Tag: Colorado

ECONOGAL > Colorado

Incredible Cañon City

Posted on by Econogal

Hidden Gem of Southern Colorado

Recently, I stayed overnight in Cañon City, Colorado. This gave me an opportunity to explore a delightful town nestled at the base of the Rocky Mountains. Prior visits, even overnight stays, lacked time to wander around.

Quite a few tourists were staying in the same hotel and their excitement at breakfast was catching. There are many things to enjoy in the area, not the least is the Royal Gorge. But I limited myself to exploring downtown midweek. The quiet early hours gave way to groups of tourists and residents as the morning approached the noon hour. Hidden treasures are the norm in Cañon City.

Vibrant Downtown

Store Front in Cañon City
Mel’s Mills

An early start translated into prime parking near Macon Plaza and the historic city library. From there it was a short backtrack down to Main Street. As I strolled up and down several blocks numerous coffee shops greeted the other early birds.

A few shops such as Cheryl’s Book Nook and Mel’s Mill welcomed those strolling by with doors propped open to allow the cool morning air to circulate. I spent time browsing through the used books finding an Erica Ferencik novel at the former and Tammi Hartung’s Homegrown Herbs at the latter. Hartung is a resident of the area. Mel’s Mill showcased local honey, herbal teas and regionally sourced flours and sunflower oil. I could have spent all day loitering in this natural health store!

Another open door first thing in the morning was found at the Chamber of Commerce. The entire Royal Gorge Region was represented at the office. One could easily spend a week based out of Canon City exploring the beauty of this hidden gem of the Rockies. I left with a plethora of guides and maps outlining trails and recommending historic museums and sites.

Artwork Everywhere

Various examples of public art peppered the downtown area. Fossil beds are nearby. So I was delighted by the painted dinosaurs in Cañon City similar to the painted horses in Kentucky. Additionally, walls of buildings sported murals depicting days gone by.

The architecture of the buildings throughout town harks back to frontier days of the west. Three story hotels match up across from banks of similar size. The restoration of these structures is ongoing. Cañon City is preserving and modernizing at the same time.

Painted Dinosaur Graces Main Street

Painted Dinosaur Statue
Public Art Dinosaur Style

Bears, a Colorado Favorite

Wood statues of bears holding cute sayings
Ubiquitous Colorado Bears

Carnegie Library in Canon City

Sampler quilt on display in Carnegie Library.
Silent auction for quilts funds summer reading program.

One of the blends of old and new is the downtown public library. Located on peaceful Macon Plaza, the original Carnegie Library remains with a new extension allowing room for computers and an upstairs children’s library.

My visit coincided with a silent quilt auction to support the library. The displayed quilts accented the restored stenciling and the original tile and wood work of the Carnegie section. Furthermore, numerous quilts decorated the remainder of the library as well.

Across the plaza from the library is the former post office which now serves as the Fremont Center for the Arts. Additional murals are joined by rotating art collections. June 2023 showcased a theme of Openings, Doorways and Windows.

An added bonus was the incased display of old postal boxes. Varied community meetings and events are held in the event center.

Cañon City Businesses

Main Street is delightful, and I made several shopping stops in other parts of the city. Prior visits had included shopping at a quilt store downtown. Unfortunately, it was gone but a new store, First Stitches, has opened up just across the highway from the downtown district near the train station. Browsing through this store yielded purchases for the quilt room.

Another delightful place along the highway is Di Nardo’s Cider Mill & Farm.  Although harvest is still months away, local honey, pickles, jellies and of course cider can be found.

My last stop of the day was as I was heading East. The Winery at the Abbey is always a must visit. In addition to wine tastings and selling their own wines, the store is full of fun gift products. Everything from wine stoppers to tea towels. Additionally, the Abbey also serves as a great place for group meetings. Many enlightening hours learning about the history of this territorial location have been spent inside this event center.

Time passed quickly. Before I could hike along the river or explore the numerous trails my schedule demanded an adios. But I will return again and again to Cañon City.

Cañon City Boasts a Carnegie Library

Exterior view of Cañon City Library
A Carnegie Library

Vibrant Downtown

A small downtown Main Street with a Mountain in the background

Hometown Winery

Grape Vinyard

Incredible Cañon City

Vail Valley Escape

Posted on by Econogal

Last week we escaped the triple digit heat with a retreat into Vail Valley of the Colorado Mountains. We did as much as we could to mitigate the chances of catching Covid-19. Only time will tell if we were successful. But it was a much needed break from the past few months.

Vail Valley House Rental

There were several pieces to our mitigation strategy. First, we rented a house from Gore Creek Properties. This actually turned out to be an economical decision as well. Because we had four generations, we would have needed three motel rooms. Our rental price was about half of the motel cost.

Perhaps the owners had the three story home backing onto Gore Creek priced at a discount since the Vail Valley area had just re-opened days before. Or, the cost was lower because the location was in East Vail. Whatever the reason, we benefited.

The house itself dated to about the 1980s. Since there were three levels, the generations each had their own floor. (The fourth generation having recently reached the ripe old age of one, had to share with her parents!) I believe this spacing along with the multiple outdoor spaces offered many beneficial health benefits: Both physical and mental.

Packing In and Out

A second piece of our strategy was packing in our food. Four coolers of food sustained us through the stay. It helped to have both a spacious kitchen and an outdoor grill. Of course cultural differences popped up. As “Westerners” our bar-b-que night consisted of burgers, grilled sliced herb potatoes, and hot dogs. The lone Southerner was surprised. In the southern part of the United States, bar-b-que means pulled pork and brisket along with slaw and potato salad. We muddled through.

We did have to pack out a few items as a result of one of two trips into the town of Vail. Our first outing was a Sunday morning Farmer’s Market. Even though we went early, we did encounter some crowded situations. However, in Vail Valley the majority of individuals wore masks.

Our best buy at the market in terms of taste was a delicious, if pricey, blueberry pie. One of the best I have ever tasted. Sometimes you do need to pay up for quality.

Most of the pictures in the slide show come from this foray into town. The second visit to the more populated part of Vail Valley was a trip to the Betty Ford Alpine Gardens. Again, a majority, but not all, had masks on. Even the kids.

Mountain Air

There is something to be said for the pureness of air at elevation. The altitude is in the 8000 foot range. Fortunately, everyone from the toddler to the octogenarian fared well. The adults enjoyed biking, hiking and running while the youngster ruled from her stroller. I have fond memories of the area from the Extreme Hike fundraiser for Cystic Fibrosis a few falls ago.

While I do not plan to participate this year, the fundraiser is ongoing. You may click here for more information. Hopefully, important organizations like the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation will be able to survive Covid-19.

Taking Risks in Everyday Life

Granted, taking this trip to Vail Valley was a risk. We did our best to limit the danger. As I discussed in May in the blog post ‘Striking A Balance’, individuals need to be responsible; Every day and especially during this pandemic.

We wear masks in public. As individuals, we practice social distancing. And we strive to keep healthy with an appropriate level of exercise.  Most importantly, we are striking a balance between total isolation and ignorance of how quickly this virus can spread. Family gatherings can be dangerous.

In our case, three of the attendees had recent negative tests for Covid-19. Two live in an area where testing is limited. But they actively practice social distancing and good hygiene.

I hope those who don’t believe in this virus change their minds. Currently, we just have one family member fighting the disease. She picked up the virus working as a camp counselor at a summer camp for kids. Others we have known with the virus have recovered. Unfortunately, one did not.

Apparently we are too early in this pandemic for everyone to know someone who has either survived or died from Covid-19. I still am questioned on whether I “actually” know someone who has caught the virus. I tell them I not only know individuals who have it, I know someone who died from it.

Rest in peace April.