Colorado

July 2024

Time for a big road trip again! (I’ll circle back to Fatima and house updates later.) On the way to Pacific Northwest, here’s my journey through Colorado with the goal of avoiding I70.

Been there. Sat in traffic on that.

Day 1: I left home early Sunday and stopped in Meade, KS for Mass at St John the Baptist. I’ve been going to this parish for First Saturdays so it felt like home. Multiple people were glad to see me!

I typed FairPlay, CO into GPS and off I went. I made it as far as Canon City when I spotted the Historical Downtown signs. Those signs are like a beacon for me.

Until I can’t read them correctly. I took a wrong turn through town and found the not so nice part. That’s what I get for disobeying the map.

Thankfully I had hood cell service and was able to get back on track hoping I’d pass that Historic Downtown on my way out.

But wait! Colorado Prison Museum catches my eye on the map. Heck yeah! I beeline my way there and take the tour.

It was smaller than I expected although halfway through the tour I’m pretty sure it’s next to the actual penetentury still in operation.

The museum was the first women’s only prison in CO and had a very thourough history of prison life between the 1800s and now.

It’s pretty crazy how crazy some people are. I couldn’t read everything or else I’d have nightmares. Two stories do stick out though.

One was a 10 year old boy who killed someone. While he served another inmate took him under his wing and by the time he got out at 18 he knew 3 languages, had perfect handwriting and how to play the violin. He changed his name and entered society as an upstanding citizen the rest of his life. He married a judges daughter and was a family man.

The other story is more tragic. Another young boy shot his sister while she was wrapping Christmas presents. The warden and his wife took the boy into their home and he seemed to be doing better until the warden’s wife passed away 6 months later. The boy got moved to a boys ranch type place and was in and out of prison the rest of his life.

They also had a memorial wall for the kids who were killed at Columbine and for the passengers killed from the plane explosion (the madman packed his mom’s suitcase with explosives before she boarded).

Last thing that stood out was the artwork. Some of the prisoners were incredibly talented. But when you have more time to devote to a craft I guess that’s expected. How good could I be at something if I discontinued other activities? 🤔

By the time I got out of the museum I was ready to set up camp for the night.

Did you think I’d actually camp?! 😂 Uh. No. I still appreciate HVAC and plumbing way too much. I found this cute Airbnb close to Royal Gorge!

Little Canyon Inn

It’s on a good plot of land with trails so I was able to stretch my legs before turning in for the night.

The next morning I got in patio time as the sun rose.

I seriously love this view! And it was just cool enough to need a blanket.

After checking email I headed off to spend the morning at Royal Gorge. Across the bridge are several concert stages. Remind me to look into that!

It’s funny how the light makes rocks so interesting. They are so detailed. And so big. When I get to heaven, I hope God will fill me in on how He created ALLLLL of this.

The bridge was impressive too of course. Especially knowing it's almost 100 years old!

I took the sky tram back across for a different perspective.

Next stop is Fairplay, CO for the Historical South Park City Museum. It’s a recreated front street from the 1800s giving a glimpse of life back in the Gold Rush days. Historians saved old mining town buildings from around the state to preserve their history.

And last stop of the state: Steamboat Springs to have coffee with a business friend.

The Airbnb was another last minute booking just to be close for coffee the next morning. I had no idea what a treat I was in for! Pulling into town I decided I’d find a nice glass of wine to unwind from all the driving.

I pull up to the Airbnb and see a beautiful church across the street. Could it be Catholic?

I start examining the stained glass and the first window to catch my eye is a chalice with grapes. It has to be Catholic.

But I still don’t see a name sign. So I get unloaded and go to investigate, examining each stained glass window as I walk around to the entrance. When I saw the Divine Mercy Jesus I knew for sure. It's Catholic. AND it was unlocked! Thank You Lord for safe small towns. I was able to go in for a visit and thank Him for the journey so far.

The parish even had early morning adoration of the Blessed Sacrament which was another fun surprise to start my day.

Having coffee with Jeremiah Shaw concluded my Steamboat experience for this time around.

Jeremiah is a Performance Coach for Leaders who wear boots and jeans. He helps teams align to optimize performance. It's always fun to swap business building stories! As I hear him talk more about the clients he helps I'm learning that not all coaches are created equal. His team has the background to get results.

Before I hit the road we went over my route and see Dinosaur National Monument on the route. "Oh it's a must see!" he said and proceeded to tell me how impressive the museum is. So I added it as a stop on GPS and took off.

This is where I ended up:

Uh, Jeremiah, where's the cool museum? All I see is a ranger station.

Thankfully I had cell service and was able to Google the actual museum. I was 2 hours away still. Don't trust Apple maps. It redirected me this this location even when clicking on the actual location.

This will have to be a stop for next time. I had reservations already for my next destination across state lines.