Colorado's Vapor Caves and Mountains, Wyoming's Old West, Nebraska's Cornfields

The Rocky Mountains of SW Colorado lie ahead.

                    

On August 17, we arrived at Glenwood Springs, Colorado, about 5:30 p.m., in just enough time to visit a spa unlike any we have ever been to before. The Yampah Spa Vapor Caves are natural, underground mineral-water steam baths in which you immerse yourself into therapeutic vapors instead of warm waters. Hot mineral waters with temperatures of 125 degrees flow through the cave floors in a narrow channel. The natural, untreated therapeutic water contains 34 minerals and trace elements, and is especially high in sulfate, nitrate, zinc, and potassium. It is supposed to be good for whatever ails you.  All one has to do is breathe and sweat.

Glenwood Springs

Storefront built into a hillside

After changing into our swim suits, Daisy and I descended a narrow stairway inside the main building and passed through a stone corridor into the caves.   The corridor has alcoves that get hotter the deeper you go into the caves. In each of the three chambers or alcoves we tested, there were marble slab benches that we sat on to inhale the natural steam vapor in the dimly lit cave chambers. It was hot and very humid.  We filled buckets with cool water from a hose and put our feet in the buckets or poured the cool water over ourselves to lessen the effects of the heat.  We could only stay about 15 minutes before we retreated upstairs to an indoor solarium with fresh drinking water, lounge chairs, soft lighting, and quiet music. There was also an outdoor seating area that we visited as well. We repeated this sequence several times before taking a final cool shower and departing for Hideout RV Park to spend the night. It was good for what ailed us.

This picture is from their website. I did not dare take our camera into this vapor-laden atmosphere.

The next day we drove to Steve and Ann Story’s home in Ft. Collins, Colorado, and had dinner with them at a brew pub in downtown Ft. Collins.  Steve and I were in college together.  We have shared experiences such as camping, caving, and playing with cannons (that is another story). 

Flyfishers

Two-tiered Interstate highway

Mountain mayhem

All roads lead to Denver at 5pm Sun.

Steve and Ann's bungalow in Ft. Collins

We stayed in their driveway, sleeping in the TC but using their bathroom and shower.

Early evening in downtown

I prefer orange sherbet

 The next day they we traveled with them and toured Rocky Mountain National Park via the Trail Ridge Road.Talk about a Rocky Mountain high! 

Rocky Mountain National Park--awesome

Timberline and up

This park has over 415 square miles of alpine and subalpine beauty and a road which tops off at 12,000 feet in elevation to provide for fantastic vistas. 

Takes my breath away--really

I was glad Steve was driving so that I could rubber neck and breathe.  Going from sea level to over 12,000 feet has an effect on us mature folks!

I am blessed with good friends in high places.

God bless the USA.

No words to express this moment

Milner Lake at the Continental Divide

Steve and Ann took us to visit their family cabin near Granby and Grand Lake.  

the cabin lookout

the cabin's welcome committee

Steve's family cabin

View from the cabin site

It was dark as we returned to Ft. Collins, but a full moon made it a beautiful night.

Notice the elevation. It does take your breath away

Moonrise as we departed

We stopped and had a late dinner/breakfast (your choice) at one of their favorite eating places—Johnson’s Corner truck stop.

Outside Cheyenne

 

  

The next morning, it was a short trip to Cheyenne, Wyoming, and the driveway campsite of my friends Val and Sherry. 

Sherry and Val--Every thing tastes better with good friends.

Val, like me, is retired from the U.S. Forest Service. He is probably my longest tenured FS friend from those yesterdays.  It was great to finally introduce them to Daisy.  We lunched and toured the town, visiting historical sites and breweries.  If you have an interest in cow towns, boots, trains, and brew, this is an interesting place to be. 

Downtown Cheyenne

We went on a tour of some of the historical sites and scenery of this western town.

These boots aren't made for walking.

1888 Railroad Depot

Because of the railroad and the availability of land, cattlemen came to Cheyenne to make their fortune.  Those who did were called cattle barons. On 17th Street are a series of houses that are locally called "painted ladies."  They are ornate Victorian homes of the cattle barons who lived there in the late 1800s.

But if you like trains this the place to be.

Big Boy: 1 of 25 coal-fired steam locomotives. A big mother....

 The big boys were used primarily to haul freight over the Wasatch mountain range between Wyoming and Utah.  The Big Boy locomotives were the only locomotives to use a wheel arrangement consisting of a four-wheel leading truck for stability entering curves, two sets of eight driving wheels and a four-wheel trailing truck to support the large coal fed firebox.  They did the work of three smaller engines and could pull 120-car, 3,800-ton freight trains at forty mph through the mountains.

Big Boys

Campfire  with Sherry and Val

Val and Sherry's country home

We spent a great evening in their driveway too!

Another couple, who are part owners of our winter resort in Texas, also have a place in Cheyenne, so the next morning we went to visit Bill and Misty at their home.  

Misty and Bill

Capitol building

When we told them of the places we had already visited, they insisted we must also go to the State Museum of Wyoming. 

After touring more interesting exhibits and learning about the early days of Cheyenne, we had lunch with them at an historic diner called the Albany. 

Bill and Misty also had a large driveway where we could park our rig, and their house is a unique remodeled train caboose with numerous additions. We also enjoyed using the great outdoor shower in their enclosed patio area. It was wonderful way to spend another night with good friends.

We left Cheyenne heading to Lincoln, Nebraska, and a visit with Daisy’s friend Marge.  We spent one night in route near Kearney, Nebraska, in a corn field.  Well, it was in a campground surrounded by cornfields. Yes it was dinner time, but I did not visit the cornfield to add to our leftovers.   The next day we arrived at Camp-a-Way RV Park in Lincoln.    

Home of either half-round bales

or regular square ones

Midwestern sky

and of course there is corn

Cornfield camping

Marge picked us up and drove us to see her lovely new home.  Next, we all went to the Deer Springs Winery for samples of the local wines, then back to her house for dinner and a movie.  What was the movie, you might ask: it was our wedding video.  Marge had not been able to attend our wedding, so she was truly blessed to have to sit through the video.  Actually, she enjoyed it and said she felt like she had been there.

They were hosting a music/pizza event when we arrived.

Marge and Daisy needed some girl time, so the next morning they went to the local Farmers’ Market and had lunch downtown while I read and rested. Later we all went downtown for “beer hopping” and appetizers. Our next stop was a local coffee shop named MoJava’s for sandwiches and listening to an oldies band. In the evening we went to Coyote Willy’s for country music and dancing. It was a good thing I had a nap earlier.

MoJava's

You go first....

No, you go first.

Hanging out with two energetic educated women can be taxing.

Our last night on the road, we stayed at the home of Daisy’s brother Don and his wife Maggie in Overland Park, Kansas.  Their driveway is not suited for parking the TC, so we parked it on the street and stayed in their guest room. That evening, we had dinner at China Star with Don, his son Dan, and Dan’s girlfriend Heather. Daughter Laura came over to see us the next morning before we left on our five-hour journey back to our home in Holiday Island, AR. The only family member we missed seeing this trip was the youngest sister, Ann, who is starting her freshman year at the University of Tulsa. 

In summary, our western trip, which started with our New Mexico and California blog, looked like this:

Aug. 2 to 26, 25 days, 4,139 miles, 17 states

Whew!

I think we need to rest for a week or two…but football season is coming, isn’t it?

Later my friends….