Bob and I headed to Colorado early to spend time visiting family and friends and to help finish the last minute preparations for the Prowlin’ the Rockies event. I always love coming back to Colorado......for me it is like returning home. As far as I’m concerned, there was no more beautiful place than here to hold a Prowler event. The blue skies, the mountains and the outstanding scenery was just an added bonus to be able to drive the Prowler on those great mountain roads!!!
Thursday was the kick-off, registration/arrival day for the Prowler owners. The host hotel was in Westminster, CO and was the perfect starting point for all of our activities. There was a reception in the evening, which gave everyone the opportunity to greet old friends and meet new ones.
Friday, was my day to play hostess. We started in Westminster and cruised up I-70 to Buffalo Herd Overlook. There, we re-grouped to make sure everyone was together before cruising up the canyon on our way to Grand Lake, CO for a picnic lunch. On the way up, we stop at the top of Berthoud Pass for a restroom break and pictures. Back on the road, we cruised up the back side of Rocky Mountain National Park. The scenery was spectacular and the weather couldn’t have been better.
We stopped in Grand Lake, CO. Some friends of mine, Brian and Deann Buchanen had arranged a picnic lunch in the town park pavilion. The lunch was great and no one walked away hungry. Had time to gas up and do a little shopping in town. From there, we continued up the canyon to the top of Trail Ridge Road. We stopped at the summit for shopping, hiking and picture taking! The view is most spectacular, especially with all those Prowlers in the pictures!! As usual, we caused a stir everywhere we went. Time to cruise down Trail Ridge Road into Rocky Mountain National Park. Several people were a little nervous driving their cats on the road, especially where there were no guard rails. The views are outstanding and everyone made it down safely. We cruised through the park to the town of Estes Park. After doing a parade lap through the middle of town, we parked in town and I turned everyone loose to shop, sightsee and find dinner. Everyone had maps and instructions to meet at the mountain home of our friends Dwayne and Carol Herman (parents of Brian and Deann) for a pie and ice cream dessert party. Dwayne and Carol were most gracious opening up their home to the Prowler owners and I think everyone enjoyed not only the dessert, but touring the Herman ranch and taking pictures of all those cats in the driveway! Afterwards, the majority of the group headed down the South St. Vrain canyon to head back to the hotel. Several people cruised with Bob and me down the Peak-to-Peak highway back to the hotel. It’s a great twisty-turning road............great for driving Prowlers and the scenery was great as always.
Saturday was hosted by Marc Scarbeary. We began the day by cruising to Mt. Evans, which is the highest road in America. You can see for miles and miles at the summit. There were mountain goats to greet us and beautiful scenery as far as the eye could see! From there, we cruised back down the mountain and headed for Golden Colorado for an annual car show. They had designated a parking lot for all of us and we enjoyed wandering the car show. After the show, people got together for dinner in town before heading back to the hotel.
Sunday was hosted by Laddie Roussel. There were four different cruise routes planned. At registration, everyone selected the route they wanted to take. Marc led a group to the Royal Gorge. Laddie led a group to Colorado Springs to take the cog railway to the top of Pike’s Peak. Don Rosenbach led a group to Leadville to visit the casinos and some gambling! I led a group up to Fairplay, CO for some cruising and sightseeing. All cruises were to meet in Colorado Springs for a chuckwagon dinner and show at the Flying W Ranch. Unfortunately, this event was held during the time that several very large forest fires were raging through Colorado. It was sad to see so much of the beauty of the state being blackened by the fires. It was also heartbreaking to think of all the homes that were lost, not counting all the wildlife that perished. The largest fire, in the Lake George area, sent a huge black cloud over the whole Denver valley. It was very ominous and a very painful reminder of the fragility of the environment surrounding us.
Monday morning a group of owners got together for breakfast at the hotel to reminisce about the fun we’d just had, the new friendships we made, the “old” friends we got to see again and to say our “goodbyes” until the next Prowler rally. We are truly lucky to be able to share a common passion for this wonderful car called Prowler. It has brought us all together, but the people and the good times are what keep us together. I hope you enjoyed the pictures and if you couldn’t make this trip, be sure to make the next one.................wherever it might be! See you next time!!! |