I'm taking a bunch of gunsmithing courses this summer at Trinidad State, so I'm going to be a temporary Colorado resident from Memorial Day through the end of July.

Anything particularly worth knowing about the area?  I've never been to CO at all, so it's all a new experience.  What's in that general vicinity for stuff to see and do?  I enjoy hiking/camping/fishing and all that kind of stuff, which I've been told there's no shortage of in your fine state

Who let you in here?

I would suggest getting your fishing/small game combo license and coming up north to go fishing and prairie dog hunting with me.

I'd certainly be up for doing that.  What's a non-res combo license run?

Huh...apparently there isn't a combo offered to non residents.

Small game 1 day is $11. Small game additional day is $5. Small game annual is $56.

Fishing 1 day is $9. Fishing 5 day is $21. Fishing annual is $56.

In the area, drive the Highway of Legends, the scenic byway from Trinidad west to Stonewall, then north to La Veta, east to Walsenburg, and back to Trinidad.  The Spanish Peaks and the Devil's Dikes are cool.  You can stop at the top of the pass between Stonewall and La Veta, where the old Cuchara ski area is (Cordova Pass?), get out and hike up to the top of the Spanish Peaks if you like.

If you're in Trinidad, you really should drive over Raton Pass to Raton, NM, and visit the NRA Whittington Center southwest of town.  It's a mecca for shooters.  From there you can continue SW to the Enchanted Circle, looping around Wheeler Peak, highest point in New Mexico.  Taos is on the circle.  Check out the Rio Grande gorge just outside town.  Eat some kickass Mexican food.

I once drove NE out of Raton, going over Johnson Mesa, dropping back down at Folsom. There's a neat little stone church out in the middle of nowhere atop the mesa.  At Folsom there is or was a little museum there that's kinda cool.  From Folsom you can go north through a little canyon and pass, coming back into Colorado at Branson, which has an interesting little jail by the side of the road.   That road used to be a spur or cutoff of the Santa Fe Trail, some enterprising guys built a corduroy road through the pass and charged to pass through.  From there you can loop back to Trinidad via back roads, making a circle around the whole Raton mesa complex.  There's some very pretty country down there.

From Trinidad you can drive NE to La Junta, to visit Bent's Old Fort outside town.  It's a recreation of the trader's fort built by the Bents in the early 1800s, to trade with the local Indians.  It's a cool place.  That road was another spur of the Santa Fe Trail.

There are dinosaur tracks you can visit out east of Trinidad, I leave it to you to find out more.

1) What weeks are you there?
2) Will you be there on Saturday, July 25?  There will be a field trip to Glorietta.  You don't want to miss out on this trip (the GunClub should pay for the gas).
3) Bring your gonnes.  The range is free to students (Prator Range is about six miles out of town).  You can go on Sat-Sun when you're not in class.
4) If you don't have to sign up for the school's meal program, DON'T.  

Sights to See

1) Bent's Fort in La Junta.  It's a little over a mile away and was a major trading post (not a military fort) on the Santa Fe Trail.  Many famous people passed through it.  If you have your National Park pass, bring it.
2) Whittington Center in Raton, NM.  1,000 yard range, museum and store.  Museum is free, range is per car (so pack people in).
3) St. James Hotel in Cimarron, NM.  Many famous cowboys ate/slept there.  BTW, the chef who started it didn't cook for either Grant or Lincoln (I checked with some Civil War buddies).  I didn't tell the folks at the St. James though.  Good for steak dinner (I don't care for their lunches).
4) Lake Trinidad - camping & fishing
5) Walsenburg Mining Museum.  Original jail in the adjacent Heurfano County.  Take exit 50 and turn left.  Right past the courthouse is the mining museum and "escape proof" jail.  Within the first month of it opening, there was an escape.  BTW, they have a trip hammer there and didn't know what it was.
6) Francisco's Fort in La Veta.  Old trading post.  They have some guns there (Win 1885, Win 1894 (both over 100 years old), some imported double barrel shotguns and a southern made iron mounted rifle.  If you go over the Mountain Pass from Trinidad to La Veta, you might as well go there.  It's right next door to their library.
7) Fort Union.  The major supply depot for the SW.  It was Sibley's goal in his campaign to capture New Mexico (and perhaps Colorado) for the Confederacy.  If you don't know who Sibley is, re-watch The Good, The Bad and The Ugly.  Henry Hopkins Sibley was the Confederate commander of that ill fated expedition.  Go straight down I-25 for about two hours.  Bring your own lunch.
8)  School Library.  Do not forget to check out the TSJC school library.  They have a wonderful collection of gun books.

Places to eat:

1) Nana and Nano's on Main Street. Go East and it'll be on the right.  It's about one block past the Post Office.
2) Haberno's.  It's two blocks down from the school.  Good for lunch.
3) Wonderful House.  Chinese food (about 3 blocks from school)
4) Davidson's.  On Main Street.  Go East.
5) What a Grind (coffee and lunch) on Commercial.  (about 5 blocks from school)

BTW, I'm enrolled in Bill Laughridge's (Cylinder & Slide) 1911 class.

I'm taking stuff for the entire duration, so I'll be there from 24MAY-25JUL.  What's the trip all about?

Noted about the meal program.  That bad?

Private museum.  If we have time, we may also tour the battlefield (Glorietta).

Oh hell, we'd best keep an eye on this infiltrator and situation!  

sju, I definitely plan to find a time/place many of us can meet/greet and shoot some stuff/shoot some BS.  I suspect you'll need to flunk/extend your classes so you can stay until at least OCT and truly enjoy.

Can't help w/ the pot scene but we have some great beer/distilleries in PR-KO too;  err, in spite of the rumors some of us might actually have fun shooting stuff too.  

B2


Seriously, IM w/ any questions as you get closer and you already have plenty of "friends' in place.  I'd be happy to send you some of my books, maps, whatever if you want to do some scouting/planning...

The list of "stuff" is nearly endless depending on your desires and time available.  The area you'll be relatively near is mind-blowing but spend some time digging around some of the threads already posted here.  Oh yeah, 18-40 miles in the Rockies doesn't mean you're "near" or a quick trip to anything depending on what direction you're headed!

Depending on your return drive/exit schedule, the craziest challenge on the NHRA Calendar is the 36th Mile High Nationals @ Bandimere 24-26 Jul:  http://www.nhra.com/events/event/mopar-mile-high-nhra-nationals-2015/  

Nah, no pot for me, but definitely always game for some local booze

Love to get together with a bunch of you guys.  Other than 4th of July with my girlfriend's family in Estes Park, my weekends are wide open  And I'll probably be bored

There are mary jane shops springing up all over the area.  The one gonne store on Main Street (C&S Outdoor) has a mary jane store around the corner from them.  The owner of the mary jane store is from New York and like many easterners, is bringing his big city ideas with him.  He wants to make the place more like NYC.  Fuggit!  Anyway, the locals are very reluctant to have change and anything that can increase the taxes they vote against (good!).  The old Toyota dealership (now moved down to Main) by Exit 11 (Wally World exit) is now a mary jane store and the vacant lot across from the old town diner (main street) is setting up to be a grow joint).  The trouble is that there is an influx of dopers and homeless.  Correspondingly crime especially burglaries have increased.

The food is notoriously bad at the school cafeteria. The only times I've ate there is during those graduation dinners on Thursday nights.  When they used to host school BBQs (water soaked hamburgers), I'd go to get my share and then toss it in the woods for the critters.  My classmate got sick eating there once.  If they can't feed you something on one day, they'll reheat it for the next.  This is why I listed some of the eateries that I frequent.  

BTW, all you can eat wings is on Tuesday at Fabilis Wings on Main Street.  Oil is old though.  On Wednesday they have $5.50 pizza (small pizza, one topping).  If you can get another student to order with you (two pizzas total), delivery is free.  Order at 11 a.m. so as to have delivery around noon.  We used to do that all the time.  Best pizzeria in town is Bella Luna (Beautiful moon).  Oak fired oven.  They're a couple of blocks down from C&S and is right after the bird cage (canary sculpture in cage, representing the canaries in the coal mines).

Awww shit, there goes the neighborhood.

I'm gunning for the whole eastern half of the state, actually

There's a internment center east of La Junta, Manzanar, where thousands of Americans of Japanese descent were imprisoned during WW II.  It's now managed by the National Park Site.  There's also Camp Trinidad, where a lot of soldiers from the Afrika Korps were imprisoned.  If you go to Trinidad's City Hall (next to Safeway), you'll see an Afrika Korps pennant (except an iron cross replaces the swastika).  Up north is Beechers' Island and the Sand Creek Massacre Site.  Both fights involved the cavalry against the N-D-Ns.  The Sand Creek Massacre shocked the nation and upset Pres. Lincoln. Sand Creek was the massacre of peaceful N-D-Ns by the First Colorado Cavalry. Its colonel, John Chivington, resigned after that and every time he ran for political office, all his opponent had to do was to mention Sand Creek and Chivington's bid for officer was over.

Isn't Manzanar in California?

Good luck w/ E-Park and that 4 JUL touron-fest -- PLEASE don't judge us by that CHARLIE FOXTROT as we have enough perception problems!  

On standby SJU...  Bring rain gear, sun screen, a flannel and drink LOTS of H2O!

VR,
B2

For all "others"/tourons 4 Jul in Estes Park is 'normal' so best to just avoid and please don't stay -- Especially if you  come from kali/ny/elsewhere and want to move here to "improve" CO...

Eh, her folks have a cabin up around there.  I plan on actively avoiding anywhere other than that where I might see people

PERFECT PLAN and enjoy! -- Heck, Marry her and enjoy forever and leave us jealous.  

'Nuff spam but you'll be amazed if you make time to just "get out" and enjoy part of God's country avoiding the tourons... CO is a BIG place!  In spite of all the late-breaking BS, Colorful Colorado is still quite awesome in so many places vs. those bitchin' w/ little knowledge.

Opps.  Granada.  There's a marker.

BTW, cheapest place in town for reverse osmosis water is The Water Source.  Go uphill from the school towards the town dump. Take the left turn to the dump and you'll see a sign for recycling.  Take that right and then the first left. You'll see a small structure with a vending machine.  25 cents a gallon.

Yeah! Sounds like a road trip is in order.

I am sorry to just miss you, but we are pulling up stakes on June 2nd on the western slope. I needed to make it to the more Kansas side of Colorado, but I just don't have time. Tons of great folks on the "otherside" to hangout with.

If you ever make it down or thought Chattanooga, TN be sure IM me. And have fun at school.

Like I said, my weekends other than 4th of July are wide open until y'all manage to fill them up

Ill be moving a warehouse that weekend anyway.

 

Sorry to hear that -- I get down around that part of the country semi-regularly, and I'll be sure to drop you a line next time I'm there.  Thanks

Well, made it down here.  Glad I don't have to be driving any more for a few days

You're here already?

You didn't attend the geocaching contest on (5/23) Saturday, did you?  I was at the range.

No sir -- got here Sunday evening.

Going to town tomorrow (Sunday).  Have to pick up stuff and go to the range for muzzle loading Sunday. Interested?

Fired over thirty rounds from my ML pistol (Lyman Great Plains). Even managed to hit some clay pigeons at 25 yards (didn't even wear my reading glasses).  A couple of guys who took Ryan's 1911 accurizing class came out and they all had smooth triggers.  Their guns shot well too.  One fellow let me try his Tavor.  Interesting design but he had a scope and the eye relief is completely off from what I'm used too (of course, it's his rifle, not mine).  Still after a while I managed to nail a clay pigeon at 50 yards (which isn't bad if you can't really see the scope).

Going out again next Sunday.

Don't believe I've got anything going on this coming weekend (I was up visiting my girlfriend's family this weekend), so if you're out and about again, I'd certainly love to tag along.

You need a ride on Sunday?  I have to go to town to buy water.

I might.

On a related note, any recommendation on places to get a tire repaired or replaced?

It's $10 to get a tire patched at Navajo Garage in Aguilar (Exit 30).  You may want to call J&M Tire to see what they charge for patches.

I bought my tires at Costco (summer) or Discount Tire (studded snow),  There's a Discount Tire at Pueblo or you can order on-line and have it delivered to school (like I did).

Got to the range at 9 a.m. We had visitors at the range and I allowed them to shoot my smoke pole and afterward taught one how to load. Managed to hit a clay pigeon at 25 yards (easy hit) and then shifted to 50 where I got a vertical string. Then I ran out of balls. It started to rain and I left a little after noontime.  Cleaning took about one hour with hot, soapy water.

Sounds like a pretty good day.  Got the tire taken care of on Friday and ended up getting an Arfcom invite up to around Fort Collins.  Planning on being around here next weekend, might head down to the Whittington Center.

Good meeting you.

You too, and thanks for the book!  Hopefully we can get together sometime before I leave, love to sit down and talk some of that stuff with you.

Thanks for this suggestion.   Took that route back from Capulin Mountain -- great drive.

Check you PM

Will take a break from Whittington to take a class at TSJC July 1-2.

Life has been crazy/late to post... I got to meet sjuhockey10 briefly last weekend.  Heck of a good guy and I encourage anybody else to take the opportunity if you have it.  Enjoyed our brief visit SJU:  

No range time this visit but I expect he'll be back.  He has met/knows many more ARFCOMMERs than I do!

B2

We did ascend/descend Pikes Peak prior to The Hill Climb, and NATURALLY, I/we did it via motorized vehicle vs. on foot. Hmm, we might also sampled some of the local brews available and they didn't suck on a near perfect evening.  

Are you talking about Ryan Newport?
ETA: Pretty sure you are. He's a good guy. :)

Yep.  Ryan's a great guy, I've tremendously enjoyed the exchange of shit-giving he and I have had the last couple weeks  Oh, I even learned some things from him too...

Yep.  He knows a lot of stuff.  Took him for shotgun during the regular semester (and benchmetal and conversion of military actions).

Back from Adventure Camp and recovering from it.

Zach, met with Donna on Thursday and I put you down for the field trip next week.  If you have to be out of the dorm, then move your stuff to your car and park it on campus.

Well folks, I'm just about all done with my time here for the summer.  Be back home in Minnesota by the end of the weekend.

While Trinidad certainly isn't a place I'd plan a future vacation, I had a great time here at school and have learned more than I imagined possible in nine weeks.

I owe a huge debt of gratitude to many people I've spent time with while I've been here, particularly FaucetFace, babirl, and Taipan (if he ever shows up on here again!).  Thanks for showing me around the state and keeping me occupied on the weekends.

Special thanks to 4v50, whose advice regarding the area was absolutely invaluable and whose company I've greatly enjoyed.

I look forward to spending more time in Colorado in the future, and hopefully finding time to meet up with more of y'all!

You missed out earlier tonight:  http://www.nhra.com/story/2015/7/24/2015-dc-fri-photos/

No BULL and BEST WISHES my new lifer friend... Very sad we only had a brief time together; hope you enjoyed.

B2

Yeah, my schedules aren't often conducive to fun-times... Please stay in touch.  I still suck at meeting other CO/PR-KO folks...