You can go for hundreds of miles west on US 285. We drew the line at Kenosha Pass, but first a stop at Aspen Park. More than 30 years ago, the Coney Island was a landmark on East Colfax in Denver.
Then this jumbo dog was relocated to the mountains. Highway 285 here we come! Before long, we're following the South Platte River.
Our first stop is a few miles beyond the town of Bailey, just past the Shawnee trading post, to a one-man, one-woman art colony called the Shawnee Art Gallery. Vince and Carolyn Tolpo came here 20 years ago.
"Why? Because we were up in the mountains and we didn't want be anywhere else," Carolyn Tolpo said.
From earrings, to metal work and paintings, Vince and Carolyn has done them all.
"Early on in our careers, we decided we never wanted to be known as painters who painted mountains," Vince Tolpo said.
But what stood out was an amazing variety of ceramics large and small. Some show clay from all over the state.
"This rust color comes from Garden of the Gods, Lake City area and Kremmling. And so wherever we go, we look for pretty dirt," Carolyn said.
But it's more complicated than just pretty. Not enough clay and the work falls apart. Not enough water and it cracks.
"You know, anytime people would like to see a demonstration come to the door, I'm happy to show them the pot shop or throw a pot for them," Vince said.
Out front, there's a free show of some of their bigger works. Their home and gallery dates back to the early 1900s, before the highway, when this was railroad country.
The railroad station was down there and they called it the fish train because the fishermen would come up from Denver. Today, the South Platte provides the Denver area with water, but along the way the river has some help.
It's 23 miles from Dillon Reservoir to where to the Roberts Water Tunnel. This goes from Dillon reservoir to the South Platte River, and to taps and faucets all over the Denver area.
At the top of Kenosha Pass, the view toward South Park will take your breath away faster than the thin air.
The railroad opened the land -- once a favorite hunting ground and frequent battleground of the Indians. But those are part of another story and another one tank trip.
Bill's One Tank Notes:
This week's One Tank Trip started out as a simple trip down US 285 from Denver. If all you know about 285 is what you've seen from Santa Fe to maybe Morrison on the freeway, you've stopped short of some great scenery.
Much of the road close in to Denver has been widened in the past few years, and there are other places where road construction is underway. But it's nowhere nearly as bad as T-REX is going to be.
The Coney Island Hot Dog Stand at Aspen Park was our first stop. Long ago this was a landmark on East Colfax in Denver. Then, in 1969 or 70, the previous owner moved it up in the middle of the night to Aspen Park. The locals shunned it as an eyesore (after all, it WAS a huge replica of an idealized hot dog on a bun) but the place caught on with travelers. Recently it was sold, but the dogs and especially the malts are awfully good.
There are plenty of other places to stop and eat along the highway, especially around Pine Junction and again at Bailey. But the Coney Island presents a great photo opportunity for you and your family or friends (or both).
About five miles west of Bailey, you'll drive past the Shawnee Trading Post in the very small settlement of Shawnee. A couple of blocks beyond the Trading Post on the left side of the road is the Shawnee Mountain Gallery. Vincent and Carolyn Tolpo have a most unusual gallery.
They own it, run it, and have made virtually every item in the gallery: fiber, metal, paintings, yard sculptures, earrings and ceramics. Look closely at the ceramics. Many of them have clay from various parts of Colorado. And if you ask nicely, Carolyn will be glad to take you downstairs to their studio and throw a pot to show you how they're made. Prices are extremely reasonable and they take credit cards.
I'm particularly fond of small fountains and saw a ceramic fountain that really looked cool. But what really blew me away was the outdoor display. Martha Stewart suggests broken ceramic plates to decorate a yard. Carolyn thought of it before Martha and she's done a great job of decorating the pathways with half-plates. But some of the mixed media works are really outstanding and worth your time. Naturally, the Tolpos will be more than happy to explain their techniques or what went into the creative process.
West from Shawnee we followed the South Platte River. Just beyond Grant, we stopped at the Roberts Water Tunnel. It was built in the early 1960s to bring water from Dillon Reservoir to the South Platte and on to the Denver water treatment at Waterton.
Near the top of Kenosha Pass, the U.S. Forest Service has laid down narrow gauge railroad tracks. No, this is no competition for Amtrak and it's not the start of yet another narrow gauge railroad. It's just there as part of a self-guided walking tour to demonstrate how the old Denver, South Park and Pacific Railroad used this place as a turn around for the helper engines that brought trains up Kenosha Pass from the relative flat lands of South Park.
Beyond Kenosha Pass, you'll see why those steam engines needed help. And if you go beyond, you'll see why South Park has a lot more going for itself than just the name of a cable television cartoon show. You can see almost forever. And you'll have the makings of another longer one-tank trip for the future.
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