Kim McMahill

“What is adventure? If a lone wolf lifts his plaintive call into the moonlight near your campsite, you might call that adventure. While you’re sweating like a horse on a climb over a 12,000 foot pass, that could be adventure. When howling head winds press your lips against your teeth, you face a mighty struggle. When your pack grows heavy on your shoulders as your climb a 14,000 foot peak, you feel the adventure. When you suffer freezing temperatures and 20 inches of fresh powder on a hut to hut trip in the Rockies, that could be called adventure. But that’s not what makes an adventure. It’s your willingness to conquer it, and to present yourself at the doorstep of nature. That creates the experience. No more greater joy can come from life than to live inside a moment of adventure. It is the uncommon wilderness experience that gives your life expectation.” - Frosty Wooldridge, Golden, Colorado. 

I may not be up for climbing any famous 14ers, but thankfully in Colorado some can be accessed by road. Pikes Peak was amazing and the views stunning, but Mt. Evans totally blew me away. Not only is Mt. Evans a fraction taller, but it’s a little more open so you can really enjoy the scenery. But, the highlight of the trip was seeing all the Mountain Goats around 14,000 feet elevation. I especially loved catching a glimpse of all the young lambs. Nothing is cuter than a baby animal.

I finally made it to Pikes Peak just outside of Colorado Springs, Colorado. Despite some smoke from the fires burning in the state, the views were spectacular. I’m pleased to report that 14,115 feet in elevation didn’t seem to affect me much. It was truly a beautiful day!

For the second year in a row I’ve had the opportunity to attend the Colorado Indian Market and Southwest Showcase in Denver, Colorado. There were, by my estimate, over 350 exhibitors featuring an amazing variety of high-quality crafts and artwork. The paintings, leather work, pottery, stained-glass, and metal works, to name a few, were beautiful and unique, but what caught my attention this years was a beaded nativity set. I sadly didn’t add it to my nativity collection of over six sets from around the world. I have no doubt the number of hours invested in this magnificent work of art made it worth every penny of the asking price, but unfortunately it was a little out of my comfort zone. As much as we enjoy the art, though, the real reason I plan to return again next year is the stage entertainment. There were singers and dancers from a number of different tribes, including several Native American Music Award winners. Just the opportunity to see Brulé is worth the price of admiss...

Most weekends we feel lucky to have a day to get outside and explore, so we look for unique experiences doable in a day. Recently we drove 45 miles west of Denver on 1-70 to Georgetown, Colorado. We wandered the streets of this quaint town, which along with nearby Silver Plume, boasts one of the largest concentrations of Victorian homes in the United States. Georgetown began as a mining camp in 1859 because of the abundant gold and silver in the surrounding mountains. Now people are drawn to the area for its historic significance, picturesque towns, and its idyllic location in the Rocky Mountains. A few miles outside of Georgetown in Silver Plume (elevation 9,178 feet) we boarded the Georgetown Loop train and visited the Lebanon Mine, both are part of the Georgetown Loop Historic Mining & Railroad Park. The weather was spectacular, we learned a lot about local mining from the 1870’s through the 1920’s during our guided tour 1,000 feet deep into the Lebanon Mine, and the scene...

Whether you are a classic car enthusiast or a fan of Clive Cussler’s Dirk Pitt novels, I highly recommend a visit to the Cussler Museum located in Arvada, Colorado. The museum showcases approximately 70 of the 100 cars in its collection, and the cars rotate annually, so if you keep coming back you’ll eventually see them all. Cars which have appeared in Dirk Pitt novels are identified by a copy of the novel and a brief note in the car’s description placard. Even though I don’t know a lot about old cars, there was no mistaking the quality of this amazing collection. For more information visit www.cusslermuseum.com .

Royal Gorge Bridge in Colorado is one of the highest suspension bridges in the world at about 956 feet above the wild Arkansas River. It was built in 1929, and held the title of highest bridge in the world until 2001 when it was surpassed by the Liuguanghe Bridge   in China. The bridge spans 880 feet between the towers and  has a total length of 1,260 feet. Its construction is a steel base structure covered with 1292 wooden planks. Although the park is basically an amusement park with a tram and a zip-line crossing the Royal Gorge, and other entertainments, it is also an area of stunning and unsurpassed beauty , and the park preserves the bridge and shares its historical significance with hundreds of thousands of visitors a year. Whether you want an adrenaline rush of zip-lining across the gorge or just want to take in the amazing scenery, this site is worth a stop. 

You can find the tallest dunes in North America at Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve. This amazing and unique national park is located at the base of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains in Colorado. There are no trails in the dune fields since the shifting sand would quickly make them disappear. Visitors can hike anywhere on the dunes as their footprints will also vanish. The park is open twenty-four hours a day year-round, but it can be very hot in the summer and cold in the winter, so plan accordingly. If you haven’t hiked in sand before, take plenty of water and don’t over-estimate your ability. Each step in sand takes more effort than a step on a solid surface and can be very tiring. For more information visit https://www.nps.gov/grsa . 

Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument is located in a grassy mountain valley in central Colorado. The Monument is home to one of the richest and most diverse fossil deposits in the world. Just outside the visitor center and along a marked walking trail you can see petrified redwood stumps up to 14 feet wide. Inside the visitor center you can look at some of the thousands of fossils of insects and plants that have been found at the Monument and which reveal the story of a very different, prehistoric Colorado , one with a much wetter and warmer climate. There is also a restored homestead worth a look. For more information on Florissant Fossil Beds visit https://www.nps.gov/flfo .

Sometimes the simplest activities can be the most rewarding. Traffic aside, viewing the spectacular fall colors on Kenosha Pass in Colorado was a moving experience. I don’t remember ever seeing such brilliant and vibrant colors. I doubted all the hype, but found the scenery lived up to the billing.