In 1970, under new ownership, the stand was moved to the Rocky Mountain town of Aspen Park. Initially called Coney Island Dairy Land, it later dropped the last part of the name. Despite initial opposition, when it was put up for sale in 1999, a local campaign began to designate it a landmark and save it from destruction. The present owner purchased it for about $150,000 and added a state-of-the-art water purification system, a new secondary kitchen area and a complete restoration of the interior kitchen.
The popularity of the stand was such that its last day open in Aspen Park, "the waiting line extended literally for miles". On March 18, 2006, to make way for a bank, the stand was moved again, 17 miles to its present location in Bailey. The building has been called "the best example of roadside architecture in the state".
After a traditional American feast we continued on our journey. We drove into the infamous town of South Park and stopped for Gas. Sinclair the dinosaur is always a hit with the kids.
The hot springs consisted of two swimming pools, one very hot and one medium temperature. These pools were heated naturally by the springs. We started our visit with a swim in both pools. We then ventured down to the river, which consisted of both hot and cold areas. The hottest, were burning and too hot to place your feet in.
As you can see from the photos we all had a great time. The trick was to find a spot that wasn't too hot or too cold. When Yas and Max had enough of the water they happily played on the rocks.
We then continued our adventure and stopped to visit two very good friends of Susan - Rod and Anita. These lucky people live in a magical house which overlooks the continental divide. The following image was taken from their front balcony. I would love to wake up to this each morning! We are looking forward to visiting them in the winter.
Rod and Anita were very kind, and we all loved their house. When we first went inside Max asked, "how many nights are we staying here for - a week Mum?" Max loved looking at the antelope horns, various animal skulls and the many wild west items on display in their home.
I really enjoyed their backyard - in particular the gate with the painted sign - Where the Wild Things Are! In the past Susan and Anita have been on many a hike and have discovered old Indian arrowheads.
However, the highlight of the day for Yasemin was the horses! We didn't see much of Yas during our visit as she preferred animal company, no surprises their. Not only were their three beautiful horses, but also two very large and friendly dogs.
We said goodbye, vowing to return and headed for home. It was a long drive and we didn't roll into Gaylord street until well after 8.30pm on Sunday night. We were all exhausted after a great day - thanks Garry for doing all the driving and also thanks to Susan for showing us more of beautiful Colorado. We especially loved getting away from the freeways, driving through the real countryside.
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