The Never Summer Mountains
Holzwarth Historic Site
The Fleshut Cabin, built by the first person to homestead in the Colorado River Valley.
The Holzwarth family operated a fishing camp/dude ranch in the area from 1918 into the 1970’s.
Golden-mantled Ground Squirrel
The headwaters of the Colorado River run out of the Never Summer Mountains and through the Kawuneeche Valley.
We drove west across the park on Trail Ridge Road, stopping at most of the pull-offs and overlooks along the way. This is the view from Rainbow Curve.
The Forest Canyon Overlook. At lower elevations, the day had been extraordinary. Up above timberline, it was tremendously windy.
The view from the Alpine Visitor Center. Perhaps 20 Elk were relaxing in the cirque below the overlook.
We browsed in the gift shop for a bit, but the prices were as ridiculous as any I think I’ve seen anywhere. I did spot a family of four Yellow-bellied Marmots right outside the window.
Another clump of cars right below timberline alerted us to another herd of Elk in the woods.
I’m still trying to get used to the fact that RMNP is only two-and-a-half hours from home. We were told mid-September is the best time to go to see Elk and fall colors. It has the added advantage of being after the summer tourist season. But not, it turns out, after the fall tourist season. The park was pretty crowded most places we went.
We arrived around 9:00 am and spent eight hours or so on what will be our first of many visits. We weren’t far into the park when we saw a lot of people pulled over to look at a small herd of Elk. The animals weren’t doing much, just lying down or grazing.
We headed toward Bear Lake to take a hike, but long before we got there, we saw a sign informing us that the parking lot was full. We were instructed to park at “Park & Ride” and catch the shuttle. We didn’t have to wait long for the bus, but we were among the last to squeeze aboard. We stood for most of the three-mile ride to the lake. It’s a beautiful spot, even with the crowds. We joined the line of people walking the easy trail around the shore.
As you can see, some of the aspen groves were in color, but many of them weren’t. We were pleasantly surprised to see that they turn colors other than yellow.
A lone Ring-necked Duck drifted in the lake, and a Clark’s Nutcracker flew across an open space on a ridge above the trail.
When we got back to the shuttle stop, the bus was empty. The only other riders were a pleasant couple from Minnesota who sat right next to us and chatted with us on the much-more-relaxing ride back to our car.
After touring the McAllister House, we drove to Old Colorado City. There was a farmers market going on in the square across the street from Front Range Barbeque, and we expected the place to be packed. The parking areas were, but when I finally found a spot two blocks away and we walked through the market to the restaurant, it was mostly empty and we had no wait at all.
My wife ordered brisket and I ordered ribs. The sides — potato salad, cornbread muffins, onion rings, and baked beans — were all tasty. I was disappointed with the “original” BBQ sauce and, therefore, with the restaurant. After all, it had been on Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives and this watery, vinegary stuff was the best they could do? Then I tried the “sweet and tangy.” It wasn’t the best sauce I’ve ever had, but it was much better.
We both stopped halfway though our meat so we could split a piece of key lime pie. And it was simply amazing, one of the best pieces of key lime I’ve ever had. I’m pretty sure Front Range won’t be our go-to place for BBQ, but I’m guessing we’ll be back for the pie.
We decided to take a break and see something local.
The McAllister House was built in 1873, at a time when all the houses in Colorado Springs were thrown-together shacks. Henry McAllister was a Quaker from Pennsylvania who worked in the iron and steel industry. During the Civil War, he served in a cavalry scouting unit under General William Jackson Palmer, the founder and promoter of Colorado Springs. Palmer asked him to come out here with his wife Elizabeth and son to help with the organizing and promoting of the resort city. The couple had two daughters and remained active in city politics until Henry’s death in 1921.
For the next 30 years, the house was rented to a woman who used it as a candy shop. When she died in 1958, the house was in danger of being torn down for a parking lot when the National Society of the Colonial Dames of America bought it and turned it into a museum.
There was another couple on our tour. Our very pregnant guide was well-informed and pleasant.
The bench on the left surrounds the stump of an apple tree. It was the final survivor from Henry’s orchard until it was destroyed during a wind storm in January of this year.
Even though the McAllisters were part of the social in-crowd, their Quaker beliefs led them to live a simple life in a small home. Henry had an office in the house, where he received visitors.
The fireplace is designed to look like an arch with a keystone in honor of Pennsylvania, the “Keystone State” where Henry was from.
There were several pieces of original furniture in the house. The McAllister’s youngest daughter was still alive when the museum was established, and she visited several times.
Two views of the living room.
The master bedroom. There was a servant’s apartment upstairs where a live-in maid lived. It has since been turned into a bathroom.
The dining room.
We’ve toured dozens of old houses, and they all tend to blend together. But this one had some unique features, carved doorways, ornamental framing around an outside window that formed a bench, the keystone fireplaces. We decided it was well worth the visit.
