When I visited the Gila Cliff Dwellings in New Mexico, I met a wonderful couple who were also there on vacation, and we hit it off immediately.  You know how sometimes you meet people and you’re instantly comfortable with them, you seem to already have the same opinions about things, and even the flow of your conversation is comfortable?  That’s how I felt about Sheila and Stanley.  So when they gave me their contact information and invited me to visit them on my way through Colorado, I never even thought about making an excuse, I just said yes.

Glenwood Springs is a small town of about 10,000 people, and seems to be best known for it’s hot springs and recreation opportunities, as well as being on the road to more popular destinations like Aspen and Snowmass.  It also has a cemetery of some repute, and the first thing I did when I got into town was to stretch my legs by hiking up to it.  The most famous resident of the cemetery is probably Doc Holliday, famous for his participation in the shootout at the OK Corral in Tombstone, Arizona, as part of the posse.  The fastest six-shooter in the west ended up in Glenwood Springs, where he died of tuberculosis.  The exact site of his burial is not known, and in fact he was destitute and may have been buried in the potter’s field, but there’s a memorial to him in the main cemetery.

Another resident of interest there is Harvey Logan, also known as Kid Curry, buried in a known grave in the potter’s field.

He was famous as a member of the Wild Bunch, which also included Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.  Although it seems obvious, it was kind of amazing to see their graves and realize that they were all real people, not just characters in a (history) book!

The rest of the cemetery seemed to hold people who lived and died in about the same era, and many of them still had flowers and other gifts on them, making me wonder if there are still existing family members who remember them.  It would be nice to think that was the case.  There’s a lovely view down the valley from the hill where the cemetery sits, making it well worth the short steep climb.

I don’t usually mention the meals I have here, because to be honest I’m trying to travel cheaply, so in general they’ve been nothing very interesting.  But I need to mention the pierogi that I got from the Polanka Polish Restaurant in Glenwood Springs!  They were absolutely fantastic, and just like my grandmother’s recipe, so perfect in my book!  I ate these, then had a second order, and was tempted to get a third have later, but decided not to be silly.  Now I actually wish I had gone ahead and been silly…  The owners and staff there were extremely nice and fun to talk to, and I’d have to call this the best Polish food I’ve had anywhere!

But my real reason for visiting was to meet up with Sheila and Stanley.  Sheila picked me up the next morning and took me to Grizzly Creek for a beautiful hike in the perfect autumn weather.  Now I’m no slouch at hiking, but Sheila could walk me into the ground!  She is one very strong lady, and I’m just glad she took it easy on me because I was wheezing from the altitude well before the end of the hike.  The altitude… yeah, that’s it… it was the altitude that got to me!!

It was a perfect day to be out, with the sun shining but a cool breeze blowing, the leaves starting to change as we followed the trail beside the singing creek.

We walked and talked (when I could talk between wheezes) and stopped every now and then to just appreciate the day.

We met Stanley in town for lunch, and then Sheila took me to see that place she works several days per week, the “Art on 8th Gallery of Fine Craft and Weaving Studio,” which also houses the Mountain Valley Weavers.  Art on 8th is a non-profit that provides career opportunities for adults and children with intellectual and developmental disabilities, and the weavers are from this community.

The shop itself is lovely, and showcases a variety of gift and decorative items, but the highlight for me were the woven items.  Just look at the lovely colors here.

If anyone wants to get me a Christmas gift, I do plan to have a kitchen of my own again someday, and these aprons and oven mitts are gorgeous!!

Sheila introduced me to a number of the weavers, and I got to see first hand how they make the cloth.  The set-up of the looms looked quite complicated, but the end result was clearly worth the effort.

The other items in the shop were wonderful too, and I particularly liked these wire mesh fish, suspended in the window against the liquid blue sky.  If you’d like to see more if their products, or to support their work, I’ve put a link to their web site on the Charities tab above.  You can find them here: https://www.facebook.com/arton8th/.

After visiting the shop, we drove over to Stanley’s motorcycle repair shop to visit him and check out his bikes.  I had a great time chatting to the visitors he had there, who’s names I promptly forgot, unfortunately!  Stanley showed me some awesome pictures from racing his Honda at the Bonneville Salt Flats, though.

I did a bit of snooping around among the bikes outside, and particularly liked the Norton 850 Commando tucked into the middle there, although I’m not sure I’d refuse any of these.

So I got to get out of the car and hike in the fresh fall air, I got to talk to interesting and intelligent people, I saw new things, learned new things, ate good food, and made new friends.  An absolutely perfect day!

Sheila and Stanley, if you’re reading this, please feel free to correct or add information using the comments section below.  I tried, but am certain I must have gotten a few things wrong or left something out!  Please keep in touch, I can’t wait to see you again!