In July we took our annual trip to Colorado. While we have some favorite things that we like to do when we go, we always try to find some new things too. And this trip was no exception.
One of the highlights of the trip was traveling through the southern part of Nebraska and stopping in Red Cloud to tour the buildings in the Willa Cather museum. We saw her childhood home, the train depot, two churches, her childhood friend’s home, the opera house, and the bank. It was an interesting tour and I am now looking forward to reading her books, two of which I picked up at a garage sale this summer.
We also stopped at two quilt shops - Wagner’s Quilt Store and Conversation in Arapahoe and Sew Blessed in McCook. I purchased a Row By Row kit at each store. The shop in Arapahoe already had a winner for their Row By Row challenge and the quilter had used really neat musical fabric for the border. So I will be on the lookout for similar fabric to use in my quilt. In McCook I also purchased a small kit by Kim Diehl. I loved the fabric and it will make a cute wall hanging that I can donate to our PEO auction in October. While in McCook we also saw the only Frank Lloyd Wright-designed house in Nebraska and Ben Nelson’s childhood home. We ate at Loop’s Brewery which is a stop on this year’s Nebraska Passport tour.
After spending the night in Brush, CO we headed down the road to Fort Morgan to the Inspirations Quilt Shop. Their Row was designed by a graphic arts student at the community college and depicts Glenn Miller’s trombone and the Rainbow Arch Bridge. Fort Morgan is the boyhood home of Glenn Miller and the bridge is on the National Register of Historic Places. We then went to Fabric Expressions in Littleton to buy their Row. It depicts a quilt show and concert at Red Rocks Amphitheater.
The next adventure on our trip took us to Central City, CO where we stayed at the Nicki Lee Mansion, our first experience at a bed and breakfast. The owner greeted us in her bathrobe as she had just gotten out of the shower - a sure way to make you feel comfortable immediately! The house was built in 1875 and she spent a year preserving it before opening it as a B & B. We stayed in the Mae West room - a very quiet and comfortable room. I was concerned about sharing a bathroom with the two other guest rooms on our floor, but it really was no problem. other guest rooms upstairs with us but we didn’t hear a thing all night. We spent the evening playing video poker at one of several casinos in town.
The next day we headed for the main destination on our trip - Breckenridge. For the second year in a row we stayed at the Park Avenue Lofts - great location close to the shops and restaurants downtown. We enjoyed our favorite things - art festival in Dillon, ice cream at The Crown, pizza at Fatty’s, a ride on the gondola to Peak 8, a National Repertory Orchestra rehearsal at the Riverwalk Center, and games at the condo with popcorn and M&M’s. The highlight was a New York Philharmonic concert at the Gerald R. Ford Amphitheater in Vail. Spectacular music in a gorgeous outdoor setting.
Another successful Colorado trip in the books!! It was fun to get off the beaten path - I-80 - and enjoy the beautiful terrain of southern Nebraska. We were so glad that we got out of our comfort zone and experienced the hospitality and surroundings of the Nicki Lee Mansion in Central City. We always enjoy the awesome grandeur of the mountains - as well as the weather with no humidity in July! And we even managed to explore four quilt shops along the way!!