After leaving the Denver area, heading to Salt Lake City, UT, I stopped for a day and an evening in Fort Collins, CO. Fort Collins is about an hour north of Denver and was a good place for me to break up my drive. There was so much going on in Fort Collins which made it one of my favorite stops on the trip.
Edora Park Disc Golf Course
This course was my first stop in the morning. I do enjoy starting the day with a round of golf. Although the layout was difficult to figure out, this round was very enjoyable. I ended up playing along with two brothers, about my age, who played this course frequently. The course played through a local public park. Most of the fairways were open with a few tree obstacles. There was one section that played through fields and prairie dogs kept popping their heads up to see what was going on. Shooting 1 under par also makes it an enjoyable round!
 |
 |
Swetsville Zoo
Well this was a bizarre place! I discovered this while researching prior to the trip and looking for unusual things on Atlas Obscura. Bill Swets started creating metal creatures in 1985 and has since grown his collection of whimsical creations into the 100’s. The ‘zoo’ is currently for sale and is a little run down but I enjoyed walking around.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 Oddly… this was the second ‘VW bug’ creature I’d seen on this trip. |
 ‘VW Bug’ creature in Erie, PA |
Totally 80’s Pizza & Museum
This was another Atlas Obscura find. Totally 80’s Pizza boasts as being the home to the world’s largest collection of 1980’s pop culture memorabilia. What a blast from the past. I thoroughly enjoyed walking around and seeing so much from my childhood! I started the 80’s going into middle school and ended the 80’s graduating high school.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 Oddly, this is the second ‘Slimer’ I saw on this trip. |
 ‘Slimer’ in Omaha
|
Fort Collins Old Town Square
What a great place to walk around. Throughout the night, I kept coming back here. I had some great conversations with some of the folks that were working including the juggler, artists and musicians. The sculptures were fun and the vibe was very relaxed.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Alleys Around Old Town Square
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Surfside 7
I stepped in here to take a break from walking around and to grab a beer. Little did I know they were having a special: $5 slice of pizza and beer. That is my kind of special! The pizza here was fantastic. The slices were huge, you could get any topping of your choice on a slice and it was the thin crust, which is my favorite. I ended up coming back here later in the evening for another late night slice.
 |
 |
I chatted up with the bartender, her boyfriend and another fellow at the bar. It was funny because as I was walking around the square later in the evening, the boyfriend saw me and asked how my evening was going. Making friends everywhere!
The fellow at the bar told me he was there just to support his friend (d.e.fulford) who had written a book and was having a book signing at the local bookstore. The bookstore was just around the corner so I went and bought one of her books.
The Exchange
Wandering around the area I came across the Exchange. What a nice little outdoor area. There were lots of folk wandering around and families surrounding the Churn in the center. There are cute shops, good food, live music and a brewery.
 |
 |
Jazz Alley
As I was walking around later in the evening, I heard some piano. I followed the sound down an alley and came across a guy sitting at a piano, by himself, just playing. This piano is always here for anyone to come along and play. There was also a wonderful mural on the wall with some classic musicians watching the piano player.
 |
 |
