....I returned from a 9-day, 3580-mile trek out west just in time to go to two concerts, one of which was south of Nashville. I took my heavily-laden Outback to Denver to bring a lot of my daughter's belongings, that had been here for years, to her. Plus I got to visit with her and her mini Aussie shepherd for a few days. We went to the top of Mt. Evans, where it was 50 degrees cooler than Denver (saw flurries in August!) and populated with mountain goats, and the Red Rocks ampitheater, where a German car show was supposed to be but only a few showed up, including a Factory Five Cobra Daytona replica of the '65 Daytona 2nd place car.
From there I drove to the Arches National Park near Moab, UT (highly recommended!!), and then to Four Corners on the Navajo reservation, followed by the long boring drive home. Several days were 600+ miles, not bad for an old geezer like me, right?
But it was at the Arches gift shop where I got my only mini vehicle of the trip, in fact, the only miniature I've acquired all month.
So not the most accurate 1:43 in the toy box but I needed a souvenir. As near as I can tell it roughly approximates a 2002-vintage Chevy Avalanche and has been printed with a rough representation of park ranger markings. Obviously a Chinese product, the box says it was made for Smith-Western, who I found is a supplier of novelty items to mostly western attractions and events. The back of the box further indicates this is only available at Arches, Canyonlands, etc. The doors open and it has a pullback motor like those cheapies you find at CVS or the grocery store. But, at $16, it wasn't cheap like those others. At least profits go to support our national parks. The last pic above I took outdoors, with some rocks I found along the road during my trip.
Great trip Harv. The Canyonlands are one of my favourite North American destinations. Last did it in my Miata about a decade ago. Not the most accurate model but I would have bought it too if I had seen it. Welcome back!
Stayed in Evergreen a couple years back and watched the sun set on Mt. Evans for two straight weeks. Couldn’t get where you were because there was still too much snow… in June. Traveled around to Red Rocks, Golden, Morrison, Alma, and Breckenridge. It’s an area we hope to call home in a year or so.
That sounds like it was a great trip and experience for you I wish I could do the same right now and get the heck out of SoCal right here by Anaheim I'll just have to wait a few weeks until I got some vacation time
....I returned from a 9-day, 3580-mile trek out west just in time to go to two concerts, one of which was south of Nashville. I took my heavily-laden Outback to Denver to bring a lot of my daughter's belongings, that had been here for years, to her. Plus I got to visit with her and her mini Aussie shepherd for a few days. We went to the top of Mt. Evans, where it was 50 degrees cooler than Denver (saw flurries in August!) and populated with mountain goats, and the Red Rocks ampitheater, where a German car show was supposed to be but only a few showed up, including a Factory Five Cobra Daytona replica of the '65 Daytona 2nd place car.
From there I drove to the Arches National Park near Moab, UT (highly recommended!!), and then to Four Corners on the Navajo reservation, followed by the long boring drive home. Several days were 600+ miles, not bad for an old geezer like me, right?
But it was at the Arches gift shop where I got my only mini vehicle of the trip, in fact, the only miniature I've acquired all month.
So not the most accurate 1:43 in the toy box but I needed a souvenir. As near as I can tell it roughly approximates a 2002-vintage Chevy Avalanche and has been printed with a rough representation of park ranger markings. Obviously a Chinese product, the box says it was made for Smith-Western, who I found is a supplier of novelty items to mostly western attractions and events. The back of the box further indicates this is only available at Arches, Canyonlands, etc. The doors open and it has a pullback motor like those cheapies you find at CVS or the grocery store. But, at $16, it wasn't cheap like those others. At least profits go to support our national parks. The last pic above I took outdoors, with some rocks I found along the road during my trip.
This would have been cheaper to send your daughter's belongings by freight and this is not as expensive as you may think.
@nickies Easier said than done. The car was packed with a lot of her childhood stuff and Christmas decorations. There were some items whose loss in the post would be very sad - items with emotional vs. economic value.
Plus I got to see her home, play with the dog, go with her to see things in Denver, go to Arches and Four Corners. Being retired and widowed left me free for a long road trip. I think I needed it, and am glad I made it happen. I am unlikely to ever drive this much again (but - who knows? There are still a few states I have not been to.....hmm).
@nickies Easier said than done. The car was packed with a lot of her childhood stuff and Christmas decorations. There were some items whose loss in the post would be very sad - items with emotional vs. economic value.
Plus I got to see her home, play with the dog, go with her to see things in Denver, go to Arches and Four Corners. Being retired and widowed left me free for a long road trip. I think I needed it, and am glad I made it happen. I am unlikely to ever drive this much again (but - who knows? There are still a few states I have not been to.....hmm).
Go for it !!! Life's too short to not go exploring !
