Castle Rock, Colorado

Castle Rock is a small but rapidly growing town in Central Colorado, 28 miles south of Denver and 40 miles north of Colorado Springs. Named for a prominent natural landmark around which the town is built, Castle Rock is the seat of Douglas County and in the heart of the Crowfoot Valley along I-25. Historic downtown Castle Rock, incorporated in 1881, sits at an elevation of 6,202 feet. The high plains stretch to the east of town and the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains rise dramatically to the west.

One of the things we liked best about Castle Rock is that it retains a lot of small town quaintness and charm, although it is rapidly becoming a bedroom community for people who work in Denver. The town has grown from a population of 3,900 in 1980 to more than 30,000 in 2004, and the current growth rate is 2,500 new residents per year - or 50 new people a week. It's ironic, but folks come here looking for peace and quite but so many of them come that in the process they destroy the very thing they are seeking. We saw new subdivisions and apartment complexes under construction everywhere - literally dozens of them. Our son, Christopher, lives in one of these new apartments on the north side of Castle Rock. It's much better than where he used to live in Denver, but we don't know for how long.

Smith's Corner Produce, Rocky Ford, Colorado

Some of the sweetest and juciest melons that are available (in season) throughout much of the United States go by the name of Rocky Ford. I did not know that they come from the desert southeastern corner of Colorado until I passed through here on US Hwy. 50 in mid-August. I stopped and put a couple of ripe canteloupe in my ice chest, and they were still in good shape when I got home to Ohio and presented them to Karen three days later. If you happen to be in Rocky Ford in late summer, it would seem a shame not to stop and taste the melons.

Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado

Rocky Mountain National Park in north-central Colorado is a land of snow-mantled peaks overlooking verdant subalpine valleys and glistening lakes. One third of the park is tundra above the tree line and more than one quarter of the plants found here are native to the Arctic.

Rocky Mountain National Park is also famous for its dazzling display of summer wildflowers and abundant wildlife which includes: Bighorn Sheep, Elk, Whitetail and Mule Deer, Black Bear, Mountain Lion and much more. Auto-touring, hiking, cross-country skiing, camping, fishing, horse-back riding, picnicking and snowshoeing are among the activities that are popular with the more than 3 million visitors who come here annually.

The Park is open year round with the busiest season being in July and August and the least crowded in January and February. There is an entrance fee of $10.00 per private vehicle, or season passes are also available.

My first visit to Rocky Mountain National Park was with a group of college students when I was 19. That was in 1964. I have been back several times since and have always found it fascinating.

Water Towers in Cheyenne Wells, Colorado

Cheyenne Wells is a small town which began in the late 1800s as a stagecoach stop along the Smoky Hills Trail on the high dry plains of eastern Colorado. It is located at the junction of U.S. Highways 40 and 385, a few miles west of the Colorado/Kansas state line. I stopped here in route back to Cincinnati from Denver in November, 2006.

The population of Cheyenne Wells is approximately 1,000. It is the county seat of Cheyenne County, named for the Cheyenne Indians who once inhabited this area. A little more than 2,200 people live in the entire county, which consists mostly of wide open plains and sprawling ranches.

Cheyenne Wells is said to have a healthy climate, and an abundant supply of good water. If you've got the big city blues, you can lose them here.