Is there anything in the Eastern Plains? (Denver, Colorado Springs: homes, rent)

[vegaspilgrim]

I was born and raised in the suburbs of Denver and come back to visit my family there several times a year-- and I've never driven out further east than DIA, or the town of Kiowa in Elbert County. Of course, Colorado is known for the mountains, which are truly amazing and the state's point of pride. People have an extreme prejudice against the plains, against "flat areas," "Kansas," even though Denver itself is built over the plains. However, the eastern plains account for almost 1/2 of the land area of this square-shaped state. Is there any scenery out there at all that's worth going to? Any interesting towns worth checking out? Anything to see or do?

[froggin4colorado]

yea...they are called tornados
just kidding-

[MattDen]

Going on Interstate 76 from Julesburg to Denver is mainly semi-arid plains with some hills thrown in. I was suprised how hilly it was out there.

Fort Morgan and Brush have a bad reputation but are actually very clean, quaint little towns. I was impressed how clean those towns were.

Thats just north-eastern Colorado, I have never been to south-east Colorado like down highway 50 it is going through from Pueblo to Kansas.

[McGowdog]

I would have NEVER chose to go out there. It would have been the furthest thing from my mind. I'd lived in Denver and was travelling from there extensively; to Atlanta and upper Gwinette County, then from there to Jacksonville, Gainesville, Albany Georgia, and Valdosta one week out of every month then back to Denver. From Denver, I'd head to Greeley, Loveland, Longmont, Boulder, several locations throughout Denver, several locations throughout Colorado Springs, Pueblo, North Platte NE once a month, Garden City, KS once a month, Grand Junction once a month, Durango every 6 weeks, St George Utah to Vegas here and there, Santa Clara for trainings about once a year, St. Louis-puke. Then- 911. Then, eventually, party over.

I got a job selling frozen food. I lived in Pueblo but had to go out to eastern Colorado every Monday morning and didn't return home until about 2:00 am Friday night...for about a year. I got to know Lamar, Holly, Bristol, Haswell, La Junta, Swink, parts of Las Animas, Wiley, parts of McClave, Chivington (about 3 families out there), Arapahoe, Brandon, Sheridan Lake, Eads, Kit Carson, Cheyenne Wells, Burlington, Bethune, Stratton, Vona, Seibert, the Mesa in Pueblo, Cheraw, etc pretty well. You got to see how the farmers and ranchers live. You got to see the difference between irrigated and dry-land farming. You got to see the most awesome sunsets. You got to see some wild weather. You got to see a lot of dirt roads. You got to see some really neat people. People who have been to Vegas, Chicago, New York, etc. It's a neat place to see the change of seasons. There is country and there are small towns. There are farms. Some of my accounts were homes that were 10 miles apart...almost enough time to throw in a chew and spit it out before the next stop. I got to see people so often, that I eventually saw who was related to who, by blood or by marriage. I had to see people die. You really get the big picture when places that you go to every two weeks faces this tragedy. As you get to know the people, the scenery gets so much more familiar and more like "home". If I had to, I could settle down in any of those places if I had to. I don't care what happens to the rest of the world, those folks will live there as long as they darn well want to.

It made me realize more than ever that there are cool people scattered all throughout this country. As far as the land and the scenery, it beats the hell out of a pretentious Front Range ,LA, NY or a Las Vegas where outer appearances are everything but underneath is rot and decay.

You city folks really have to get out there and spend some time to see what I'm talking about.

To answer your question, I suppose that eastern Colorado is very much like western Kansas. But even when you're on CR 60 (??) in Cheyenne County and look over into Kansas it looks like a different world.

[Nadine]

McGowday-covers it quite well. In SW there is Purgatory Canyon but again you can't just sit in the car. Better see that before it becomes part of Fort Carson. Lots of history down there if you are interested.But there is a whole lot of Colorado to see. There are parts of the Western slope that are just beautiful. Low population and natural. Altho the quads and dirt bikes will run you down in some. Southern front range and over the divide there too. I have lived here all my life and an still have not seen all. Of course I don't get in car and drive. I go to camp, fish, ride and explore where ever possible. Stay places for awhile. My favorite is in and near the mountains. But there is all the old remnants of Indian dwellings, in more plain areas. Altho the plains are not my favorite. There is beauty there too, needs to be seen at least once.

[jazzlover]

Are there spectacular mountains? Of course not. But there are some very pretty areas in eastern Colorado. Like my adopted state of Wyoming, many of them are hidden from the main highways. Some of the ranch country that has not been "busted" for wheat production is lovely. There is a lot of history out there, as well.

As McGowdog said, families out there can trace their roots back to homesteading and ranching. Some of the most decent people that I have ever met live on Colorado's Eastern Plains. I still count many of them as my friends. It's one of those places that you can drive through and see little. You have to slow down, walk out on the prairie, listen to the wind, watch the storms in summer, spend time in the towns, get to meet the people. Do that, and you'll figure out what a neat region it is. Drive through at 65 or 75 and you'll never "get it."

[plantlover]

This is such an interesting thread. Does anyone have any recommendations of good towns to settle in, in the eastern half of CO?

[onthamove]

i personally like limon and burlington, esp burlington u feel like a cowboy out there lol!!!

[jazzlover]

Sterling is one of my favorites. Lamar is pretty nice, too. La Junta is an interesting town with a lot of history. To many, they--and many other towns on Colorado's Eastern Plains--might seem to be boring farm and ranch towns. That, to me, is part of their charm. They haven't been "discovered" and turned into some cartoon version of themselves by the developers and latter-day "revisionist" residents.

[sunsprit]

There's also some very nice reservoirs on the Eastern Plains.

We've spent a lot of time sailing and fishing at Bonney Res, John Martin Res, and Lake Meredith.

Heading out there, especially mid-week ... you'll only see a few of the local farmers and ranchers. You can have the place ... camping sites and all ... virtually, if not completely ... to yourself. It's quite a change from heading up to the mountain lakes and all the people.