Aug 11th to 15th - WY to CO

Aug 11^th – Sun - to Cheyenne

We fueled up on the way out of town for the 3 hour or so drive to Cheyenne.  We didn’t plan too well and settled on an A&W for a mediocre lunch.  We pulled into the Jolley Roger RV Sales & Park where there were a few rigs lined up to use a dump station.  The night registration didn’t have the rate on the paper so after talking to a couple of people we just found a site and set up.  We have an appointment tomorrow to have our slide adjusted here so we figured we would pay in the morning.

I puttered around doing some rearranging & cleaning before settling down with a book.  Terry wandered around & chatted with a neighbor and then watched TV.  We haven’t stopped for groceries for a while but I found chicken thighs in the freezer and we had a nice dinner.
 

Aug 12^th – Mon

Ann called this morning and we decided to go golfing.  First we had to check in with the service department and get everything set up.  We called Ann back and decided to golf early, come here to pay for the repair and then go to dinner.  By the time we packed up the rig and parked it in front of the shop, Bruce & Ann arrived to pick us up.

We golfed at the Airport Golf Course which is not far from here and is the course they play regularly - at least 3 times a week for Bruce and once a week for Ann.  Dark clouds started forming when we were still on the front 9, we heard thunder about hole 11, had a few raindrops on 13 and had to leave the course when we finished 16 as the horn sounded to indicate bad weather.  Until we drove back it still remained warm.  We decided not to wait to see if we could finish and went into the bar for a drink.  We ended up having a couple of drinks to let a downpour pass by before going to the car.

We went back to the RV shop, paid for the repair & 2 night’s stay, put the rig back & set it up minimally.  Then Bruce took us to a restaurant for dinner.  Ann ordered Rocky Mountain Oysters so now we can say we tried them.  I can’t say that they had a distinctive flavor but we wouldn’t hesitate to eat them again.  Of course, anything deep fried can’t be too bad!

We decided not to stay another day and hugged goodbye when Bruce delivered us back to our site.

Aug 13^th – Tues – to Longmont CO

We had less than 100 miles to drive today so we didn’t have to get up at the crack of dawn – like that ever happens!  We planned on going to the Boulder Elks lodge but then we saw a sign for the Boulder County campground at the fairgrounds just out of Longmont and changed our minds.  We had actually decided to go to the fairgrounds before picking the Elks and just made another of our instant decisions.

There weren’t many vehicles in the pull-throughs for larger rigs and we found one that did not have a reserved sign on it.  The off ice is closed on Tues & Wed so I went to self-register while Terry started setting up.  As we were driving, I called Suz (of Larry & Suz in VVV) to tell her we were in town.  She & Larry were with their son at a soft opening of a Cabela’s in Denver so they invited us over for pizza on the deck for dinner.

We did some shopping, relaxed for a bit with TV & reading and then followed the GPS instructions to their house which is less than 2 miles from the fairgrounds.  We had a great evening on the deck as promised.

Aug 14^th – Wed

Larry & Suz picked us up at 9 for a day of sightseeing.  We headed for the Peak to Peak drive but Larry took us through lots of interesting places on the way.  He is an excellent tour guide and it is obvious that they love and are justifiably proud of Longmont and the surrounding area.  We stopped at Camp St. Malo Catholic center and took pictures of the exterior of the lovely stone church.  The church is normally open but wasn’t today.  We took many pictures of the highest peak you can see from this area which is Longs Peak.  We went into a federal recreation area (can’t remember the name) where we saw 2 moose right beside the road.  Their antlers were still in velvet and they looked very healthy with glossy coats.  There was a very cool breeze and Suz’s knee has been bothering her so it wasn’t hard to say no to any hikes.  We stopped in Nederland for lunch.  The first restaurant we chose had only one server and we finally left when she didn’t get back to take our order.  There was another place a couple of doors down and we had a light lunch.  One of Nederland’s “oddities” is the frozen man.  When an eccentric resident passed away many years ago, he wanted to be frozen and is still kept in dry ice.  The town uses this unusual “resident” as a theme for annual events.  We toured Boulder and stopped at the Elks so we could check out their RV parking.  David & Dagmar (pronounced Docma) who were at VVV last winter are staying there and were home so we got to meet them and their 2 Westies.

Larry & Suz dropped us off shortly after 4.  I got our laundry together as Suz insisted that we do it at their house.  We put together our drink bag, added salad ingredients and went to their place at 5 for dinner.  We were joined at 6 by Larry & Norma (also from VVV) and David and Dagmar.  Larry & Norma live nearby in Jownstown and stayed across from us the first year that we stayed at VVV.  We were amazed when we realized it was 10:40 and we were still sitting outside talking non-stop.  Larry did bring out jackets to throw over our shoulders but it was very pleasant and a great evening.

Aug 15^th – Thurs

I put a pork roast in the crockpot before our chauffeur and tour guides showed up again this morning at 9.  Suz also provided coffee both days!  We headed towards Blackhawk but with detours to see more of the area.  Blackhawk is a gold mining town that has been resurrected with casinos.  Larry & Suz are not gamblers but love to wander through the town & casinos.  We parked and then walked to 4 casinos – and got more player’s cards!  Terry did better than I did but we ended up losing.

We made a loop and came back through Boulder which was a faster route.  We were going out in the evening and had to have an early dinner at our place.  Larry dropped Suz off at their house before bringing us back.  I had time to cook sweet potatoes and make a salad to go along with the roast before they returned.

After dinner we went to Niwot which is a small town a few miles away.  Every Thursday at 6:30 during the summer there is music at a bandstand and dancing on the concrete slab in front of it.  Everyone takes their folding chairs and there is beer, wine and food to purchase.  Attendees in the know discreetly take a drink in with them but bags are checked.  People watching was every bit as entertaining as the music.  A train went past and everyone stood up, turned around and waved to the engineer.  A noise ordinance requires that music stops and everyone is gone by 9 which was OK with us as it was another busy day.