, the self deprecation bubbling up from a deep well of pride and then all of it coming into focus on the bigger picture- the deep and abiding love of family and the immensity and beauty of the Natural world just waiting for us to join it again…
I don’t think you appreciate just what a truly good writer you have become and I wanted you to know how much I admire what you’ve done with your life and in sharing that story with us.
Admin has developed his writing style in ways that can’t be defined or explained. When I was “learning to write” good, I had a professor who explained to our class(es) that you can learn everything about illiteration and pacing and word choice and comparison-contrast and then when you sit down and put your pen on the paper or your fingers on the keyboard it will all fly out of your mind and what comes out makes you a good writer or not. I think Admin is becoming a really good writer. [As for having multiple classes with the teacher? When a professor seems to be actually helping you learn something, you take as many classes as possible with them.]
Admin has that ability to actually TAKE the reader with him. I had to go get a beer after that hike to Colorado State.
My cousin’s kid just graduated with a degree in Petroleum Engineering and is headed off to North Dakota to frack oil or whatever. He says that he doesn’t care what he has to do in the next twenty years to make it happen, but that he is going to live in Colorado one way or another.
There is always the homeless shelter.
alliteration
illiteration is what happens when you become too involved with politics
Especially Liberal Progressive Politics. I get your point!
CO is beautiful, no doubt. I moved there in 1970 when I was 18. I watched it go from a solid conservative state to a state with the most liberal state SC in the country. With a far left governor and a legislature that passes unConstitutional gun control laws. Denver, where I lived until 2001 when I moved to Golden, is over run with illegals. And you’re right about the Mall, stay away after dark
We had a chance, albeit a slim one, to turn things around when Tom Tancredo ran for governor. Naturally he was pilloried by the left dominated media. He lost. The state also legalized reefer. I moved to w Texas.
I miss being able to throw my mountain bike in my truck and literally in 40 minutes be in the middle of wilderness. I miss hitting Loveland or Monarch with my board. I miss the high desert climate. The last town I lived in was Canon City, virtually all white, crime free, about 6,000’…a wonderful little place. By the time I left, I’d see bunches of kids walking around, passing a joint between them.
My home which I sold in Golden in 2011 for $313,000 is now worth close to twice that much. My friends there tell me similar real estate stories. I guess no one ever learns. The legalization of reefer combined with the beauty has brought hordes to the state. It doesn’t portend well.
This Nov, Amendment 69 if passed, will make CO a single payer health care state. It will more then double the state’s budget from $25 billion to over $50 billion-wanna bet that’s on the low side?-by instituting a huge additional payroll tax on business and an increase in personal income tax. Private health insurance will be illegal and the health care will be directed by a 10 member board. How’s that grab you? Despite Vermont which just last year ended a 3 year failure as a single payer state, CO is poised to double down.
I’m afraid with so many potheads there now, this craziness will pass. I’ve told my friends, once it does, CO will become ground zero for every sick person in the country. Combine that with the multitude of businesses that will leave because of this huge tax increase, a real estate come to Jesus moment and you’ve got yourself an old fashioned death spiral.
It’s not going to be pretty and all the gorgeous views in the world won’t mean shit.
Who knew you could learn something in the comments section of TBP? MMinLamesa just opened my eyes. I just read up on Amendment 69 (aptly numbered by the way since it is a head to toe screwing) and can’t believe what they are proposing. There is no end to liberal idiocy. MMinLamesa, you got out at the right time. Quinny, if you’re still thinking of going you better take your personal physician with you.
https://ballotpedia.org/Colorado_State_Health_Care_System,_Amendment_69_(2016)
Moved here to Co at 50, 13 years ago to escape everything you despise. I live in those views. Earn less…live more. 5 1/2 hrs SW in Galt’s Gulch. Climbed my 1st 14er at 60. Learned to snowboard and rock-clime. I say don’t wait. Just do it.
Great essay Admin. Sorry I have not been commenting as much, I was kicked out of the office and back into the field. I forgot how much I enjoy actually building homes. The week before last every day was at or over 95 degrees with high humidity and I loved it. Walking about 10 miles per day and working with actual contractors rather than sitting in an office all day is so refreshing. You hit on a great point with the current housing boom. Those of us that have been through these cycles several times are all looking at each other wondering not if but when it will blow up this time. The prices in Massachusetts are absurd. I am finishing a development in a modest south shore town, when we started two years ago we were the highest prices in the town and now we are $100,000 higher that that. About a 20% increase. My boss and I are looking at each other wondering if the company we have worked for for nearly 20 years will survive a serious downturn under the current management.
I talked to my wife and it is time to have a backup plan. I am too old to buckle on the tool belt for 8 to 10 hours a day. Even at 54 and in good shape, running 8 to 12 miles a week, my back will only take so much. I’m tired of living to work, but my daughter only has two years left to her undergraduate. If I survive that long I will have to seriously reassess. She wants to move to North Carolina, but we will see what the future brings.
Glad you had a great trip and everyone looks happy and healthy.
Best wishes,
Bob.
The only disappointment of the trip was not getting to see a concert at Red Rocks. There weren’t any bands of interest playing that week. Kevin says it’s the best music venue in the world.
During the day you can tour Red Rocks without the band. Nice time for a picnic.
I haven’t been to Red Rocks but concerts at the Gorge Amphitheater in George, WA overlooking the Columbia River are magnificent.
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It’s nice but Red Rocks kills it.
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Wow.
I had my high school graduation at Red Rocks.
I think I’m adding it to my bucket list.
When I lived in Golden, I used to run the steps at Red Rocks in the mornings, usually a bit before sunrise. Fantastic exercise.
Saw some of the best shows of my life there. Steve Martian in his white suit doing King Tut, wow. Got tear gassed at a Jethro Tull concert.
The last thing I saw there was a Romney/Ryan rally-ugh.
Gezzzzzzzzzzz I got tear gassed at that too. What happen to the people waiting to get in was really ugly. I later moved outside of Morrison and raised my kids on Soda Lakes road. The highway came threw and took out our front yard. We lived in the log cabin, you probably passes it a million times.
Golden was a great town.
There was one amusing anecdote I left out. We traveled most of the day Tuesday to get home. Our flight from Denver arrived at 1:00 am. It was 1:30 when the luggage began to go onto the conveyor belt. My bag and my two sons’ bags came up immediately. My wife’s bright pink bag was nowhere to be seen. I thought I had seen it earlier but it was at the other end off the conveyor. All the bags were claimed except for one different color pink bag that kept going around.
It became evident that someone must have accidentally grabbed my wife’s bag by mistake. You don’t mess with a tired irritable mom at 1:30 in the morning. She grabbed the other pink bag and stormed into the baggage office to tell them someone had taken her bag. She was in a snit. Then she came storming out of the office to survey the scene outside to see if anyone had a pink bag.
She yelled to me that she saw a pink bag outside and made a beeline out the door. She stormed up to the morons and said “I think you took my bag.” She checked the name and grabbed it. As they sputtered apologies she told them she had their bag hostage in the baggage office.
She is normally very polite, but this wasn’t one of those times. She wasn’t leaving that airport without her bag, and someone was going to feel her wrath. After a shuttle to the parking lot and the 45 minute drive home, we got to bed at 3:00 am.
I know you are quite familiar with Seinfeld.
— One episode dealt with “make up sex”
— Another dealt with “conjugal sex”
Just curious … probably none of my damn business …. but, at 3:15AM, did you have “angry sex”?.
Stuck
No sex for me. But, before we had scheduled the trip, I had scheduled a 7:40 am doctors appointment on the Wednesday. It seemed like my head had just hit the pillow when my alarm went off at 6:30. I was zombie like most of the day.
Stuck! You forgot pity sex, break up sex, goodbye sex, long time no see sex, robot sex – that’s probably conjugal, dream sex – that’s when you wake up and find your self in-fraganti.
When you’re a hormonal 18 year old, any sex is good sex.
Admin–That’s why you tie a red ribbon on to your bags. So many bags look alike.
P.S. You should have gone thru that bag. The contents may have been better than what your wife had in her bag. hahaha
Come back any time.
I Enjoyed this piece of writing from you as a nice escape from the harsh reality of your regular depictions of Philly. Glad you were able to broaden your horizons and escape if only for a little while!
I admit I was a little bitchy at 1:30 am knowing that someone was too stupid to look at the 6 inch long name and address tag that was tied to the top handle of the suitcase! It was right there dammit lol… That suitcase had important things in it, like my hair stuff and face cream…lol, oh and it also had medication that I needed to take in the morning.
I asked the lady in the baggage office if this happened a lot expecting her to say no, but she came right out and said yes, it happens all the time. Ugh. Why don’t people look at the tag?
My husband said it best last time a similar incident occurred while we were travelling. He said “It is all about them and what a hurry THEY are in, isn’t it?”
No one has time to check their bag label because they are in a HURRY and they are very important.
In 1977, at age 25, I moved to the high desert in central Oregon from the suburbs of Washington, D.C. Spent 5 years doing work as a landscaper, in a window factory, and lastly as a USDA Forest Service technician where I was assigned to walk the wilderness trails and take inventory of back country campsites. A perfect fit for my newly-acquired Recreation and Parks Associates Degree. That job led me to computer work indoors at the Forest Service HQ in Bend, Oregon, which was the 2nd shift–great for an outdoors person like me and allowed me to ski often at nearby Mt.Bachelor, which had a 8-month snowpack and was open from October through May. But I returned to the then burgeoning telecommunications sector in Northern Virginia and have spent 35 years doing high-tech after getting a Bachelors of Science in Information Systems.
This is what my back window view was for those 5 years, so I empathize with you on leaving those surrounds. Hope you make it back as you stated.
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Rise up, my wife in the Ochoco’s of central OR on vacation as I write this. I burned up my vacation hangin out with my dad during chemo so she went without me!
Probably her first real vacay!
@IS, sorry you couldn’t go with the wife, and hope your dad gets better.
I loved Oregon and have been across country many times, going through Colorado and Idaho, plus down into some of the southwest. But in a few years I’m pointing my wagon to the hills of southwest Virginia or North Carolina to retire in the Blue Ridge.
Admin,
Beautiful story indeed…as many pictures as you may have,
the majesty of those mountains have to be seen to be believed.
I would say chuck the Philly commute and settle elsewhere…
but it would be hard to uproot your high age boys. Some trips
we take are pure magic.
Avalon, girl next time you fly, decorate your bag with some fancy
ribbon or a strap or something. No one will get confused…no
losing the bag, no hassles either. BTW, you are obviously a great
mother and wife. Your man could not ask for more than that.
Good luck,
Suzanna
I will do the ribbon thing next time, thought I was safe with a bright pink suitcase!
Admin,
Thanks for the write up. I’m so glad to live in the N Wyoming / S Montana Region (Cody, WY). It’s all of the positives you documented (and maybe more).
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So the mountains are calling you home eh? I know a lot of people who share the sentiment. I’m sure we could easily take up a collection. All kidding aside I’m taking my youngest to Fort Collins next week. In addition to him I’ll be leaving behind out of state tuition for CSU so any thoughts of me leaving for the Rocky Mountain life are on permanent hold.
Nice article. I also live in Colorado. I’ll tell you that all real Coloradans agree that the only downsides to Colorado are Denver and boulder. They completely skew the politics of Colorado and are killing our future. Oh well, we’ll deal with it in time. At any rate, I’m going on vacation this weekend, camping, hiking, and a couple ranges. Perfect place for it.
0351,
Seems to be the same story all over the west – in Canada and in the US. Here the problem is Vancouver and to a lesser extent, the capital in Victoria. Those two large urban centres hold the bulk of the population, are liberal and drive our policies. Would be better if they were turned into city states and serrated politically from the rest of the region.
Fort Collins is rapidly becoming like Boulder and Denver. The city is spending money as fast or faster than it comes in with grand plans on the horizon. I volunteer to drive for an outfit that works in Fort Collins and Loveland. I drive old people that can’t drive or too poor to own a vehicle and younger disabled people. Doing this one or two days a week I see the poverty behind the curtain as I drive them to and from their run down homes. Property taxes just went up over 30% and it makes it harder on the poor and retired on fixed income not keeping up with inflation. Of course the taxes are driven by sales and speaking with a realtor I have learned that the pot sellers that can’t bank cash are putting it into real estate thereby raising prices higher. Admin should try the chili beer at Coopersmiths next visit.
Dozens of comments in this thread confirm what I’ve been saying on this site for years. There is no place on earth like the western U.S. None. And that comes from a small town boy from south central Pennsylvania. A boy who grew up in a tranquil, peaceful, safe and beautiful setting surroundeowd by orchards, farmland, and the graceful Blue Mountains crossed by Lee’s Army of Virginia on its way to Gettysburg.
Then, at the age of 17, I left to go to college in Colorado. I was stunned and overwhelmed at the beauty and vastness of the Rampart Range. One of my roommates (and eventual best man at my wedding) was from Cody, Wyoming. His dad owned a clothing store there, and he was taught how to shoot a gun by Buffalo Bill Cody’s grandson. Honest. He invited my girlfriend, now my wife of 50 years, to spend a Thanksgiving holiday with he and his family in Cody, and we drove up there from Colorado Springs. Mama mia!!!! My attachment to Westerners and the West went nuclear.
Fellow Pennsylvanians Jim and Dani Quinn appear to have caught the infectious bug of the West. Maybe not. But I can say this without reservation. They will eventually end up where they can be their family.
“There is no place on earth like the western U.S. None.”
?
I beg to differ. 🙂
A couple of weekends ago Sunday Morning show was beating the drum for gun control and featured interviews with residents in Cody WY. My mom remarked that they featured Wyoming because they had more guns than people and little crime. I remarked it had nothing to do with amount of guns but on less blacks. She could only sputter that I should have said fewer not less. Of course my remark went over like something not belonging in a punch bowl.
Dear Jim,
Hope Colorado can bring you peace of mind. I found my paradise in a beach town 100 miles north of Tokyo. Been here for 25 years.
I was born in Colorado and lived there till age seven. I lived in NYC from age 27 to 37. If forced to choose between the two, I would take NY.
Before you move to Colorado, check out winter there, particularly driving!!! Steep mountains and snow make for a terrifying combination. Do you LOVE to ski?
Stop obsessing about that 20 block stretch in West Philly. I lived in Detroit from age 7 to 12, and Philly is paradise compared to Detroit! It’s close to New York, too. Ha!!
Brad, when was the last time you were in Detroit? There is hardly anyone there anymore. Sure, it’s a crumbling dump, but it’s going back to nature. Crime? Sure, but I’d take Detroit over S. Chicago or W. Philly. Lack of people means less opportunities for crime.
My dad was transferred from Denver to Detroit in 1961. We lived in Detroit till 1966. That was a traumatic move for everyone in the family, particularly my dad, who was crazy about Colorado(as we all were).
Snapshot of Denver and Detroit in 1961.
Denver had no freeways when we left. I cannot remember ever eating Mexican food. One time we went on a family trip to Great Sand Dunes NP.
We were the only people there. How would you have liked to have been a ranger there?
Detroit had the fourth highest income per capita in the world. A guy with a high school education could own a house and a lakeside cottage within ten years. Tiger Stadium was clean and gorgeous. Detroit was a major music capital. Not just soul, but white rock and roll, too.
Nice story of your travels. I’m a Denver native but my folks pulled me away far too young. It helps to experience other parts of this vast country but one wonders how I’d have turned out if I hadn’t left the eastern slope. Many of those parts you’ve visited are very familiar to me as I have a good friend who lives in Ft. Collins. Great area up there, your son found a good place. Down in Denver things leave a bit to be desired. On my last visit I couldn’t help but notice what a dump the place looked. Pull off a freeway and there is garbage everywhere. You can tell the immigration of Californian’s and Hispanics has changed that city over the past 30+ years. Thankfully the smaller cities of Colorado are still mostly great places. As for the outdoorsiness, Coloradans are into it but I’d argue you can do that stuff just about anywhere. I’m more partial to the forests and mountains of NC (great beer there too) but even on flat land you can hike, bike, etc.
I am a very rare breed these days…a genuine Colorado Native. I admit I take it for granted. Terrific essay, beautiful pics. New Belgium gets all the hype, but for my money Odell Brewery right across the street makes a far better spectrum of beers. Not that I dislike NB…hell, I got college field trip credit for touring their facilities (including the tasting room). 🙂
DRUD
My son prefers Odell too. We tried to go there but it was closed for some unknown reason. I accidentally walked into the New Belgium tour while walking around and got kicked out by the guy running the tour.
Oh hell yeah! Odell’s Tree Shaker Peach Imperial IPA! Now we’re talking good beer! New Belgium is good but once a brewery grows beyond a certain size, their market share usually depends on customers being able to reliably obtain a limited number of favorites and variety begins to suffer. My favorite kind of craft brewery is the kind that remains undefined. The only big brewer I know of like that is Dogfish Head.
The world is beautiful everywhere there isn’t people, and yes, I do include the desert in that.
Thank you for sharing Jim, a few things:
1. My wife and I regularly make the pilgrimage from KC to Estes Park. Boulder is nice enough with some decent food, but overall we can’t wait to scoot on up to the park. The hippies are generally pretty laid back, and they have some pretty good brews in the area. We toured a Mead Hall and Celestial Seasonings (The tea place). Pretty good experience.
2. I had a business trip to Minneapolis this summer. I’ve been told by many a blueblood that it is a bustling metropolis on the way up, the sky is the limit. After several rounds of Kilkenny in a wonderful Irish Pub, I made my way back to the hotel. As I ambled (stumbled…meandered. Look we had a lot, ok?) the blocks inbetween were wall-to-wall homeless people.
Thats not hyperbole either. Stretching head to foot, under every bit of cover that could be found, there were homeless people sleeping through the night’s rain.
That day, I was greeted to more panhandlers that pedestrians on the city’s streets. Trash and shit everywhere. Most of which looked to be my age, albeit road hard and put up wet.
We’ve destroyed the means people would normally use to support themselves, and then used their dependance to enslave them, all for the sake of a bit more money and power vis a vis their votes.
Fuck our policies.
3. My wife and I went camping in Montana near Bozeman for those interested) for 5 days this summer. I’d pay good money to see Mr. Jimbo here up on a horse for a day >:D
Great travelog, Jim… Just shows you that you can indeed do more than you think you can when the rest stop is four or five miles up/down the trail.
When we lived in Alamogordo, NM (working on White Sands Range) we took short trips up into Southern Colorado. When I managed the GEODDS Space Tracker Site atop Mt. Haleakala, on Maui, our home office was in Colorado Springs and I commuted a lot; brought Annette and we explored everything we could find (including the inside of NORAD – and while the views are limited (It is built inside a mountain after all), the whole thing is massively impressively – three story buildings on springs and a main entrance (complete with railroad track) three feet thick made of beryllium plus alloys that nothing is going to get through.
My favorite Rocky Mountain Home is the country between Sandpoint, Id. and Coeur ‘d Alene, ID, along the East side of the Continental Divide, lakes, rivers, creeks 5″ deep with 18″ Rainbow and Brown trout in them, muley deer that were neighborly, tasty and loved the brussels sprouts Annette planted in the rear of the French Intensive garden we had. Building our own home there and getting a degree were the high points and opened up huge doors for the rest of the working career..
Given West over East is a no-brainer. But there is beauty in this country regardless of those making huge efforts to screw it up. Almost anywhere you choose to go if you take the time, look under a slightly grimy surface in places and try and stay away from crowds will be rewarding.
Great article..
Muck
I’m home at last in CO. 30 years in the wilderness of Chicago Illannoy and the moving van arrived at the curb last Wednesday and unloaded my stuff into my new home on a rim edge east of castle rock. Those east of the grand Mississippi are lining up at the door.
Next trip, see Colorado like it used to be. Take the road from Ft Collins west to Walden. I lived in the Denver Boulder metropolis for 15 years, and watched it get Californicated. Tell your boy about Walden, and looks like you flat landers did quite well with oxygen deprivation on the hikes.
I have not heard of the result of the north east portion of the state wanting to secede from the rest of the state.
“my new home on a rim edge east of castle rock.
—-Rj not in Chicago anymore
Heh. Castle Rock used to be the big speed trap on I-25 between Denver and C-Springs back in the 60s. It was a first class hole-in-the-wall. One fucking gas station and maybe a couple hundred residents. Now? Urban sprawl.
One of my classmates flew through there on a late night weekend at 120 mph in his Corvette. State cop initially thought it was a low-flying airplane, but soon knew otherwise and called a buddy on patrol at the north gate of the Air Force Academy. Nailed his ass. He had to pay a huge fine and spent 6 months of weekend confinements in his room.
Damn. Those were the days.
I spent the summer of 2000 in Denver, and did a fair bit of camping and hiking in the foothills and RMNP. I grew up surrounded by woods, lakes, oceanside, rolling farmland and generally scenic, unspoiled landscapes in Atlantic Canada, but I had never experienced breathtaking scenery until my first drive through the Rockies. It is so beautiful and vast, and makes you feel so insignificant that it literally does take your breath away. A couple of times I actually had to remind myself to breathe.
Leave Philly. Living in a large city like that is soul crushing, and I don’t mean that figuratively. I assume its a pension you’re counting on, but chances are it will be gone by the time you retire. Sell all of your shit, buy a small house in CO and spend time with your son.
I LOVED this article!!! My husband moved us from Loveland to Portland, OR last December to finish school. It is pretty here, but it is sooo not home. It was as if you went to all the places I used to go and took pictures to remind me! 🙂 Thank you! It doesn’t cure the homesickness, but it sure puts a giant smile on my face knowing that home is still there when we get back. Much appreciated!!!
I’ve been to Colorado Springs and Pike’s Peak. It is awesome there. Too bad it will all be ruined by California leftists and third world illegal trash.
Colorado is not 83% white. It is 25% mestizo and they are not white.
Can’t believe this dropped to page six already…damn shame
Anyway, it appears admin, that the Haves of Boulder are not just feeling guilty about their extreme wealth, they apparently feel guilty about being white..Fuck a bunch of self-loathing liberals. If they feel so guilty about their skin color they should do us a favor and kill themselves. Walk the walk.
I really enjoyed your commentary and especially the pictures of your trip–it helps put into perspective the stories I had heard from Jim and Allison. I am so very glad that Kevin is doing well and enjoying the outdoors! Colorado IS the perfect spot for him, and I know Tyler would have loved to live and work out there as well!
Hi Christine, I think of Tyler all the time. He was a such a sweet, kind person and will always be missed by our entire family. I know he and Kevin would’ve both loved going to Colorado together. Thanks to Jim for introducing CO to Kevin and for helping get him started out there. You are all so good to Kevin, thank you so much.