Happy Trails to You

For those of us in the "older" generation, "Happy Trails to You Until We Meet Again" conjures up the image of Roy Rogers singing.  Happy trails for us now means biking on trails in various places, mostly in Colorado. Colorado is a great place for bicyclists, with trails all over the place.  When a new neighborhood is built, automatically incorporated are cement sidewalks that will accommodate riders and walkers.  

This year we tackled many different trails that were new to us, or sections of the 40-mile Cherry Creek trail that starts in Denver and goes through many suburbs.  No electric bikes for us although we have seen a dramatic increase of those on every single trail that we have ridden this year. 

The Centerra Trail took us over to Equalizer Lake through the city of Loveland. It does have many open areas with no shade, but it links up to the trail at Boyd Lake.

This trail also had a place where you could fix your bike or air up your tires!  Convenient!

The Poudre trail ride from Eastman Park (named after Eastman Kodak because the plant was nearby) took us up hills, open fields and shady paths.

Above is the view from one of the hills.  Below is the top part of the hill that we had to ride up. There are a few lakes in this 5 mile section.

Love this wood pelican carved out of a Cottonwood tree. It had been moved since the last time we rode from about a quarter of a mile away.  It is quite tall so that must have been a bear to move!

Our bike ride to La Porte from Ft. Collins was one of our favorite rides this summer. We started out near New Belgium Brewery which is well known to our beer loving family and friends. 🍺🍺 Lots of shade is provided by the huge Cottonwoods lining the path. 

However, the best part is the huge bridge that crosses over the Cache La Poudre River.  It juts out over the river itself, turning at left or right angles on it's way across.

We always try to do a ride on the Boyd Lake trail because it takes us right through the state park we camp hosted at for 6 years.  This year the lake was very high since there was plenty of runoff from the mountain snowmelt and an abundant amount of spring rain.

We ended up taking the detour through the grassy field.  Let's just say it was a whole lot bumpier than the regular cement path that goes right beside the lake.

Ah, Cherry Creek Trail, we sure do love you!  We have ridden on different portions at least 15 times this summer.  There are many parks and trailheads that we can start at, making this an easy trail to access. This year the grasshoppers were out in force but at least we didn't have to dodge them.  Coyote scat and goose poop is an entirely different story.  LOL😂

One section in the town of Parker took us right past some cute alpacas.

 

Another portion of the Cherry Creek trail was one that we had never ridden before.  Our son-in-law, Ken suggested this since he is avid biker and knows the paths like the back of his hand.  It took us south from Parker towards Franktown.  The only thing that I didn't care for was the snake sign.....I hate snakes!

There were a lot of Brown Eye Susans along the first part of our ride after starting out at Cobblestone Ranch Park.  Some of the flowers were taller than Don.

For a change, Don took a picture of me.  Usually I'm the one taking the pics, but today I left my camera back at Ken and Lisa's.

Due to major flooding in Ft. Collins this summer, a portion the Spring Creek trail was closed off.   Other portions required us to ride either beside the flowing creek or right through the standing water.

No fenders on the bikes meant we had to go through really SLOW to avoid getting muddy water splashed all over our backs. At least we have learned from experience.

Riding the Mason trail was a last-minute decision after seeing the detour sign on the Spring Creek Trail.  We were already near the downtown portion of Ft. Collins, so we both agreed to go in a different direction. It took us past many of the Colorado State University buildings and across quite a few railroad tracks.

 

Ramblin' On

 We both love vintage cars, and our daughter and son-in-law found the perfect place in Elizabeth, Colorado.  It is called Rambler Ranch.  The collection is far off the beaten path, back in a wooded area in the countryside. The focus was on AMC cars (American Motor Company).  It started out as Nash in 1916 by Charles Nash.  In 1954 Nash, Kelvinator and Hudson merged to become American Motors.

Ken and Lisa were in the front, with Don in the middle and me trailing behind.  I'm always at the back because I'm stopping to take pictures.

The first large building held a variety of cars: Nash Ramblers, Rebels, Ambassador cars, Javelins, Hornets and Gremlins.  Other buildings held vintage cars and other lines of classic automobiles. 

I wonder who drove this car, since the driver's side was on the right.

These older models now seem like huge boats, with enormous front engines and long bodies.

There were only 600 Rebel Mariner station wagons made in 1967. These even had a metal anchor insignia on the back end of the car and beautiful marine blue upholstery inside.

There was plenty to look at.

This is a 1966 Classic car used by the fire department.  Look at the size of the extra red light on the hood.  That would sure get your attention.

I loved the sign on this car.  I wonder how Kenosha is doing now that AMC is no longer in business.😕

This little electric car is called the Sparrow.  Very unique looking, and it sure would stand out with the bright yellow paint job.  Only one headlight. Hmmm, I don't think I'd feel comfortable driving this car on the road.

Before cars came equipped with air conditioning, there were add-ons that could be installed.

This one is like the swamp coolers used in Arizona during times of little humidity.  Kind of bulky, but at least it would keep the car cooler.

These little Nash Ramblers were the cutest cars.  Don worked with a guy who had a collection of them and drove them around Phoenix on a regular basis.

This topof the line Nash had an unusual hood ornament. We heard that the collector's daughter had posed for it!  It was an $11.00 add on feature.

Here's a list of options available in 1954. Foam cushions were $20, turn signals would have set you back a whole $16 and if you wanted hubcaps, you'd have to shell out $21.

In another building there were vintage cars dating back to the 1916-1930 years.  The mannequin reminded me of Al Capone and Elliot Ness.  

Just remember that the next time you go out to purchase a new vehicle, that Miss America says Nash Ramber is a real sweetheart!

Ramblers and Kelvinators

 What do Ramblers and obsolete Kelvinator appliances have in common?  They were made by the same company, and this place has a big collection of each!  The Kelvinator refrigerators were built to last, and most did for 35-40 years or more.  Sadly, today the average refrigerator is built to last approximately 5-6 years, with one or more repairs during that time.

We stepped back into time, back to when our mothers and aunts had these reliable appliances in their kitchen. Notice the stove has a well beside the 3 burners.  It held soups and stews warm. I remember one of those in the house when I was very young.  On the right side is an electric butter warmer.

Usually the older styles had just one door, but the upgraded model below actually was a side by side.

Inside the freeze was a section for bananas and a dispenser for freezer wrap!

There was never a hunt to find where the cheese or juice was in the refrigerator since there were built ins for those items.  No more kid whining he couldn't find where the orange juice was!

Behind the partial see through door were containers specifically labeled "juice".  If one was a rebel, there might have been milk in the container.

I am old, but I sure don't remember anyone having a pastel pink stove in their house and a darker pink sink complete with automatic dish soap dispenser.

One very familiar thing I spotted along the shelves above was a Corning Ware coffee pot.  We got one exactly like this as a wedding gift and I had to figure out how to make coffee on the stove when we had company.  Back then, neither of us were coffee drinkers.

One room was full of all the different Kelvinator products including freezers and the old wringer washing machines.  I remember using those (and hanging up wash on the line).  

In the 50's and 60's everything was ironed, including sheets, pillowcases and handkerchiefs. The electric mangle in the picture below brought back many memories. My mother had managed to bring hers along when we moved to Arizona in 1955.  I scoured the internet and found a picture of one. 

The mangle was just like the one below.  I learned very quickly how to avoid burning my fingers on the large metal surface!  Both hands were used to guide the item and the roller was worked with knee paddles.  Nowadays I bet most young people don't even own an iron!  

The Electro Sink Center was something I had never even see before! If you wanted to make a salad, juice oranges or even make bread dough, this was the thing to have!  They even had a manual on the counter nearby.  I guess the woman's place was really tied to the kitchen and the home.

 

The 1960's modern kitchen may have looked like the photo below, with the stove top retracting back.  That would have been a plus if you didn't want to clean the burners after using.  Just shove it back in, and "Voila" clean kitchen!