Discoveries
The Garden of the Gods at Colorado Springs I guess we ’d rather be in
CNoroman Wrlight troavels throrugh a satate steepedd in o history and tradition that represents the very essence of America
PHOTOGRAPHY: CLIVE NICHOLLS M
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The main street of Georgetown with mountain view
Buffalo Bill’s Grave on Lookout Mountain
Log cabin rooms at the Zapata Ranch M
HUGE bull buffalo sagebrush or taking their own dust bath, exploit America’s West. It’s not the Wild has a beef herd and offers holidays where of all ages, in the dining room for an system of alleys and pens topped by rolled over in the dusty number only a couple of thousand where West any longer, although the bull you can ride out with the cowboys and excellent meal. Towards the end catwalks that are designed to filter the herd wallow then with once millions roamed. looked like he could get pretty angry if his join in the working ranch. of the meal we all went outside to witness down into a hydraulic chute so the animals surprising agility rose to Our giant bull matched the landscape, peace and his harem of wives were Accommodation is in log cabin lodges the most spectacular sunset imaginable. can be vaccinated and selected. survey his domain – the seemingly endless and with the mountains and huge wide disturbed any more. (but with all mod cons). The horses are The ranch nestles close to one of Every one of the herd goes through hAigh plains of Colorado to the east and, to sky as a backdrop, both beast and vista are The herd was built like Spike the brought up from the stables in a long America’s most unusual national parks, the round-up every November and the the west, the snowy peaks and grey crags truly magnificent. bulldog in Tom and Jerry cartoons or an trailer pulled by a four-by-four with 12 the Great Sand Dunes National Park, incredibly powerful big bulls take of the Rocky Mountains. Buffalo, or more correctly American American football linebacker – broad individual boxes. Riders and their mounts some 30 square miles of enormous sand some managing. We had just driven through the Rockies Bison, were a bit of a theme during our shoulders and huge muscular chest but are then driven off to the part of the ranch dunes, as if you had suddenly come across Conserving the herd is made financially up over Wolf Creek Pass where we crossed tour of Colorado. We dined on Buffalo with a small backside. It is a bit of an they will be working on. the Sahara desert. viable by sending some for slaughter. the Great Continental Divide. Now we steaks in Denver, stood on Lookout illusion as they can leap 12 feet in the air We took the buffalo tour in a four-by-four Behind the dunes the Sangre de Cristo I sampled a Buffalo steak and elk meat were seeing for ourselves the country we Mountain and shared the view Buffalo Bill and get up to 40mph for short periods but with a very knowledgeable guide in her mountains rear up. We didn’t have time at Colorado’s oldest restaurant, The knew only through Western films and chose for his grave. We also walked in they do look all head and front end. first job after graduating in conservation. to explore the park and I would love to go Buckhorn Exchange in Denver. No books, the land of Indians, cowboys, the footsteps of native Americans and the This herd roam as wild on 50,000 acres We skipped the horse bit as we are too back for a longer look at this big country. vegetarian’s paradise this. You eat waggon trains and, of course, buffalo. white pioneers who depended on hunting of the Zapata Medano Ranch owned by dude for even a dude ranch and joined On the buffalo tour we drove to find the overlooked by more than 500 stuffed
The herd we saw, grazing amongst the those massive herds to survive and then the Nature Conservancy. The ranch also the riders, who were families and couples herd then visited the Buffalo Barn – a hunting trophies and the photographs of M
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Not the restaurant for vegetarians. Some of the 500 trophies at Buckhorn Exchange, Denver
The State Capitol in Denver. Its 13th step is exactly a mile above sea level M hundreds of celebrities who have dined eat and drink, almost a museum with visiting his sister in Denver in 1917. He are exactly a mile above sea level. Much galleries. It’s an easy walk to the Capitol restaurants, local shops and a Colorado there, including four Presidents, film stars, collections of weapons and historic was buried on Lookout Mountain a few of the rest of our trip was at this altitude building and also to the start of 16th beer hall. For more details go to: astronauts, even our own Princess Anne. pictures and documents. Then it was one miles outside the state capital and you can and higher. You should take account of Street, the main downtown shopping (www.denverunionstation.org). The founder of the restaurant was of the colourful legends of the Old West, visit the grave and that of his wife Louisa. the fact that oxygen is a bit harder to come street. There’s an excellent free bus Rockmount Ranch Wear is a fantastic Henry H Zeitz, who met Buffalo Bill on occasions it was properly Wild West. The website gives the exact location. by and not try to operate at the same speed service that runs up and down the street western clothes shop founded by Papa Cody as a ten-year-old in 1875 and by the After several years as a scout for the US There’s a café, museum and visitor and intensity as normal. Drink plenty of every five minutes with frequent hop on, Jack Weil, who at 106 was the oldest age of 12 was riding with him as a fully Cavalry Buffalo Bill founded his Wild centre and a superb view over Denver water as you lose more fluids at altitude. hop off stops. working CEO in America until he passed fledged hard-riding, straight-shooting West show and toured with it all over and the plains. In Denver we stayed at the Patterson Among the highlights of the mile-long in 2008. Jack invented the snapbutton member of his band of scouts. During the world including Britain in 1887, Inn in the heart of the Capitol Hill district street is Denver’s Union Station, which western shirt worn by everyone from those years the Indian leader Sitting Bull 1891, 1903 and 1904. On the website Mile-high city on Millionaire’s Row. Once the home of has undergone a massive restoration and Ronald Reagan to Elvis to Eric Clapton, gave him the nickname of Shorty Scout. (www.buffalobill.org) everywhere the show US Senator Thomas Patterson in the early re-development. The 1881 Beaux Arts the latter of whom is a frequent shopper. Zeitz founded the restaurant in 1893 in visited is detailed. I was amazed by how We started our tour of the state in Denver, 1900s it has been restored with each station is a transportation, dining, There’s a little museum in the shop as Osage Street and it has Colorado State many places it performed over here; it must known as the mile-high city. There’s a historic room unique. shopping and entertainment hub with well. (www.rockmount.com) liquor licence number one. Now it is an have caused a sensation in those days. mark on one of the steps of the State The inn is also perfectly placed to 112 hotel rooms, four new Colorado Tattered Cover is one of the nation’s
atmospheric although tranquil place to Sadly, Cody died suddenly while Capitol building that tells you when you explore the “Hill” and its museums and chef-owned restaurants, two quick service largest independent bookstores. It’s M
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Clockwise from main: The incredible Cliff Palace at Mesa Verde; Beautiful water garden at Denver Botanic Gardens; Sandstone canyons in the Mesa Verde National Park; In the footsteps of the ancient Native American cliff dwellers at Mesa Verde; Plum Creek Winery’s cellar door shop in Pallisade M heaven for any book lover with lots of texture with quiet, flat walks through including Mount McClellan. It has a plateau wilderness. The stacked rock to pull off and park to enjoy the many (the Plateau) and the guide takes you on nooks and corners with tables and chairs specialist gardens past tranquil water features historic Main Street with places to shop formations in the canyons are colourful wonderful views. short walks to illustrate the history and and settees for browsing. For details go to: as well as a huge conservatory. It’s a lovely and eat as well as the railway. and often stand proudly in the high lifestyles of the ancient Puebloan people. (www.tatteredcover.com). way to spend a day despite the competition It is a beautiful mountain drive from country with the backdrop of the Grand Mesa Verde The trip culminates with a walking tour Larimer Square is a restored section of for your time from other attractions. Website: Denver, dropping down alongside the Colorado River Valley spread out below. of the Cliff Palace, the complex of cliff Denver's oldest street where the beautiful (www.botanicgardens.org). Colorado River to a wide valley between The Monument is run by the parks There were more spectacular canyon dwellings built by Native Americans Victorian buildings have been restored to After Denver we headed for Grand huge grey cliffs as you approach Grand service and many use the hiking trails to country drives on the way to Mesa Verde during 700 years of cliff occupation house a collection of art galleries, clothing Junction, a four-hour drive away. It took us Junction. This is Colorado wine country more remote canyons. But one of the best our next stop tucked into the south west ending in around 1300. This civilisation stores, restaurants, cafes and nightclubs. a bit longer after we diverted to Buffalo and you can take your pick of some cellar ways to enjoy this jewel of the American corner of the state where it meets with farmed the Mesa tops and lived there Larimer Square is a focal point of downtown Bill’s gravesite and to the historic door tasting and eating opportunities in West is to take the Rim Rock Drive that Utah, New Mexico and Arizona. We spent until 600 when they began to build and Denver. Website: (www.larimersquare.com). Georgetown and ghost mining town of towns like Pallisade. winds its way 23 miles from the valley floor a night in the Far View Lodge in the move into the vertical homes accessed by One of the highlights of the city is a Silver Plume. The two are connected by If the scenery as you drive is wonderful, up through the canyons to the plateau and middle of the Mesa Verde National wooden ladders. million miles from the hustle and bustle of the Georgetown Loop scenic steam railway. further down the valley is the entrance to then back down from the high country to Park and the next morning took the park’s Cliff Palace contained 150 rooms and 16th Street or its wild heritage. Denver Georgetown is a Victorian era town Colorado National Monument, 32 square Grand Rapids below. 700 Years tour. 23 rooms for religious ceremonies known Botanic Gardens is an oasis of colour and nestling among some spectacular peaks miles of the most spectacular canyon and Throughout the route there are places The bus takes you around the Mesa as kivas and had a population of M
32 CHOICE JANUARY 2015 JANUARY 2015 CHOICE 33 Discoveries Clockwise from main; Steam up for one of the locos at Durango station; Beautifully customised Harley Davidson in Durango. Some of the riders weren’t quite so well preserved!; Cabaret time at the wonderful Strater Hotel in Durango
M approximately 100 people. Sandstone, men with grey beards and pony tails and town. Durango was founded by the You can take a round trip or a one-way filled with antiques and reminders of little town of Saguache. Its wide Main mortar and wooden beams were the three pirate-style headscarves. Denver and Rio Grande Railway in 1881. journey, the train runs all year. A museum that Victorian era. Street with coffee shop, gallery and craft primary construction materials for the cliff Durango’s main street was lined with The railway arrived in Durango on at the station explains the history of Back on the road and we drove up shop was sleepy in the warm summer sun. dwellings. The Ancestral Puebloans bikes and Harleys patrolled up and down August 5, 1881 and construction on the the line and the route. Website: through Wolf Creek Pass with its ski In the window of the Saguache shaped each sandstone block using harder it. It was the weekend of a major bikers line to Silverton began almost (www.durangotrain.com). resorts and mountain grandeur. It was a Crescent the local weekly paper for the stones collected from nearby riverbeds. rally but there was nothing downmarket immediately. By 1882, the tracks to Strolling along Main Avenue towards our good moment when we passed the sign San Luis Valley owner, publisher, The mortar between the blocks is a about it, the bikes were lavished with Silverton were completed. The line was hotel the town was buzzing with people marking the Great Continental Divide. reporter, editor, printer and typesetter mixture of local soil, water and ash. care and attention and ridden by originally constructed to haul silver and browsing the little shops and restaurants. On the western side of the divide the Dean Coombs is seated at the keyboard Driving out of the park and heading successful professionals. gold ore from the San Juan Mountains. Built in 1887, the historic Strater Hotel rivers run down to eventually find the of his Linotype machine setting stories in east provided more incredible landscapes “They are either dentists or lawyers,” Now the three-and-a-half hour train is one of Durango's prominent downtown Pacific Ocean. On the eastern side hot metal. with views to the San Juan Mountains. one local told us. “Most have their bikes journey on an historic, coal fired, landmarks two blocks north of the station. where we were now driving their “The Linotype machine arrived here The road wasn’t busy but the nearer we shipped out to within a few miles then fly steam-powered train travels through some A Cleveland pharmacist named Henry destination is the Atlantic. brand new – in 1935,” said Dean. “My got to our overnight stop at Durango the out to ride them into town.” of the most breathtaking scenery Strater believed Durango would prosper As we reached the plains and headed grandparents bought it.” In its 135th year as more customised Harley Davidson Transport of a different kind is one of Colorado has to offer – the backcountry and therefore need a hotel. He was towards Zapata ranch and the buffalo a family business the paper is a four-page
motor bikes we saw, ridden mostly by the main attractions of this fascinating wilderness of the San Juan Mountains. right, and the hotel continues to prosper, herd we made a small diversion to the broadsheet format and covers every M
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Breathtaking view from the Colorado Monument park looking out across the wide Colorado River Valley; inset The Patterson Inn on Millionaire’s Row in Denver M happening of the town and its rural Passport to Colorado outposts across the prairie. It’s the sort of community paper that has died out almost Getting there everywhere but that many of us would love IThere are direct flights to Denver from Heathrow, to still have. Birmingham, Manchester, Newcastle, Glasgow and After our night at the ranch our last stop Edinburgh. Flying time is between 12 and 13 hours. You was at Colorado Springs after a drive on may get a better deal if you fly via a hub airport like the high plain skirting the Rockies on our Dallas/Fort Worth or Atlanta but it does add several left as we headed north. more hours to you journey. We flew British Airways October) gourmet trucks offer a wide range of styles Garden of the Gods Park is the city’s direct from Heathrow. in the open air I star attraction with dramatic views, 300ft Where to stay The Buckhorn Exchange 1000 Osage St., Denver, website: (www.buckhorn.com). towering sandstone rock formations IIn Denver we stayed at the historic Patterson Inn, IPalisade Café, 113 W. 3rd St., Palisade, website: against a backdrop of snow-capped Pikes Website: (www.pattersoninn.com) (www.palisadecafe.com) Peak (14,115ft) and brilliant blue skies. I SpringHill Suites By Marriott, 236 Main St, was our IEl Moro Spirits & Tavern, 945 Main Avenue, You can drive through the park with lots hotel in Grand Junction I Far View Lodge, 1 Navajo Road, Manco in the Durango, Website: (www.elmorotavern.com) of pull-offs for photo opportunities and IBristol Brewery, 1604 South Cascade Avenue, areas where you can walk the trails. middle of Mesa Verde National Park I In Durango we had another incredible historic Colorado Springs in an old school, website: Website: (www.gardenofgods.com). hotel, The Strater Hotel, website: (www.strater.com) (www.ivywildschool.com) Mountain scenery dominates a tour of I Zapata Ranch near Mosca, website: Colorado but it has plenty more to back Find out more (www.zranch.org) that up. Ancient civilisation heritage, Old IState Tourist Office: (www.colorado.com) I For our visit to the Garden of the Gods we stayed IDenver: (www.denver.org) West memories, great food, some at Hotel Eleganté, website: (www.hotelelegante.com). excellent wine and hundreds of micro IColorado Springs: (www.visitcos.com) breweries serving up the locals’ favourite Where to eat IDurango: (www.durango.com) I beers. If you are thinking of a USA trip ICivic Center Eats at Civic Center Park, Denver: Grand Junction: (www.visitgrandjunction.com) 11am to 2pm Tuesdays and Thursdays (May to IMesa Verde: (www.mesaverdecountry.com). Colorado comes highly recommended.
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