Two Token Towns in Colorado

Nederland, Colorado

Whenever I make the fifteen-mile drive west on Colorado119 in my rented compact car from Boulder to Nederland (elevation 8,233 feet), I almost feel like Jack Torrence from The Shining. In the opening scene of the movie, Jack drives from his apartment in Boulder winding through the Rockies to the secluded Overlook Hotel where he loses his mind (note: Stephen King wrote half of The Shining at The Stanley Hotel in Estes Park located 28 miles from Nederland).

Driver’s instincts are key to this drive with the twists and turns of the road through Boulder Canyon climbing through the Rocky Mountains. Signs on the side of the road caution drivers of falling rock and wildlife crossing. It seems like every home along the way is decorated with Tibetan prayer flags and has the token Subaru parked in the driveway. Oh, mountain living.

On my way up to Nederland and eleven miles away from Boulder, I stop at the cascading Boulder Falls. One really has to keep their eyes peeled for this attraction because there are only about one or two signs warning people of the turnoff. I park my car on a ledge overlooking the canyon fifty feet below. My fear of heights sets sail as I peer over to the water flowing through canyon where my car could plummet if moved five feet forward.

Looking both ways, I cross the busy road where the falls are located. In the 1800’s, families traveling through this neck of the woods in their stagecoaches would stop off at Boulder Falls for lunch or to relax. The uneven rock steps going down to the fall are unsteady to say the least. It’s an accident waiting to happen. As I walk down the steps, a chipmunk is watching me perched up on a rock almost waiting for me to break my ankle. When I safely make it down the steps, I do not dare move any further. I watch a group of teenagers climbing the wet rocks near the falls. The water plunges down seventy feet from a cliff above and there is a sign that reads, “The water is deceptively swift and dangerous.” I sit down on a dry boulder, eat some trail mix, take my token snapshot and climb back up to my car.

The serenity of Nederland hits you as you drive around a bend and see the town sitting directly west of the large Barker Reservoir. The town’s charm rests in its laid back attitude, beautiful surroundings and the fact that you won’t find any fast food establishment or Starbuck’s anywhere in town. I look down at my cell phone and found that I cannot get a reception, which is standard for Nederland. I found myself completely cut off from the outside world secluded in the Rockies and I like it.

I head into the Whistler’s Café for a cup of coffee and to rub elbows with the locals. A gentleman with dreadlocks down his back sits down next to me and starts explaining to me about America’s conspiracy to cover up the notion that John F. Kennedy was really an alien. I listen intently not wanting to argue his disposition. Who am I to dispute this? He also tells me of the infamous Caribou Ranch located a couple miles out of town, which once housed a famous recording studio where musicians like Jeff Beck, Elton John, and Carol King recorded songs. Although I couldn’t prove his John F. Kennedy and aliens relationship, the recording studio fact is legit.

After my caffeine fix, I walked down E First Street to see if I could squander up some token souvenirs. I stroll pass Nederland’s Mountain People’s Food Coop, an antique store and a fabric store down to the shores of Barker Reservoir, which hosts the two day bluegrass and jazz music festival called Nedfest during the summer.

A friend who now lives there meets me in front of the rustic looking Town Hall and we head up to the Fourth of July pass (elevation 10,000 feet) and walk for a mile. The leaves are beginning to change on the aspen trees from green to golden red. The running stream to our right and the crisp mountain air blowing through the trees provides our soundtrack. Coming from New York City to a place so desolate I feel relaxed but the same time a little freaked out to be somewhere so quiet and serene. I can almost understand why Jack from The Shining went crazy. Thirty minutes into the hike it begins to rain and we jog back to the car and go back into town. We end up at the Pioneer Inn that is decorated with remnants of the Wild West like saddles and wagon wheels and eat a Mexican feast and drink domestic beer while a local bluegrass band serenaded us from the stage.

Tips

Visit Nederland in the late spring, summer, and early fall. Locals told me that it gets quite cold and very windy any other time of the year.

For the authentic Nederland music experience check out places like the Pioneer Inn or even Nedfest to hear some great blue grass and local musicians.

Places to Stay

Hotel Boulderado - It is a twenty-minute drive from Nederland but one of my favorite places to stay in Colorado because of its Victorian décor and Afternoon Tea in the Mezzanine. Be sure to ask for a room with a view of the mountains.

Manitou Springs, Colorado

Growing up I have always been fascinated with the pioneers of the Wild West and their ability to have traveled across the U.S. in shaky covered wagons with a couple of oxen and horses leading the way. There isn’t more evidence of their struggle and difficulties that they endured than in Colorado Springs.

Although now heavily populated, it was only 200 hundred years ago that Zebulon Pike explored the area. At that time Colorado Springs only population were the Ute, Arapahoe and Cheyenne Indians, as well as vast amounts of buffalo and other wildlife. The most spectacular thing about this region is Pikes Peak(elevation 14115 feet and named after Zebulon Pike), which overlooks the city. Pikes Peak inspired Katharine Lee Bates to write “America The Beautiful.”

My first adventure is to visit the Pioneers Museum located in the heart of downtown Colorado Springs. This is the one stop shopping for gaining knowledge of the history of the area. My favorite part of the museum is the medical exhibit where you can see the barbaric tools and different medical practices that were used to treat several patients and illnesses. In the early 1900’s, the Pikes Peak area became notorious for its clean mountain dry air and natural springs and thousands of people flocked here who suffered from tuberculosis. One of the destinations for people who had this disease was Manitou Springs located a few miles outside of Colorado Springs, which received its name from having twenty four mineral springs throughout the town.

What was once a health retreat for the sick, Manitou is now more like a charming hippie ghost town. On the road leading into the city, there are quirky southwest American Indian themed motels accentuated with stores selling wood carved bears of all sizes lined up along the sidewalk. The wooden bears are almost too enticing and I stop in at The Nature of Things to see if I can purchase one. However, the bear I want is four feet tall and this fitting into my already clustered New York City apartment seems ridiculous so I leave the store empty handed.

Adam’s Café is always one of my first stops when I visit Manitou Springs. The restaurant smells of cinnamon and spice and the charming décor is reminiscent of mountain living with its tastefully flower printed wallpaper and antique wooden tables and chairs. The food is consistently good and my favorite dish is the orange almond French toast. The clientele are mostly locals consisting of men with grey beards wearing fleeces and women with silver hair, turquoise jewelry and sun kissed faces.

After my meal, I walk around town. A majority of the stores have American Indian novelties, like jewelry, blankets, belts, key chains, etc. There are a couple of stores that sell pipes, flowing skirts and the Grateful Dead t-shirts as well as a couple of glass and crystal shops. It’s quite amusing just to walk around and go into each one. My favorite find is a cheap leather pouch that should be worn around the neck. The store clerk picks out some stones for the pouch that will bring me luck and happiness.

I drop my bags off at the Cliff House where I will be staying for the night. It was built in the 1800’s to house trappers and hunters on their way from Colorado Springs to Leadville. Then in the 1900’s the inn eventually became a resort for those who were suffering from tuberculosis. The patients would sit on the open porch and let the air cleanse their bodies. Celebrities like Clark Gabel, Thomas Edison and Charles Dickens were also at one time or another guests of Cliff House.

I head up to Garden of the Gods for a scenic drive. Garden of the Gods is a public park filled with extraordinary sandstone rock formations that will make anyone gasp. Charles Lindbergh was noted for saying that he has never seen, “a more spectacular and magnificent place.” There are several things to do here like hike, horseback ride, or you can even just drive around gawk at the wildlife. One of my favorite attractions is Balancing Rock where there is a rock layer supporting a 700 ton rock like a top. The best part of any attraction is a souvenir shop and Garden of the Gods Trading Post is quick to please tourists who desire the need to drop money on worthless stuff. My purchases? An American Indian inspired beaded belt that says Garden of the Gods, a fake tomahawk with an adjoining feather, and an arrowhead. It was in the Trading Post that I found a souvenir of all souvenirs, a jackalope head mounted on a piece of wood. For those who do not know, a jackalope is a fictional animal (some believe they exist) that is a rabbit with large deer-like antlers. I was considering buying one but the poor frightened look of the stuffed rabbits’ face deterred me from doing so.

After a long day of shopping, walking, and learning, I decide it’s time to head back to the Cliff House. After a delicious dinner in the dining room, I take a seat on the porch with some lemon tea and look up into the clear mountain sky and relax.

Places to Stay

Cliff House

The Broadmoor Hotel and Resort
The Broadmoor is one of the finest hotel and resort in the country. It is the place to stay for anyone who likes to be pampered and taken care of. The golf courses are one of the best in the world and their spa is to die for. Even if you do not stay at the hotel, try one of their many restaurants like The Penrose Room, Stratas, or The Golden Bee.