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Colorado 2009 - Thumnails Only |
What's covered?
This year's holiday planning was left a bit too late to book any organised tours so one evening I asked "why don't we go and visit John Daigle in Colorado?" John had some work commitments but we worked out a plan around them and then asked Rick Stone and his wife Stephanie if they could join us at some point.
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15 - 18 September - Evergreen
John's sister Dianne very kindly drove John to Denver Airport so that he could meet us and drive our hire car back to Evergreen. That really was very welcome after a long flight , especially as it was dark and I doubt we would ever have found our way out of Denver without John.
We had found Bears Inn on the internet. John took us straight there after our 6.35 pm landing but by our body clocks it was 6am so we were very glad to get into our bed.
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Deer just outside Bears Inn
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Our hire car - Subaru Legacy
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John took us on a drive around his part of Colorado
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Couldn't you just look out of this bar all day?
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John photographing me photographing him!
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Idaho Springs
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It made us smile
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The rooms at Bears Inn
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The book in our room stated "Breakfast is served at 9am prompt" so we were a little curious the first day. Vicki Bock, the owner, brought in the first course and described to everyone what it was and how it had been prepared. The same with the main course. I have travelled a lot and I can honestly say that nowhere has breakfast been such an occasion and so wonderful. Yet at the same time it was informal and you could share or sit alone. The breakfast room is below right. A unique place to stay. Our room was the Safari Room on the right. Below is the exterior. For evening meals, there is a very good restaurant next door. |
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Dinner on our second night was at the home of John's sister Dianne and her husband Ken (seated). The steaks would have served two or three! Ken is an architect who designed some of the houses you will see at Maroon Bells later on. Dianne designs the interiors.
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Ken's dog house!
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On our second full day John took us to Red Rocks. Before we left though I had to make a trip to the local doctor because of a minor procedure I had undergone before leaving England. The picture on the right is the view from the doctor's surgery! |
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We weren't sure, an act of kindness or being towed away for stopping in a prohibited zone?
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Man did I get into trouble for saying she was fit. Come on guys, am I right?
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The amphitheatre.
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Back to John's for a welcome lunch. For those of you who have been helped by John on the RoboHelp forums, the powerhouse is below.
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The view from John's porch.
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19 - 20 September - Aspen
Today we headed off for Aspen leaving John to prepare for some training he had to deliver over the next few days. The plan is to meet up with John again later in the tour.
John told us it would be a wonderful journey as the leaves were turning on the aspen trees and, as ever, John's advice was spot on.
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Our hotel. The room was very good and the price reasonable
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The pool
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The view from the breakfast room
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Off to Maroon Bells
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When we got back to the where the bus journey starts, we couldn't find a coffee shop open but someone told us exactly how to get to the coffee lounge in the hotel. As soon as we got to the door of the hotel, it was opened and we were escorted along a corridor, into a lift and then taken to the coffee lounge. At first we sat on the terrace and admired these wonderful second (or greater) homes! Later we learned that one of them was designed by Ken. Then it started to rain so we went inside, had some lunch, read a book and so on. As we left, we found that we had enjoyed a couple of hours at the Ritz Carlton Club! |
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21 - 22 September - Telluride
On to Telluride, a longish but enjoyable journey from Aspen. The roads were easy to drive and traffic was light.
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One of my little tricks when photographing is to photograph a sign of where you are.
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We found this lovely old style diner for a coffe stop.
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We had to stop and admire the colour of these aspen trees
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We had only booked a double room but the hotel was far from full so they gave us a suite
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We asked the hotel barman what he would do if he had one day in Telluride. This was the answer.
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The first part of the journey was to Tomboy, which was a mining town. The mine owners did not allow the "ladies" from Telluride on site and this archway was the nearest they could go. It seems the enterprising "ladies" in Telluride were not to be beaten and they dragged crates of beer here to sell along with various other services! |
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A blasting scar.
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Mitch, our driver.
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This was home for a married couple!
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We stopped at the rmains of Tomboy on the way back down
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This couple were in their seventies and had walked up!
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Back down in Telluride to see some of its lovely old properties
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$400,000!
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23 September - Mesa Verde
On to Mesa Verde, a short journey, to meet up with John again and be joined by Rick Stone and his wife Stephanie.
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Given the work John, Rick and I do with Adobe products, we had to smile at this in the museum...
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... but this just cracked us up, a merger |
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24 - 25 September - Durango
This was to be a high spot of the holiday. Travelling the Durango to Silverton railway in both directions with John, Rick and Stephanie.
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Absolutely the right man for the job
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ACE's high! (We are all Adobe Community Experts)
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Not the local ski shop, this is a fence
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The wonderful Strater Hotel
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26 September - Monte Vista
The journey from Durango back to near Denver was too much for one day we had asked our travel agent to find somewhere en route. Monte Vista was about the only place. It was pretty much a one hotel place so Movie Manor it had to be. Originally the site was an airfield and then it was taken over and run as a drive-in movie centre. In time the hotel was added. It sounded a bit off-beat and it might well have been, if the movies hadn't stopped the week before!
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27 - 28 September - Colorado Springs
Colorado Springs was next on the itinerary as it was convenient for Denver. On the way we stopped off at the Royal Gorge.
Rick and Stephanie departed the next morning so we had a walk around the Garden of the Gods before returning to the hotel to pack for our departure.
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If you see this sign, go in
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The coffee was the best
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The Royal Gorge
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The Garden of the Gods
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Manitou Springs and a very nice lunch
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29 September - The US Airforce Academy and back to the UK
With an evening flight back home, we needed something to fill the day and the US Air Force Academy was on our route. Gill's father had learned to fly in the USA during the Second World War after which he returned to the UK to train others. It seemed an appropriate stop and it was a very impressive place, well worth visiting.
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