August 28 – Sept. 9, 2019
From Breckenridge on the Eastern Slope we headed east to Denver and then north to Fort Collins, situated at the base of the foothills of the northern Front Range.
The Front Range runs north-south between Casper, Wyoming and Pueblo, Colorado and rises nearly 10,000 feet above the Great Plains. Longs Peak, Mount Evans, and Pikes Peak are its most prominent peaks, visible from the Interstate 25 corridor. The area is a popular destination for mountain biking, hiking, climbing, and camping during the warmer months and for skiing and snowboarding during winter. Millions of years ago, the present-day Front Range was home to ancient mountain ranges, deserts, beaches, and even oceans. — wikipedia.com
Fort Collins
Fort Collins is approximately 60 miles north of Denver, Colorado, and 45 miles south of Cheyenne, Wyoming at an elevation is 4,982 ft. Home of Bill’s alma mater, Colorado State University (CSU), he’s back home again.
The history of Fort Collins is rich with western lore, generations-old stories, and eccentric historical characters. Legend has it that in the early 1800’s, French-Canadian fur traders were caught in a tremendous snowstorm. To lighten their load, they buried large amounts of gunpowder (“Poudre” in French) in a hiding place (“Cache”) along the banks of a river – the Cache la Poudre River, which runs through modern-day Fort Collins.
In 1862, Camp Collins was built by the ninth Kansas Volunteer Cavalry to protect travelers and settlers along the Colorado branch of the Overland Trail. A flood in June 1864 sent the soldiers to higher ground near present-day Old Town. Less than three years later, the fort was abandoned. By 1872, the former fort site had a small hotel, general store and post office, a mill, school and brick yard.
The Colorado Central Railroad arrived in 1877, and Fort Collins became a thriving agricultural center. Colorado Agricultural & Mechanical College constructed its first classroom building, later called Old Main, in 1879, further establishing Fort Collins as the economic and cultural center of the region. The school was renamed Colorado State University in 1957.
Thanks to the efforts of local citizens and the city’s historic preservation program, modern-day visitors can stroll back through time to the town’s earliest days in and around Old Town. The district was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978; the majority of the buildings within Old Town are designated national and local historic districts. — visitftcollins.com
Fort Collins/Lakeside KOA
When planning this stop we had trouble finding an RV park that was big rig friendly. We finally decided on the Ft. Collins/Lakeside KOA. We had a nice concrete pull thru site, that included patio furniture and a gas grill.
Although dusty due to lack of rain, we liked this campground. There were other DRV Mobile Suites here including one belonging to a work camper whom we met at check in.
Rocky Mountain Showdown
One of the things we were looking forward to while here was the classic football battle between Colorado State University (CSU) and Colorado University (CU) known as the Rocky Mountain Showdown. Bill was able to get tickets for this contest which was held at Mile High Stadium in Denver. The drive from Ft. Collins to Denver took 2 1/2 hours due to heavy traffic and the ubiquitous construction. As we walked from the parking lot to the stadium, the skies were aglow with a gorgeous Denver orange.
We were afraid that we might miss kickoff but managed to arrive at our seats just in time for a weather delay due to lightning. Fortunately the storm passed without incident and the game started about an hour late.
CSU played well but ultimately lost the game. It was a fun but long day.
Horsetooth Reservoir
On Labor Day, we drove just outside of Ft. Collins to picturesque Horsetooth Reservoir – a 6.5 mile long reservoir. This is a favorite recreation spot for boating, fishing, swimming, stand up paddle boarding, water skiing, sailing and picnicking.
Rocky Mountain National Park
No visit to this area is complete without a visit to Rocky Mountain National Park. One day we drove south to Loveland, through Estes Park, and entered the park at the Beaver Creek Visitor Center. From there, we took Timberline Road up to the Alpine Visitor Center.
The drive in the park was just spectacular. On the way back we stopped in Estes Park to walk around and have dinner. As we were leaving the parking lot look what we spotted.
We had heard that some of the elk herds were coming down from the mountains but didn’t expect to encounter them in the parking lot. Although there were folks approaching the herd on foot, our photos were taken from the safety of our big truck.
A Sad Farewell
Leaving Ft. Collins was difficult partly because this was our last stop in Colorado but mostly because it was here that our two shelties (Cody at 15 1/2 and Pepper at 14 1/2) concluded their cross country journey and made their way separately across the Rainbow Bridge. So, we leave here with an empty back seat and paw prints on our hearts. Miss you guys!
