Cyclists spinning into Moffat at about the midpoint of Thursday’s ride were greeted by local potato growers who had baked up 3,000 free spuds – with all the fixings – for grateful, carb-craving riders.
Some cyclists were shocked to open the foil and see a potato as purple as a bad bruise.
But the Purple Majesty potato is one variety they grow in the San Luis Valley, which is the second-largest producer of fresh potatoes in the country, with 60,000 acres of spuds.
Riders also enjoyed the blush-colored Mountain Rose, the golden Latonas and the plain old russets Thursday before they headed of to tackle Poncha Pass in a rain shower.
Carl and Audrey Worley, who have been growing potatoes in the valley since 1942, were kept busy with cyclists coming by to shake hands, say “thanks” and marvel that they had never tasted such good spuds.
“This hospitality is something nice we like to do,” said Linda Weyers with the Potato Administration office in Monte Vista. “And it’s a good promotion for us.”
T. H. Keeton of the Colorado State Patrol was wolfing-down proof that the marketing worked.
“I’m not so sure I even knew there was such a thing as a purple potato,” he said. “It’s very, very good.”
– Denver Post staff writer Nancy Lofholm
Gator baiting
“Dragons!” “Albino pythons!” “Hold an alligator!”
The signs were raising eyebrows with scenery-deprived cyclists on Colorado 17 outside of Mosca.
“There’s gators out here in this desert? I can’t believe it,” said Scott Culpepper of Cheyenne.
“It’s a hoot,” said Jerry Lehman of Madison, Wis. “It’s the last thing in the world I would have expected to see out here.”
Colorado Gators – 17 miles north of Alamosa on Colorado 17. Details: 719-378-2612 or gatorfarm.com
The truth is out there, maybe
Some cyclists said they felt as if they were in alien territory Thursday.
And some heeded the pull of a purported power vortex – or maybe it was the waving metal alien in a square-dance skirt – and stopped in at a shiny, silver tower to take a gander at a bush with mystical powers and rock piles marking places where the Earth’s force is askew.
They could read in a logbook about sightings of strange lights in the sky and learn that there might be a spaceship buried deep under the tower.
UFO Watchtower – 2.5 miles north of Hooper on Colorado 17. Details: 719-580-7901 or ufowatchtower.com
Today’s host | Cañon City
Population: 15,431
History: Zebulon Pike camped at what is now Cañon City in the winter of 1806-07. The town was established as a supply center for mining camps such as Cripple Creek and Leadville. The first territorial prison was established in Cañon City in 1868.
Highlights: Tourism plays an important role, with the nearby Royal Gorge, which has the world’s highest suspension bridge; Buckskin Joe Frontier Town; and outdoor activities along the Arkansas River such as rafting and fishing.
Sources: Cañon City Chamber of Commerce; Colorado State Archives; U.S. Census Bureau
