Find it in Florence

Welcome to Historic Florence, in Fremont County, Southern Colorado

Part 6 of our Arizona, New Mexico and Colorado Love Your Parks Tour Road Trip Adventure.

We arrived in Florence, Colorado in the late afternoon of Monday, June 10. Our writer pal Eva Eldridge grew up here and wanted us to come visit her hometown and stay in her house that she has remodeled into a wonderful writer’s retreat.

Daylilies at Eva's

Talk about tranquility and a beautiful respite from the road. Her home is peaceful with scenic views that stretch out to Pikes Peak, blooming daylilies and a bounty of grapes and mulberries, visiting deer and horses, rockin’ robins and chattering finches, oh this is a special place for sure. It’s been a great spot for Nancy and Lisa to catch up on all of their magazine, radio and video work, and for us all to get some much needed R&R. 

Downtown Florence is a National Historic District and known as the Antique Capital of Colorado

Florence may make headline news as home to the Supermax prison, along with neighboring Canon City being home to state prisons, but the sheer beauty of the region coupled with its small town charm should be the main focus of media attention. 

Florence is beautiful! 

Originally built as a railroad hub for trains hauling coal from nearby Rockvale and Coal Creek, Florence made history in 1862 as the first oil center west of the Mississippi. Today the downtown is a National Historic District that’s made a name for itself as the Antique Capital of Colorado.

You really can find almost anything at the Florence Consignment Corner!

Along with its wonderful collection of art galleries and antique, consignment and boutique shops, the downtown has a good selection of restaurants, a brewery, an art and cultural center, museum, historic theatre, bowling alley, and parks. From cute railroad homes to ornate Victorian buildings, it’s fun to walk the downtown district and tree-lined neighborhoods to see the architecture and flower-filled gardens. 

The Bell Tower Cultural Center is a must-visit for art and flower power in Florence

Florence has some great riverfront parks and trails to explore, as does nearby Canon City and Penrose. We’ve gone to Pathfinder Park, named after explorer John C. Fremont, for quite a few morning walks along the Arkansas River. That river is flowing pretty fast, and is a popular rafting and surfing…yes surfing…waterway. 

Pathfinder Park is named after explorer, soldier and politician John C. Fremont

We’ve also visited  Florence River Park which is popular for river surfing, and beautiful Florence Mountain Park that's just south of town and straddles the San Isabel National Forest. What a beautiful hiking destination!

Florence Mountain Park is breathtaking! 

Other nearby parks we have explored include the Arkansas Riverwalk at John Griffin Regional Park in Canon City, and at Brush Hollow Reservoir in Penrose.

Rafting fun on the Arkansas River

These parks are big on beauty with the rushing river and water areas, rugged cliffs and mountain views, cool trees for shade, all kinds of birds and wildflowers, and plenty of deer. I even spotted my first skunk one morning!

Brush Hollow Reservoir 

Other Florence highlights we have experienced included a visit to view the art and sculptures at the Bell Tower Cultural Center, as well as some of the shops like Owl Apothecary, Florence  Consignment Corner, and Worldwide Treasures. We popped in to see Florence Brewing Company but need to go back when it’s not too early for a tasting. …I’ve heard you can enjoy a brew while getting your hair cut at the barber shop nextdoor!

Worldwide Treasures

The town’s motto is “Find it in Florence,” and I think that once you get here, you’ll find a whole bunch of experiences to enjoy as well as some lovely treasures in the downtown shops. Be sure to stop by the Florence of Chamber of Commerce office for some local info, they’re super friendly over there, just like everyone we’ve met in Florence!

See our new video "Discover Florence, Colorado" on YouTube.com. 

Peekaboo!

We can’t wait to come back and spend some quality time in the shops, parks and restaurants. And, we still need to experience the historic Rialto Theatre, and regional attractions like the Royal Gorge Bridge & Park and Great Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve. So much to do, so little time!

A big thank you goes to our friend Eva for making us feel so at home in her writer’s retreat. Her design and home remodeling skills are second to none…we all think she should have her own HGTV show!

Next week I’ll give you the scoop on Santa Fe, ‘The City Different.”  For now it’s back to that mulberry tree before the birds get today’s harvest!

Miss P.

A Rocky Mountain Adventure

Rocky Mountain National Park - What a View!

Part 5 of our Arizona, New Mexico and Colorado Love Your Parks Tour Road Trip adventure.

In the wee morning hours of Monday, June 10, we packed up the car and said our goodbyes to beautiful Greeley, Colorado and headed west to Rocky Mountain National Park. We were on our way to Florence in southern Colorado, and decided a park detour was in order. Besides, the legendary Trail Ridge Road had just opened up for the season. 

Fall River Entrance Station just outside Estes Park

We headed west on Highway 34 through Loveland and Estes Park, and entered the park through the Fall River Entrance Station. Talk about jaw dropping magnificence. Rocky Mountain National Park is pure beauty!

No valet parking for you!

We made a stop at Sheep Lakes to watch some distant elk and a very chirpy magpie. Then started the slow ascension up through the mountains. We saw lush meadows and forest areas, wildflowers, elk and deer, marmots and squirrels, and all kinds of birds including wild turkeys. The climb just kept on going up and the views grew in grandeur.

Peekaboo! 

Talk about a big change in altitude, we were all starting to feel a tad lightheaded when we reached the snowfields, high above the tree lines (we went above 12,000 ft!). We had traveled up through three main ecosystems: Montane (below 9000 ft), Subalpine (9000-11,400 ft), and Alpine (above 11,400 ft.) Did I say the views were incredible?!

Brrrr.....these snowfields are cold!

Also known as Beaver Meadow National Scenic Byway, Trail Ridge Road is the highest paved through-road in the state, as well as the highest paved road that crosses the continental divide in Colorado! We even saw the Continental Divide sign right at the frozen over Poudre Lake, at the edge of Milner Pass.

Welcome to the Continental Divide!

We were amazed at the snow on the side of the road, and laughed out loud when the first picnic spot we stopped at was ‘snowed in.’ We did make it for our brunch picnic, and a scenic one it was, right near the head of the Colorado River. 

Near the Colorado River Headwaters 

I’m sending a big shout out to the folks at My Place Coffee for loading up our picnic basket with thick, yummy sandwiches along with cookies and pastry snacks. Of course, we had our trusty PortoVino backpack with us for some pretty special “PortoVino with a View” moments, and our new collapsable Tahoe Cooler from CleverMade. If you need to travel light like we do, both of these cooler bags are stellar! 

Rocky Mountain Picnic "Pig-Out!"

We explored some trails and more picnic sites along the way, including a stop at beautiful Beaver Ponds and at the Holzwarth Historic Site. Back in 1917, John and Sophia Holzwarth used the Homestead Act of 1862 to make a home right here in the beautiful Kawuneeche Valley. What a life they must have led! As tourism to the park grew, they opened a guest ranch called Holzwarth Trout Lodge, and then a few years later, opened the Never Summer Ranch on the east side of the Colorado River.

Holzwarth Historic Site

I kept my eyes peeled for a moose sighting, especially when we were in the Harbison Meadows area, but unfortunately we didn’t get to see them this time round. We visited the Kawuneeche Visitor Center to get our park passport stamp, and then we made our way out of the park and headed towards Grand Lake and Grandby. What a gorgeous drive through the Arapaho National Recreation Area! Of course with all the beautiful lake and snow capped views, we had to make a pit stop for another little cookie break!

Cookies with a View at Shadow Mountain Reservoir

From there we headed south with mini stops at Shadow Mountain Reservoir, White River National Forest, Blue River State Wildlife Area, and South Park National Heritage Area. As we neared Cañon City and Florence, past the Royal Gorge, the landscape melded into a lovely lush high desert region.

Highway 9, south to Cañon City and Florence

Before we went to our friend Eva's house, we did a quick drive through historic downtown Florence, and oohed and aahed at all the beautiful historic buildings and shops. Turns out, the downtown is a National Historic District and it's known as the Antique Capital of Colorado. I think it should be known for its hollyhock flower power too. …but more to come on Florence and Santa Fe, New Mexico in my next couple of posts!

Historic Downtown Florence, the Antique Capital of Colorado!

You can watch our new “Following Trail Ridge Road” video below or right on YouTube.

Happy Travel Tuesday!

Miss P.