Quick Little Getaway

We made a quick little getaway to the high country to escape the heat this week. First to Staunton Ranch where I have gone hiking often. But this time we got a 90 minute tour of the inside of the Staunton’s cabin which I had never seen before. The photos are all Anne’s. I was too busy schmoozing with the historical society volunteers. Those people have a wealth of knowledge.

At the start of the 20th century, the Dr’s Staunton (Archie and Rachael) came to CO from WV to treat TB patients at their offices in downtown Denver (during the winter) and at their Lazy V Ranch (during the summer). Their daughter Frances became an opera singer, never married, and donated the ranch to the State of Colorado before her death in 1989. It finally became a State Park in 2013 after much legal wrangling. The main cabin got a new roof and extensive renovations just last year. An article with even more dates and deets is here.

 

 

I really love Anne’s attention to detail, whether it be the John Deere green of the restored 1920’s-vintage mule-drawn wagon at the Lazy V Ranch, the interesting do-dads on the cabin’s pot-bellied stove, or jars of canned goods and preserves in the kitchen.

 

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Then on we went to the hot springs at Mt. Princeton. Again, this was a repeat engagement for both of us, but we found a couple of new restaraunts in Buena Vista we liked a lot: Eddyline Brewery & Taproom, and Crave BV, a pizza place.

 

 

I could post pix of us lounging by the pool, but where’s the fun in that? This one is the standard Mt. Princeton backdrop taken from the Cliffside rooms where we stayed. Unfortunately the neighbor who took this shot was not much of a  photographer, so he cut off our feet. End result? I had to crop it down. Ah well.

Next time we make a quick little getaway to 8250′ above sea level, please remind me to do a better job sunscreening my belly and back before getting in the pool. The air may be cooler up there, but the UV exposure increases by up to 10% for every 1000′ of elevation gain. You can do that math as well as I can.