Going nowhere, and Everywhere at the same time

First, a big NO. NO, we did not go to Kit Carson today.  We are happily staying back at Stratmoor UMC tonight and through at least the middle of this week as the roof on the coach is re-caulked. The new reefer is due to go in on Tuesday. The new roof antenna for the WIFI system arrived and will be installed (TY Jenn & Chris!). The new vent cover for the bathroom fan is coming so we will be able then to have all three vents wide open when we drive or are in rain on warm days. And we are hoping the replacement custom front AC cowling arrives so it can be attached solidly to the roof.

More serious looking than I've EVER seen him!
GO KAREAM!

THEN, if all goes well, we'll head to Pueblo, then east toward Trinidad visiting the newly restored Bent's Fort compound, Eads, to visit and pay respects at the Sand Creek Massacre site, and finally Kit Carson.  Then east to arrive at Fort Leonard Wood in Southern Missouri to hopefully see our grandson Kaream graduate from Army Basics.

We were considering a week or so in New Mexico but we'll be there in early spring to see the desert bloom when we make our way back west next year.

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Today we went a bit west ourselves.  Look at my Facebook Page to see all the pics of the Florisant Fossil Beds National Park, Cripple Creek - where gold is still being mined in big amounts. And the Garden of the Gods, where we ended the day in warm evening light for a few pics of the red rock formations.

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But what I really want to tell you are the two enthusiastic ladies we met when we arrived at lovely Woodland Park, a town west of Colorado Springs about 30 minutes on route 24, just about 15 minutes from the top of Ute Pass.

Donna and Judy work at the Woodland Park Historic Museum and Gift Shop and while Mona was checking out the library across the street I went in to the museum to see what I might discover especially interesting about this busy and attractive small town.  I learned some cool stuff!

First, I learned that this quiet town today was a pretty rough and tumble place during prohibition and after.  It took federal agents to raid the 'stills in the hills' numerous times to even make a dent in their production.  And the casinos, gambling, and other colorful behavior of the residents meant this place was always busy.

Well, it was replaced with a much bigger place to hold the bad 'uns by the 1930's but you get the picture.

(NOT Woodland Park)

In addition to being a center for crime and punishment Woodland Park had at least one Tuberculosis Sanitarium with its share of TB huts for the contagious patients to live in while hopefully recovering from the dreaded disease.  I told Donna and Judy that I had actually found two of them in Fountain, CO, the other day on display and they laughed and told me to spend a little time looking into people's back yards anywhere there used to be a sanitarium. They are EVERYWHERE, even though almost 100 years old.

 When the TB fad died out (sadly, TB didn't. There is still no drug cure for the disease) people took the cute and simple huts by the dozens and turned them into everything from motel cabins to garden tool sheds.

So now I'll be driving through back allies in towns all up and down the front range looking for tool sheds that are actually old TB huts to photo!

-Ken