In last week's blog post-- click here-- I showed our drive west from Loveland, Colorado, to Estes Park and into Rocky Mountain National Park along Highway 34, and the Big Thompson River Canyon route. Afterward, we returned on Highway 34 to drive east back to Loveland and then Fort Collins, where we stayed for a few days at the end of April.
As you can see, we had blue skies for part of the drive...
...but soon hit fog as we climbed in elevation.
The foggy views were beautiful and atmospheric.
We noticed two memorial plaques at a pull-off and stopped to read them. The first was a memorial to two law enforcement officers, Colorado State Patrol Sgt. W. Hugh Purdy and Estes Park Patrol Michel O. Conley. They both died trying to save lives on July 31, 1976 when more than 140 people perished during a flash flood of Big Thompson Canyon.
Ellis worked as an engineer for the Colorado Department of Transportation. had been leading the rebuilding of U.S. Highway 34 through Big Thompson Canyon after the 2013 flood disaster
“His dedication, passion, and caring grace for the people of Colorado will be profoundly missed,” the Department of Transportation said in a statement.
Video #1 shows the 2013 flood on this link.
Video #10 is about the two and a half year engineering challenge to redo US Highway 34 through the Big Thompson Canyon to prevent flooding damage in the future. It can be seen on this link.
We appreciated all the apparent improvements made to the road during our drive.
We almost passed by this outlet of the Colorado Cherry Pie Company at 1024 US-34! In fact, my husband made a U turn to return to stop at this store along the Big Thompson Canyon. How could we resist?
The displays inside of all kinds of fruit pies, fruit condiments, and gift items were delightful!
The Colorado Cherry Pie Company began in 1929 with Grandma Katherine's roadside stand, where she sold homemade pies with their delicious flaky crust. In the 1960s, the second generation opened this store in Loveland. In 2000, the third generation opened shops in Lyons and Estes Park, Colorado, adding more types of pies to the menu. In 2020, fourth-generation Lehnert’s introduced the next chapter of the family business, and a new branch called Legacy Pie Co. was born with locations in Denver.
We chose a cherry pie to take home with us.
The store clerk told us the seven hearts along the top crust were traditional.
It was the best cherry pie I've ever had! The crust was exceptional, and the cherry filling was very full, fresh, and not overly sweet. I would definitely recommend trying one of their pies--they make other flavors as well--if you visit one of their stores!
Colorado has 26 beautiful scenic and historic byways, and whenever we know of one near where we travel, we make a point to drive along them.....more on my next post.
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