Aspen Wedding

Thursday, July 17:  We set the alarm for 6:00 AM, to get to the Aspen Highlands Resort in time for our shuttle reservation to Maroon Bells in the White River National Forest. The Bells are two 14,000-foot mudstone peaks that are dangerous to climb, but beautiful to look at and hike to. After the eight-mile shuttle ride to the trailhead, we took a guided hike to Crater Lake, led by a summer employee of the Aspen Center for Environmental Studies (ACES), a local non-profit dedicated to the education and preservation of the area. The one-way, two-hour tour was filled with local knowledge about geology, biology, flora and fauna. At Crater Lake, we ate lunch and hiked down to the trailhead where we met the Calahan and Diem families, who were waiting for the bride and groom to arrive after saying their wedding vows on an 11-mile private hike from Crested Butte to Maroon Bells. After everyone arrived and hugs, kisses and introductions were taken care of, we took the shuttle to the Highlands Alehouse for celebratory drinks, followed by a family dinner at the nearby Woody Creek Tavern. 

We saw several pikas on the trail

Crater Lake

Friday, July 18: After a peaceful night at the cabin, we returned to Aspen for Day 2 of activities with the wedding party and families. We rode the Silver Queen Gondola up 4,000 feet to the top of Aspen Mountain, where we hiked about five miles on one of the mountaintop service roads. After lunch at the top, we took the gondola back down the mountain, then window-shopped in Aspen until we tired of the glitz and shine of this upscale resort city and returned to our cabin. 

The Utes were the original inhabitants of this area, but were gradually displaced as prospectors found valuable minerals, including silver, in the mountains. Aspen is in Pitkin County, named after Colorado’s second governor, who believed that the Ute people did not properly utilize their land and thus white settlers had the right to claim it. The town went from a small mining camp in 1880 to a booming city ten years later, complete with electric lights, street cars, sewer system, hospital, banks, police department, three schools, opera house and roller skating rink. A national economic depression and the collapse of the silver market in the 1890s triggered a downward spiral in Aspen’s fortunes, with the population declining by 50% between 1893 and 1900. The area limped along as a small ranching and farming community until the first ski resorts were constructed in the late 1930s. Ski racing and jumping were becoming popular and the area flourished during the post World War II boom, with the population growing for the first time since 1890. Aspen today is a popular year-round destination, with a reputation as a playground for the rich and famous and skyrocketing property values. Map link: Aspen, CO

Back at the Lazy Bear Cabin, we cooked baked potatoes with fixings for dinner, played a family game (Tranquility) then watched the stars on the deck until bedtime.

Bonus Question: True or False: The United States Army once had a Camel Corps.

Saturday, July 19:  We slept in, chilled out at the cabin, lounged on the deck and admired the mountains and the mule deer that have visited the yard every day. Three of our group have seen black bears on the trip, but none at the cabin, although the property manager warned that they are around. In the afternoon we dressed up in our finery (mine borrowed from my brother) to attend Kata and Chris’ wedding reception in Aspen. It was an outdoor affair, adjacent to the Aspen Historical Society Museum, which we visited before enjoying the fresh-made pizza, charcuterie, and music from a local band, that the bride is a guest singer for in her spare time.

Bonus Question Answer: True. In the mid-19th century, the U.S. Army experimented with using camels as pack animals in the American Southwest. Tests began as early as 1836, but it wasn’t until 1853, when Secretary of War Jefferson Davis championed the effort. Although camels proved well suited to the arid environment and outperformed horses and mules, the army ultimately rejected the idea and the outbreak of the Civil War put an end to the program. Fun fact: During the Civil War, King Mongut of Siam offered to send elephants to the Union Army, but President Lincoln politely declined the offer.

Denver, CO

Sunday, July 13: I was awake at 5:00 AM and couldn’t go back to sleep. It was a beautiful day, with no sightseeing on the schedule. My family was flying in and I was picking them up at the Denver Airport, then heading to see my brother and his family in Longmont, CO, a northern suburb of Denver. Flights were early, and we were at Matt and Sue’s around 12 Noon. We were later joined by their sons Cooper and Colin and their partners Hattie and Amy, respectively, along with Hattie’s mother, Jodi and Cooper and Hattie’s 11-month-old daughter Mayla, for a pleasant afternoon and evening of family time. Map link: Longmont, CO

Monday, July 14: After morning exercise and breakfast, we drove to nearby Boulder to catch the Flatiron Flyer express bus into Downtown Denver. Plan A was to visit the U.S. Mint, but the first-come-first-served guided tours were already booked for the day. We checked out the gift shop anyway, then walked to City Hall, it’s nearby gardens, public library and the Colorado state capitol, my third statehouse in four days. After wandering around the large and ornate building by ourselves, some of us latched on to a guided tour up to the dome, which had an open-air viewing area. After the capitol, we had lunch at Yampa, then walked back to Union Station and reversed our route back to Matt’s house. Map Link: Denver, CO

U.S. Mint

City Hall and gardens 

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Tuesday, July 15: We had beautiful weather for a day of outdoor activities, beginning with a hike to Lion’s Lair on Mount Sanitas in Boulder. While only 5.5 miles round trip with a 900-foot elevation change, it was a good acclimation to the 5,900-foot altitude for all of us flat-landers. We went into Boulder for lunch at Rosetta Hall, then visited Chautauqua Park for a great view of the Flatirons, a series of sloping rock formations on Green Mountain. We returned to Boulder for strolling and shopping along Pearl Street, before capping the night off with dinner at Avanti food court. Map Link: Boulder, CO

The Flatirons, Chautauqua Park

Pine Street house that was the setting for the
late 1970s sitcom Mork & Mindy

Bonus Question: One of my favorite classic rock bands was REO Speedwagon. What was the group named after? (answer at end of post)

Wednesday, July 16:  We spent the morning in Longmont, walking, running and biking around McIntosh Lake, where we enjoyed watching the resident prairie dog community. After lunch we drove four hours west to our Airbnb in the mountains near Basalt, CO, about 45 minutes from Aspen, where our niece Kata and her fiancee Chris were getting married. Our cabin was spacious, private and quiet, although very remote; it’s 20 miles to the nearest town and there was no WiFi, landline or cell phone service. Upon our arrival, we were We greeted by a mule deer buck on the property. Map link: Lazy Bear Cabin, Basalt, CO

Bonus Question Answer: The band was named after the REO Speed Wagon, a light truck manufactured by the REO Motor Car Company from 1915-1953. REO stood for Ransom Eli Olds, who started the company after leaving his namesake Oldsmobile, which made cars for 107 years until General Motors discontinued the brand in 2004. In 1967, keyboardist and songwriter Neal Doughty learned about the REO Speed Wagon in a History of Transportation class while attending the University of Illinois, and thought that it would be a great name for his new rock band. REO Speedwagon (Doughty shortened it to one word) would go on to record 13 Top 40 hits and sell more than 40 million records. 

This photo in the Colorado State Capitol
inspired today’s bonus question 

Road Trip: …Nebraska, Kansas and Colorado

Friday, July 11:  After more overnight thunderstorms and a few trains blowing their whistles, I packed up my wet tent and left Mahoney State Park, headed for Lincoln, NE, to add another state capitol visit to my list. Omaha was the initial territorial capital of Nebraska, but it was moved to Lincoln upon statehood in 1867. Originally called Lancaster, the new capital city was renamed in honor of Abraham Lincoln. The unique design of the current capitol building, with its 400-foot central tower, was the product of a 1920 nationwide architectural contest, and was the first in the nation to radically depart from the typical domed capitol appearance. Nebraska’s state government is the only unicameral legislature in the country, adopting it’s current one-house system in 1937. The first Arbor Day was held in Lincoln in 1872. Map link: Lincoln, NE

Next I visited the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and was able to enter Memorial Stadium through an open gate. One of college football’s hallowed grounds, this 90,000 seat facility holds the NCAA record (in any sport) for the most consecutive sellouts, currently at 403 games and dating back to 1962. Full disclosure: The Cornhuskers have had some forgettable losing seasons during this period, when donors and sponsors purchased unsold tickets to preserve the streak. Fun fact: The university invented the “restructured meat process,” a method of binding and molding pork scraps that was instrumental in creating the McDonald’s McRib sandwich. 

Next it was south to Topeka, KS, population 125,000, to log another state capitol and set a personal record of two in one day! The name Topeka is derived from the Kansa-Osage language and translates to “a place to dig potatoes.” The town was first established in the 1840s when a ferry crossing the Kansas River became a part of the Oregon Trail. Topeka was the birthplace of Charles Curtis, our 31st Vice President (under Herbert Hoover) and the only Native American to hold that office. The current capitol building was completed in 1903 after 37 years of construction and was renovated in the early 2000s, including refurbishing the  beautiful copper dome.

I next visited the Brown vs. Board of Education National Historical Park, located in the former Monroe Elementary School and honoring the end of segregation in American public schools. In early 1950 Topeka, all African American elementary school students were assigned to one of four schools. For most children that meant long bus rides, even if white schools were nearby. Thirteen Topeka families filed suit, and the unanimous 1954 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that school segregation was unconstitutional ended “separate but equal” educational facilities for students of color. Map link: Topeka, KS

My last stop was Old Prairie Town, an attractive replica of a 19th-century Oregon Trail settlement adjacent to a pretty botanical garden, but the heat, humidity and a passing shower cut my stay short. 

Just west of Topeka is an eight-mile stretch of I-70 built in 1956 that is considered to be the first section of the Interstate Highway System, and this was the route to my next campground. Milford State Park is on 15,700-acre Milford Lake, the largest body of water in Kansas and was created by damming the Republican River. My lake-view campsite was private and peaceful, after the noisy jet ski on the water left at sundown and the neighboring RV shut off their gas-powered generator. Map Link: Milford State Park, KS

The view from my tent

Saturday, July 12: I was awake at 6:00 AM, and spent a peaceful morning in my campsite until fishing boats hit the lake and their full-throttle movements signaled that it was time to leave. It was all good, since I had places to go and things to see. My first stop was Abilene, KS, home of President Dwight D. Eisenhower and the location of his presidential library, museum, boyhood home and grave. Our 34th president, Eisenhower was the third of seven boys and credited his humble Kansas roots for the gentle manner, integrity and decency that made him one of the country’s most beloved military leaders and an effective president. 

Eisenhower fun facts:

• He wanted to attend the Naval Academy, but was too old, and went to West Point instead, where he graduated in the middle of his class.
• Ike was a skilled poker player. Aided by his calm demeanor and strategic thinking, he was often owed money by West Point classmates and fellow military officers.
• He was an avid golfer, even playing in winter snow with balls painted black.
• His favorite reading material was Zane Gray western novels.
• He was recruited by both the Democratic and Republican parties for the 1948 presidential election, but declined, and became President of Columbia University.
• In the 1952 presidential election, “I Like Ike” became one of the best known political slogans ever. He defeated Adlai Stevenson in a landslide, with an electoral college margin of 442 to 89. He defeated Stevensen again in 1956, also in a landslide (457 to 73)
• He was the last U.S. President born in the 19th century (1890).
• Camp David, the presidential retreat in Maryland, was named after his father and grandson, both called David. The original name was Shangri-La, given by FDR.
• He loved painting and created more than 260 oils in his last 20 years of life.
• His administration is best known for the creation of the Interstate Highway System, but he also championed civil rights, school integration, expanding social security, the creation of NASA, and covertly helped bring down senator Joseph McCarthy. 
• He was the first Supreme Commander of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)

Bonus Questions: How many countries were originally in NATO? How many are in the alliance today? (Answers at end of post)

Hometown Heroes in Kansas

Abilene began as a stage coach stop in 1857 and later became part of the Chisolm Trail, used to move Texas cattle north to Kansas railroads. It is also the home of the world’s largest belt buckle (I am a sucker for the world’s largest anything!). Map Link: Abilene, KS

My next stop was Ellis, KS, to see the Walter Chrysler boyhood home. I was the only guest there and got a private tour of the 1889-built family home and museum of the famous auto magnate. Chrysler worked on the railroad until he was hired by Buick in 1911, where he rose to president and general manager. He left Buick to start his own company, and the Chrysler Corporation’s first car was produced in 1924. Fun fact: After his death in 1940, Chrysler’s estate on Long Island, NY, was purchased by the War Department and became the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy. Map link: Ellis, KS

A 1924 Chrysler, the first year they were produced

The volunteer at the Chrysler home suggested that I check out the Buffalo Bill Cody Cultural Center and statue in nearby Oakley, KS. Originally from Iowa, William Cody was employed as a bison hunter to feed the workers of the Kansas Pacific Railroad and went by the nickname of “Buffalo Bill.” In nearby Fort Wallace, a fellow hunter, Bill Comstock, claimed the same moniker. In 1868, it was decided to settle the matter with a hunting contest outside of Oakley, with the winner earning a $500 prize and the right to be called Buffalo Bill. Cody won the contest, bringing down 69 animals to Comstock’s 46, and went on to lasting fame as Buffalo Bill, with his popular wild west shows touring the U.S. and Europe. Map Link: Oakley, KS

Lastly, I visited Goodland, KS, population 4,400 and the seat of Sherman County. Originally planned as just a gas stop, I had some extra time and went inside the town’s small history museum. We’ve been to dozens of local museums around the country over the past two years, and most are pretty similar. The first exhibit is usually some basic photos, drawings or plaques with a caption along the lines of “native people lived here for thousands of years.” The rest of the museum is then devoted to the 150-200 years of European settlement. The Goodland museum’s first exhibit was particularly bleak (see below), although there was a very interesting display about two local machinists who built a helicopter in 1910. 

The museum’s friendly staff directed me to another “world’s largest” that I couldn’t miss. Erected in 2001, a 24 x 32 foot reproduction of Vincent Van Gogh’s Three Sunflowers in a Vase on an 80-foot easel is proudly displayed in a local park. This is one of three such oversized paintings in the world, and Goodland was selected due to its importance in sunflower agriculture. Map link: Goodland, KS

It was still hot and humid, with air quality alerts and there were no camping options besides highway-adjacent KOAs, so I stopped for the night at a cheap motel in Byers, CO, (population 1,320). I had dinner at Los Tres Garcias next door, where the Mexican food was excellent, the people friendly, and every television tuned to rodeo competitions. Map link: Byers, CO

Bonus Question Answer:  The NATO alliance was formed in 1949 with 12 founding members: Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, the United Kingdom, and the United States. There are 32 countries currently in NATO: 30 European and 2 North American. The most recent additions were Finland in 2023 and Sweden in 2024.

Road Trip: Minnesota, Iowa and Nebraska…

Wednesday, July 9: I took a road trip on my way out to a Colorado wedding. After visiting my Mom in Hopkins, I drove southwest through several towns I’ve never heard of before visiting New Ulm, MN, a town I’ve always wanted to see. My first stop was the Hermann Monument, a 4,000-pound statue standing 102 feet above a beautiful hill overlooking the town and the Minnesota River valley. Called Hermann the German by locals, the monument is dedicated to Hermann (Arminius, in German), a Cheruscan chieftain who defended north-central Germany from Roman invasion in 9 AD and became a symbol of German independence and honor. Begun in 1885 and finished in 1897, the Hermann monument is a tribute to the large number of German immigrants in the area and a source of enormous civic pride. Map Link: New Ulm, MN

Next in New Ulm was a short visit to the August Schell Brewery. It was close to quitting time, so I’d missed the last tour, but I did see the grounds, visitor center and gift shop. Founded in 1860, Schell’s is the second-oldest family-owned brewery in the country, after Yuengling & Son of Pottsville, PA. After acquiring the Grain Belt brand in 2002, Schell’s became the largest brewing company in Minnesota. Fun fact: In 1978, the brewery was facing hard times and cut down a large black walnut tree on the grounds to sell the lumber to make ends meet.

August Schell Brewery

New Ulm was the birthplace and home of children’s book author and illustrator Wanda Gag, and her family’s 1894-built home is a museum and popular tourist attraction. The eldest of seven children, Gag was 15 when her father died of tuberculosis. Resisting family pressure to drop out of school to work, she continued her education, graduating from New Ulm High School and studying art in Minneapolis, St. Paul and New York. Her beloved 1928 book Millions of Cats remains the oldest American picture book still in print.

Wanda Gag house

My last stop in southwestern Minnesota was Kilen Woods State Park, a cozy spot nestled between cornfields and the Des Moines River. I was one of only three campers on a Wednesday and spent a hot, thunderstorm-filled night and morning in my pickup truck tent. Map Link: Kilen Woods State Park

Bonus Question: Can you solve the following? (Answers at end of post)

Example: A, B and C but not X, Y and Z. Answer: Musical notes

• X, Y and Z, but not A, B and C
• He and I, but not she and you
• A+ and B-, but not F
• MA and MS, but not BA and BS

Thursday, July 10: After packing up my soggy camping equipment and showering, I crossed into Iowa and stopped in Sioux City, first visiting the Welcome Center and Sergeant Floyd Museum in an old riverboat along the Missouri River. Charles Floyd was the only member of Lewis & Clark’s 50-man Corp of Discovery that did not survive the two year and four month expedition from St. Louis to the mouth of the Columbia River and back, a journey of over 8,000 miles. Floyd died on August 20, 1804, most likely from an inflamed or ruptured appendix, and was buried on a hill overlooking the junction of the Missouri and Floyd Rivers, the latter named in his honor. Erosion over the years nearly destroyed the grave and eventually a 100-foot sandstone obelisk was erected in 1901 as a lasting memorial. Map Link: Sioux City, IA

Sioux City welcome center and Sergeant Floyd Museum

I next traveled to Omaha, NE, another place I’ve always wanted to visit. With a population of 486,000, Omaha is the largest city in Nebraska and fronts the Missouri River, directly across from Council Bluffs, IA. The city didn’t exist when Lewis and Clark passed by in 1804, and it’s now home to Fortune 500 companies and household names Berkshire Hathaway, Mutual of Omaha and Union Pacific. President Gerald Ford was born here in 1913 and since 1950, the city has hosted the College World Series baseball tournament every June. Map Link: Omaha, NE

I first went to the Mormon Trail Center at Winter Quarters Museum in North Omaha. About 3,000 members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints spent the winter of 1846-47 here after being driven from their homes by angry mobs in Nauvoo, IL. The museum shares an attractive grounds with a park, cemetery and Mormon temple. 

My next stop was at the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail Headquarters, near where the Corps of Discovery once landed and part of a 4.900-mile national trail across the Western U.S. following the route of this epic journey. Nearby is the curvy Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge across the Missouri. Known locally as “The Bob,” the footbridge spans 3,000 feet into Council Bluffs and is named for Joseph Robert Kerrey, former Navy Seal officer and Medal of Honor winner, Governor of Nebraska and United States Senator. Omar the Troll, Omaha’s mascot, resides underneath the bridge.

Lewis & Clark landing site on the Missouri River

The Bob pedestrian bridge and Omar the Troll

My last visit in Omaha was at Boys Town, founded by Father Edward Flanagan in 1917. Frustrated by his work with homeless men in Omaha, Father Flanagan opened an orphanage for boys in downtown Omaha. He quickly outgrew the Omaha location and his practice of taking in children of all races, religions and backgrounds was unpopular with many in the community. In 1921, he moved Boys Town to a farm on the outskirts of the city, where it remains today and is one of the largest non-profit child and family care organizations in the country. The facility began admitting girls in 1979 and typically has about 400 residents, housed in single-family homes staffed by married couples. The impressive campus is mostly open to the public and offers a visitors center, school buildings, cafeteria, chapels, athletic complex, hospital, gardens, research center, farm and the world’s largest ball of stamps. The 1938 motion picture about Boys Town starring Spencer Tracy and Mickey Rooney was filmed on location and earned Tracy an Academy Award for his portrayal of Father Flanagan. Map Link: Boys Town, NE

Boys Town Chapel

Father Flanagan’s tomb; the green is for his native Ireland

World’s largest ball of stamps

After leaving Boys Town, I headed for Eugene Mahoney State Park, named for a former Nebraska legislator and long-time director of the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, where I spent a hot, muggy night in my truck tent. 

Bonus Question Answers:

• X, Y and Z, but not A, B and C.  (Generations)
• He and I, but not she and you. (Chemical symbols)
• A+ and B-, but not F.  (Blood types)
• MA and MS, but not BA and BS.  (Postal codes)