OK, what was so different about Colorado "back when?" (Denver: hotel, house)

[jazzlover]

Originally Posted by DOUBLE H

With all the problems they are having in Fairplay with the ground blizzards, it reminded me of the Top of the World Cafe there. This was back in the early '70's. The only place to sleep there was on the floor along with about fifteen other people. We were lucky; at least there was a lot of food to eat. Ever been in a ground blizzard? Picture yourself in a bottom of a huge mixing bowl with the blender on medium to high speed and whipped cream is being blended. It is beyond bad.

I've had some hair-raising trips through South Park. In one, years back, a friend and I were following each other through South Park headed toward Denver. It was blizzarding horribly and it was after dark. For many miles, we drove 15 mph from delineator post to delineator post. North of Fairplay it settled down just enough for a minute that I actually could see my friend's car ahead of me and I could see about a quarter-mile behind me. I was horrified to see a State Patrolman closing the gate across the highway behind us. We were now driving on a closed road--we were on our own. It took us a nearly a couple of hours to get from Fairplay to Jefferson, where we had to drive around the "road closed" gates to get back on open highway again. No cell phones to call out on then if you got stuck--if we had, we would just had to "hole up" in the vehicles until they got the highway plowed out and found us. By the way, the wind was blowing so hard that snow was blowing around inside the cab of my pickup--getting around the door and window seals even though they were closed.

[esya]

I go to small towns a lot, and try like heck not to stay in those old motels--there is nothing colder than a cement slab in the middle of winter, with the wind coming under the door.

[jazzlover]

Originally Posted by esya

I go to small towns a lot, and try like heck not to stay in those old motels--there is nothing colder than a cement slab in the middle of winter, with the wind coming under the door.

Or sharing your bed with tiny livestock that think you are lunch.

[delta07]

I lived in an old Forest Service single wide trailer in Fairplay several years back. Talk about cold!!! One time the water in my toilet actually froze!
I certainly don't miss those South Park ground blizzards!

[SheridanL]

BlueWillowPlate,

I remember Tulagi's in Boulder. It was a 18 and over club....I did go there when I was 12.....shouldn't admit that.....I did NOT have a 3.2 beer and, I looked older for my age!

I loved the Strawberry Park Hot Springs above Steamboat and, changing in the tepee!! Cold and beautiful!!!

And the "hippie" towns.......Morrison, Boulder, Nederland, Idaho Springs.....if one had a VW Van with flowers on it.....those were the towns for you!!
Heck, maybe we were ALL hippies at one point.

Castle Rock wasn't anywhere one wanted to live...a truck stop restaurant where the buses stopped........if I would have known how much these places would be worth....ah well.

Downtown Denver was awful and I was forbidden to go near it!! Cheeseman Park and Larimer Square were places your parents convinced you to "Stay Away" from!
I didn't even know there was a town past Stapleton Airport called Aurora until I was in my early 20's. Ended up there though!!

I was a school bus driver for Cherry Creek Schools in the late 80's and early 90's. I was the "booney" driver because, my route started at Smoky Hill and Gun Club Road!! Now there's a highway thru there!! SHEESH!!

The "Mousetrap" ( I 25 and I 70) is unrecognizable to me now........but, I DO love Colorado and everything it has to offer!! I have 27 more days until I'm back Home!!!!!!!! Then I'll be able to breathe and rest easy again....forever!!

[esya]

Your comment about your Fairplay toilet reminded me of the year in Indian Hills when the pipes froze in the crawl space below my only bathroom during the day, and I came home to broken pipes and frozen water an inch deep in the bathroom,, and sprayed all over the adjoining "utility" room. Now that was a mess. That spring, when we got up on the roof, we realized the A-frame addition skylights were nailed onto the frame--but with a 1" gap to let in the air, all around. Talk about energy crisis.

Indian Hills somehow got all the cold air rushing down from the back of Mt. Evans and it was not unusual to have 40 below nights even though it was not that far from Denver.

Of course, back in the 70's all those houses were really rehabbed summer cottages. When I first moved up there the property deed still had the outdated and illegal "whites only" in the deed that no one had paid to have it removed! That was definitely uncomfortable.

Nine years later when a neighbor (a professional contractor) pulled a permit to fix his house, he walked around to all the neighbors to warn us that the county inspectors were coming up. Oh, weren't those the wonderful old days.....

[esya]

or cruising past Fairplay at 100 mph on a road bike and the CHP coming the other way just waves at you?

Now that is something I would love to do!

[ryanek9freak]

Jazzlover, I have been over Engineer pass in September, as recently as 2006, taking the same route you did. Now mind you, I was in a comfortable , heated and capable 2004 Wrangler TJ, with a lift and 35 inch tires. By the time i got to the top of the pass, the snow was so deep and wind blowing probably over 100mph. No matter how hard I tried, I kept getting stuck in the snow, in 4 low, and just couldn't make it over the top to start decending into Silverton. To my suprise, this crazy old guy in a 30 year old CJ, with NO TOP (remember, the blizzard outside) Wanted to help me get over. I said "no thanks man, i know when ive been beaten" He shrugged and actually managed to make it, with No visibility whatsoever. I guess he could just "feel" where the road was. And to think, you made that trip 30 years ago, in pitch darkeness. You sir, have my utmost respect.

[jazzlover]

Originally Posted by ryanek9freak

Jazzlover, I have been over Engineer pass in September, as recently as 2006, taking the same route you did. Now mind you, I was in a comfortable , heated and capable 2004 Wrangler TJ, with a lift and 35 inch tires. By the time i got to the top of the pass, the snow was so deep and wind blowing probably over 100mph. No matter how hard I tried, I kept getting stuck in the snow, in 4 low, and just couldn't make it over the top to start decending into Silverton. To my suprise, this crazy old guy in a 30 year old CJ, with NO TOP (remember, the blizzard outside) Wanted to help me get over. I said "no thanks man, i know when ive been beaten" He shrugged and actually managed to make it, with No visibility whatsoever. I guess he could just "feel" where the road was. And to think, you made that trip 30 years ago, in pitch darkeness. You sir, have my utmost respect.

Here's one little secret--the road was actually in better shape on the east side than it is now. The west side was probably a little better then, too, but not by much. When I was young and stupid, a friend and I drove to the top of Engineer Pass on the east side (didn't go down the west side) in his Rambler--the weekend before Thanksgiving. It had been a dry fall, with very little snow yet up high. Still, not the brightest thing to do--we didn't have another vehicle with us, either. Like I said, I was young and stupid. We were wearing heavy enough clothes that we could've walked back to Lake City if we'd gotten stuck without freezing to death, but it wouldn't have been fun. Oddly enough, that long dry fall was followed by one of the worst winters on record in that area. Weeks of continuously below zero temperatures with a lot of snow on the ground. This winter in western Colorado has kind of reminded me of that.

Oh, the other thing I didn't mention about that trip over Engineer at night--it was in a full-size 4WD pickup--not a lot of room to spare in the narrow spots.

[ryanek9freak]

all I know is that I don't think i'll try that again. And i've taken my jeep through some level 8 or 9 trails. Engineer pass scared the hell out of me during a blizzard. Not knowing where the road is, is rather frightening.