Summertime in Colorado, 2025

Howdy, I’m Tony. I am a member of the Croswell escort team. I have been working with Croswell since 2017…and loving every moment of it. I have been to many places with Croswell, including Atlanta, the Canadian Rockies, Newport, Rhode Island, and the Badlands. Each trip is always a lot of fun and full of interesting and exciting places to visit. This trip took me out west to Colorado. The views of snow-capped mountains, gorgeous rock formations, and even thousand-foot-deep gorges were enough to leave me speechless (and that’s sayin’ somethin’). But we had to get there first. Our first day was a travel day. We made it all the way to the capital of Missouri, Columbia. It was a great day for travel, and we powered through the miles.

Our second day took us closer to the Rocky Mountains. We left Columbia and headed toward Salina, Kansas. On the way to the hotel, we stopped by the Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum. This was a cool stop along the way to explore history and legacy of one of the United States’ Presidents. On another trip I took through this part of the country, I discovered the Russel Stover Candy Company located right off the highway, so we made an unscheduled stop at their candy shop since we had the extra time. Everyone enjoyed the little candy stop. Then off to dinner at Martinelli’s Italian Restaurant in Salina, Kansas. With only a short ride to the hotel, we were all ready for a good night’s sleep.

The third day took us into Colorado. We looked forward with anticipation to our visit to the Rocky Mountain State! Once we all got to the hotel, we were ready for a good night’s sleep, excited for our adventure tomorrow!

The fourth day of our trip was our first full day in Colorado. From our hotel in Colorado Springs to our first attraction for the day was just about forty-five minutes. Our first stop was at the Pike’s Peak Cog Railway. We took the train up to the peak of the mountain, Pike’s Peak. The views of the mountains, valleys, and wildlife were amazing. There were mountain goats and marmosets watching us go by, just as we were watching them. Once we got to the top, we had about an hour to explore the peak. There was a visitors’ center and places to take in the beauty of other snow-capped mountains and tree-filled valleys from the altitude of 14,115 feet above sea level. Inside the visitors’ center you can find a little café. This café sells donuts that you just must try when you get there! Cinnamon and sugar or just plain…both are delicious, but you must eat them while you are on the peak. They lose flavor as you bring them down the mountain. It has to do with air pressure.

We all gathered and made our way to lunch in Manitou Springs, a quaint little mining town with delicious restaurants and various shops. Then we were on the way to our next awesome thing – the Garden of the Gods. The step-on guide for our visit to the park was great. She explained the rock formations we were looking at. Some of the formations looked like red blades of rock sticking out of the ground and reaching for the sky. Others were gigantic rocks balancing on what seemed to be an impossibly small rock base. The winding road we took allowed us to view the natural wonders from many angles, each view as beautiful as the last. The contrast of the towering, red walls of stone with the lush green trees surrounding them had to be the inspiration for the name Garden of the Gods.

Our next stop was Royal Gorge. As we rolled up to the Royal Gorge entrance, we could see just beyond the fence a place where it looked like the Earth just disappeared. Once inside, we could see that the Earth did indeed disappear. There was a 1,250-foot-deep gorge that cut through the mountainous landscape. Draped across the gorge were two cables. These cables were used to send two passenger-carrying gondolas across the gorge and back. This is certainly not something for those afraid of heights. Take this point from someone who is afraid of heights. You may not want to look down. In addition to the two gondolas, there was also a bridge that crossed the gorge. It was decorated with flags from each of the fifty states. The views of the gorge from both the bridge and the gondolas were truly stunning.

After a climb to a mountain peak, a trip through unique rock formations, and crossing an amazing cut through the mountains, we headed back to the hotel to recharge for the next day.

Our fifth day started off with a short ride to the state capital, Denver. We met up with the step-on guide and he took us around the mile-high city. We saw the governor’s mansion, Unsinkable Molly Brown’s house, and we got some great views of the Denver Skyline. After our tour, we headed to Golden, Colorado for lunch and a tour of the Coors Beer Brewery. For lunch, the coach driver and I found a little burger joint close to where we parked the bus. The place was called Bob’s Atomic Burger, and it was the best burger I’ve had in a long while. After a fantastic lunch, we gathered everyone together and made the quick ride to the Coors Brewery. Everyone went through the brewery, getting a glimpse of how a few ingredients are made into a canned final product. Then, there was the opportunity to taste what was provided on tap. Talk about fresh!

As the folks finished with the tour, we all got together on the motor coach and headed off to dinner. Tonight, we went to Wrigley’s Chicago Bar and Grill. We had a taco bar for dinner. It was very tasty and a fine finish to a busy day. We then headed to our hotel in Denver.

We were on the road for an awesome day eight. We started off by heading to Georgetown, Colorado for Georgetown Loop Railroad. This is a steam engine train that travels along a route over 150 years old, taking miners and prospectors up the mountain. The train went from Georgetown to Silver Plume and back again, passing waterfalls, lush forests, and steep mountain sides. The fresh mountain air, the clickity-clack of the train riding the rails, and the roar of a river rushing down the mountain was a one-of-a-kind way to start the day.

The train pulled into Georgetown Station from the return trip, and we climbed off the train and found the nearby motor coach. We made the short drive to the center of Georgetown for time to have lunch and stroll through the quaint Victorian village. Today was a short day and we got back to the hotel early. This gave us time to relax before beginning our long trip east.

Our seventh day was power drive day. We pulled up tent stakes and headed toward Lincoln, Nebraska. We had dinner when we got to Lincoln in a trendy area that had a wide variety of restaurants and even gift shops, all on a few blocks stretch of 8th Street and Q Street. From there, our hotel was just a hop, skip, and a jump away.

Happy Father’s Day! Our eighth day of the trip was Father's Day. We had a nice stop in Amana, Iowa. The little village there was a German, religious group that came to the United States three hundred years ago and settled in Iowa. The closest thing I can compare it to would be an Amish settlement. After touring their village, we had dinner at their restaurant, the Ox Yoke Inn. And let me tell you what…that fried chicken was one of the best, if not THE best, I’ve ever had. It was good enough that your tongue would slap your face to get another bite.

On our way to the hotel, I found a spot that I just had to share with the passengers. On I-80 in eastern Iowa is the “World’s Largest Truck Stop.” Yeah, it is gimmicky, but it is a cool place to stop. You can get all kinds of things you never knew you needed. You know, like flip-flops that have astroturf on the top so you can always walk in grass. This was another unscheduled stop, but we had the time, and it was on the way.

Our last day took us from the Quad Cities (Moline, Illinois) to our homes. Little to say other than we made a lunch stop at Portillo’s in Champaigne, Illinois. This is a chain found around Chicago, Indianapolis, and cities in that part of the country. They have Chicago style hot dogs which are fantastic. They also have burgers, chicken, fish, and salads. All of it was delicious as reported by the whole group of travelers.

Overall, this was yet another excellent trip. The views of the mountains, climbing to the top of Pike’s Peak, and exploring so many quaint towns really made this trip the amazing experience that it was. All the folks that made the trip were a fantastic group of people with which to travel. I hope to see them again on a future trip.

From the Escort Seat of,
Tony Gettler

Mountains, Gorges, and Mile High City