Monday, October 4, 2021

Rambler Ranch --A Nostalgia Collection--Part One



It all began with one car...pictured above is Rambler Ranch owner Terry Gale's father’s 1954 Nash Ambassador, which Gale rescued as a derelict that had sat abandoned for many years in his father's Colorado farm's field.  After his father died Terry acquired the car and spent three years bringing the classic automobile back to showroom quality. This sparked his passion for restoring other Rambler models in this particular era of vehicles.



It also led to an obsession that made Terry Gale become the owner of the largest collection of American Motor Corporation (AMC) vehicles in the world!  Terry is pictured in the lower left of the collage above at the beginning of a tour my husband and I made, with friends, by appointment.




The Rambler Ranch is on a 165-acre parcel of land in the hills of a pine forest in Elizabeth, Colorado.  The ranch is home to well over 800 preserved and restored classic cars of all make and models stored in multiple giant warehouses, such as the one seen in the lower right of the photo collage above. In addition, Terry has also collected some vintage buildings, such as a replica of a vintage Sinclair Gas station and a drug store, and a very large collection of the 50s and 60's memorabilia--more about that will be in my next blog post.




We self toured building after building full of vintage cars.





You will almost be guaranteed to see the same model of car that was your grandfather's, your Dad;'s, your first boyfriend's, or perhaps your first car if it was an AMC model made before 1988.  

So much nostalgia...





...and so many carefully restored cars!




It would be difficult to guess what the collection is worth--certainly many millions of dollars.  To read more about Rambler Ranch and Terry Gale click on this link.



Mr. Gale even has a vintage 1970s Denver bus and Bookmobile on his grounds.

It can easily take 2 to 3 hours to see the entire collection of automobiles and memorabilia. As we strolled around Mr. Gale and his helpers were nearby to answer questions. Terry told us he wanted to preserve as much of old-time "Americana" as he could and enjoyed searching online auction sites as a hobby. He felt too much history was being lost by our very disposable society.



One interesting aspect of his clean and meticulous showrooms are the many mannequins that are also on display that were all perfectly dressed by era or theme.



These are a few of the imaginative scenes that are set up. Click on any of the photos twice to enlarge it to see more detail.  

You must come back to see next week's blog post to see even more ephemera displays in Rambler Ranch of a vintage diner, a 1950s kitchen, and a 1960's era fully furnished house.



Rambler Ranch is certainly a fascinating place to visit!

 Rambler Ranch is a private collection--All tours are by appointment only on Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday beginning at 11 AM
36370 Forest Trail, Elizabeth CO 80107
Call 302-324-6750

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Monday, September 27, 2021

Fall Beauty in Colorado


I always know that sometime in September the aspen trees growing in the high elevations in Colorado will begin to change from green to bright yellow and some to orange. I note predictions and listen for reports on the news as to when "peak color" can be seen.  In the almost 9 years we have lived in Colorado we've always taken few drives up to the high country to enjoy this early preview of autumn and the beautiful patchwork of colors that will appear on the distant mountains.




One of our favorite drives is along Guanella Pass, a scenic byway that was once a burro path but is now a fully paved 22-mile road that connects Grant with Georgetown, Colorado. I've blogged about it many times in the past which you can read them all on this link.




The sky was bluebird blue and the aspens shined like gold!




Every twist and turn in the road revealed more beauty!





The mountains surrounding the scenic byway were thick with golden aspen groves...




 ...interspaced with pine trees.


So many gorgeous shades of lime green, yellow, gold, and orange.




We always stop to see this waterfall on the drive. All those large boulders were once carried by a glacier long ago.  You can watch a video of the waterfall on my Mille Fiori Favoriti facebook page on this link.



You can read more about the geology of Guanella Pass on the roadside placards above.  Double click on the photo to enlarge it to make it easier to read.



As we drove we began to climb higher in elevation until we were soon above the tree line. 




We reached the summit of Guanella Pass which is at 11,700 feet (3566 M)





An information placard at the summit. Please double click on to enlarge to read it 




At the Guanella Pass summit, there are views of 14,060-foot (4285.M) Mount Bierstadt and trails through the alpine tundra.




We parked and hiked a part of a trail. The interesting interpretive sign in the photo above was about the tundra along the trail. Those that were younger and in better shape were taking the trail all the way to the summit of Mt Bierstadt.



There are also views of the 14,264-foot (4347. M) Mount Evans in the distance.


There was more magnificent autumnal color when we drove from the summit back down towards Georgetown.  We passed the dam, reservoir, and electric power plant on the way.





It was a beautiful day for a drive! We felt so excited to see fall finally arrive after a very hot and dry summer.  This is my favorite time of the year--the last smile of nature before winter's cold and snow.

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