Recently, my wife and I accompanied our daughter, Eileen, to the Western National Roundup in Denver, an event hosted by Colorado State University. The event was the national finals for various 4H events, where our daughter was participating in the national Fashion Revue.
For those unfamiliar, 4H is a U.S. based youth organization, whose goal is to help members realize their full potential. Members can choose from a variety of arenas to help develop their skills and talents. The Fashion Revue is for garment making.
It has been several decades since I was last in Denver so for all intents and purposes seeing Denver was new ground for me. So let’s see what was waiting to be captured…
Since we are talking new ground, a 1961 Pontiac Bonneville convertible is new ground for us – well, at least one captured in the wild. This Pontiac was found about a block off South Broadway. Eileen visited a harp store nearby which is what led us to this part of Denver.
An employee in the harp store knows this Pontiac well. He’s been keeping an eye on it for five or six years, having once seen the interior filled with snow as the top was down subsequent to a winter storm.
This Pontiac will hopefully receive a full-on CC at some point in the future.
Note the Taurus in the background.
The finds shown here were from about a six square block area with this 1984-ish Ford LTD being in the approximate center of the area. While I cannot quantify why, I have always liked these Fox-based LTDs; they do a reasonable job of almost camouflaging their Ford Fairmont roots. Or so it seemed to eleven year-old me when these came out.
This is another CC worthy find.
This house was being built across the street from the LTD. While knowing little to nothing about architecture, it was obvious this house was distinctly different from the others in the neighborhood.
Most of the other houses appeared to have been built in the 1940s or thereabouts; this one is decidedly unlike its cohorts.
As I told my wife, I am intrigued with this style but not enough to build anything like it.
Editor Jim Klein told me to play the “Subaru Game” while in Denver. To play, when one is at any signalized intersection, count the number of Subarus that are seen. On the way to the harp store I hit my high score as there were nine at the intersection of Evans and Monaco. This shot seems to capture the general vibe of the Subaru Mecca that is Colorado!
Naturally, one cannot forget about the rising popularity of Tesla.
Some rides are simply evergreen – or maybe white and green. My contract with CC has a clause requiring any VW bus to be photographed and shared. It’s a really unusual requirement but sometimes it can pay dividends.
How so?
This VW bus was parked about 150 feet north. These two reminded me of a jigsaw puzzle I worked a while back – it was a grid of the fronts of various VW vans of all colors and decor.
The Rambler hubcap on the spare put a song in my head. It won’t go away.
There was a surprise element among my findings on this brief journey. Remember how I made note of the Taurus earlier? This is why.
The Taurus and its sister Sable were remarkably over-represented. The oldest of these are now 22 years old.
Another somewhat unexpected find was this Buick Century. It seems somewhat appropriate as it’s the same color as a similar vintage Regal Jim Klein had and he lives just up the road.
Less unexpected for whatever reason is this International TravelAll. Something tells me he isn’t driving it at night.
How often does one see a Dodge van based box truck? Likely not very.
This is where our tour transitions as I was getting cold and tired of walking on ice.
I went back to the harp store. This is only a sampling.
But, as is said on television, wait! There is more!
The Western National Roundup was scheduled to have participants from 32 states, including Hawaii. Eileen spoke to cohorts from all over the country. Sadly, a winter storm in the eastern U.S. cancelled flights for some attendees.
With this many states in attendance, it seemed appropriate to see where people had traveled from – and what they had driven. For reference, the hotel was on the northeastern part of Denver on Quebec Street.
This Chrysler Pacifica was from Connecticut. Granted, it could have been a rental, however there were no telltale stickers and the obvious rental minivans were all the base Chrysler Voyager. So I’m wagering this one is privately owned.
It was fun to see cars from stereotypically warm states covered in snow and grime. This Audi Q5 was from New Mexico.
Arizona was the origin of this F-150.
A relatively clean Lincoln MKX had made the trek from Arkansas.
From somewhere in Oklahoma, a school district owns this Chevrolet Suburban.
This one-ton Dodge Ram came from North Dakota. Part of the event involved livestock so I am wagering this Dodge Ram pulled a trailer to Denver.
Another publicly owned vehicle, to join the Suburban, is this Ford Expedition. That logo on the door says “University of Wyoming”, proving Wyoming has much nicer university owned vehicles than does Colorado. See that Chevrolet van in the background? University of Colorado.
I rest my case.
Parked outside due to being too tall for the parking garage was a certain Ford E-150 from Missouri. Driving a two-plus decade old Econoline from around 500 feet in elevation to over 5,200 feet all while running 75 mph uphill in cold weather provided some remarkable fuel mileage.
At least the trip back was downhill.
Eileen placed fifth, which is awesome. She made both the pants and top.
After the awards ceremony we packed up the old Ford and headed east. This rig does not act its age, which is a really good thing.
I hope you enjoyed this journey around two little snippets of Denver.
Wow, that Pontiac brought back some memories, when I was first married we lived in a sketchy part of the city and down the street was a 61 Pontiac hardtop, in virtually the same condition as that convertible. It was so long the back protruded over half the sidewalk.
Also wow, good for Eileen. Sewing is a bit of a lost art, my Erin sews a lot too but her specialty is buying thrift shop clothes that totally don’t fit her and modifying them to suit.
And third wow, I looked up the harp store. Harp prices aren’t as bad as I thought, but still rather eye watering. Glad I only have had to deal with trumpets, violins and guitars.
One of the things I never thought about before I saw it (why would I?) was what it looks like when the harpist arrives at the door. We had a lovely lady bring her instrument into the library where I work, and she was expert at wheeling it through tight spaces. Afterward, she politely refused help lifting it into her van (why wouldn’t she?).
My sister had a harpist at her wedding reception. When the event was over I offered to help the petite harpist load her harp into her van. She politely declined saying the insurance on the very expensive instrument dictated that she was the only one allowed to do that.
She had no trouble loading the harp on her own. It seems skill, know-how and experience won out over physical size.
Many harpists view their harp as an extension of themselves. Also, given how much some harps cost, they likely figure if it gets damaged, they don’t want another party involved.
Not just harpists; my daughter’s like that with her flute.
Harps are indeed pricey, particularly the pedal harps.
In early 2015 we toured Lyon & Healy in Chicago. Their gold plated, top of the line concert harp was, at that time, $189k. No, we won’t be getting one.
Erin’s modifying clothes to fit is not an easy endeavor. That takes a distinct skill set.
I agree about liking those mid-80s LTDs… also for non-quantifiable reasons. And as an admirer of two-tone cars, I like this Denver example.
When I was in high school in the late 1980s, we had an Economics project to develop a hypothetical budget, assuming that we had a mid-income family at the time. This required finding housing, a car, and other major items, etc. I don’t remember any details of my project other than I “bought” a used mid-80s LTD for my family car. Recently, I mentioned that project to my wife — she had a similar project in high school, and also “bought” a used LTD. What are the odds?
Nice example of a 1961 GM B body, my favorite year for GM full sizers. Trimmer and less flamboyant than the previous generation. Love the tear drop vent wings. The 2 door bubble top was the best, but curiously was gone after one year (except for the even more curiously ‘62 Bel Air).
+1
Jason, your harp store picture reminded me that I saw this antique harp last month — and figured you might find it interesting. We visited Beauvoir (which was Jefferson Davis’s postwar home) in Biloxi, Mississippi, and this harp is in the house. It’s an early 19th century French harp and has 8 pedals – apparently it’s one of only 3 or 4 of its kind surviving. Great historic house to visit, by the way. It’s not often that I’m amazed by a random harp, so I figured I’d share this one.
And congratulations to Eileen! 4-H is a great organization. One of my daughters participated in 4-H for several years – they had a naturalist program that she loved. Unfortunately, it was shut down at the start of the Covid era; I hope the folks who ran it will bring it back some day.
Eileen loves that harp.
She told me the eighth pedal is a damper. See the slats in the soundboard (the part that faces the player)? These are normally just holes but the eighth pedal will cover and uncover the holes to muffle the sound when needed.
You found quite an interesting harp.
This reminds me of an old friend named Harry, he was a harpist. Back in the 1970’s, he covered the Bee Gee’s. He was a great Harpist that Harry. I’ll never forget the time he called me, all upset and panicky. He had left his Harp, in Stan and Frans Disco.
How is old Harry these days? Is he still Stayin’ Alive? 😉
Will you be here all week?
Those Fox-TDs are curious cars– those and the stretched Omni-Horizon variants. Despite the different drive trains, both carried a similar unsubstantial air about them. Maybe it was the narrowness, the roman chariot hubs on the faux wires, the extra windows popping up in odd places, or the grafted-on prows and tails. My Dad’s early ’80s Iacocca E-Class looked like a blow-molded body on a slot car chassis. I always wondered if my impression of it as a nimble driver came from the way it actually drove, or from a predisposition implied by its appearance.
Thanks for a writeup no one else at CC would have turned out, Jason! Interesting to see the older (i.e., 20th c.) vehicles still in use there in Denver, including those LTDs.
Likewise, fun to survey vehicles of 4H participants from points distant, and imagine what they’d have driven 20-30-40 years ago. Your “uphill” gas mileage can’t have been all that good, and return trip surely better (reminds me of Hugh Downs’s Ford ad way back when—Phoenix to LA?).
Harps: if not obvious to CC-ers, harp study isn’t really cultivated in K-12 schools, and the circuit of private piano teachers/students exceeds that of harps by a huge margin. But, in the end, you’re always in demand for wedding and orchestra gigging, so it does pay off. “Cartage” is the professional term for hauling your harp around, and harp parents like Jason soon learn which vehicles will and won’t work.
Harp Stores: Few and far between, and “big city only” AFAIK. I’m happy for your daughter’s enterprise and success, and know that the store was a delight.
Late-generation Taurus/Sable: many seem to have been purchased by older folk who didn’t put too many miles on them, often with the unfussy, old-school Vulcan engine. If the rust doesn’t get ’em, I can see many of these cars in service for perhaps another decade.
Harpists are often quite isolated from other harpists. There is a relatively vibrant harp community Eileen is associated with in Kansas City, but even then their numbers are few.
Harp-mobiles: Harp Column magazine has a feature every few years on vehicles that make great harp-mobiles. In general, they lament the elimination of larger sedan based wagons as using a SUV/CUV often requires a much bigger one for cartage. For those unaware, the two harps to the left in the picture above are over 6′ tall. Put it in a bag and that adds a few more inches.
They don’t make recommendations so much as tell people pros and cons of each. I figured a Regal TourX or Golf wagon or even a Subaru would work well – apparently, they don’t. One comment from their most recent feature stated if you can get past the looks, a Ford Transit Connect is a very good harp-mobile.
A while back I stumbled upon a picture of the parking of a harpists gathering from the mid-1980s. B-body wagons galore along with a smattering of Aspen wagons.
Two harp stores are equidistant from us – one in Chicago and the other in Bloomington, Indiana. We’ve been to both. And Eileen did get a new set of strings for her first harp while we are the harp store.
Nice finds; the ’61 Pontiac is a real gem.
The typical prevailing winds from the west more likely have affected your mileage more than the extremely gradual incline. Headwinds, even modest ones, make a big impact, considering that aerodynamic drag is by far the biggest component of fuel mileage. Even a fairly mild 20 mph headwind is like driving 85 instead of 65.
We had a northwest to north-northwest wind the entire way out, with my having to hold the steering wheel about 15 degrees off center due to the wind. Typical highway mileage is 17 to 18 mpg with the trip out being in the mid- to low-16s.
On the way back I filled up in Flagler, Colorado. Not noticing, it got filled with 85 octane. I don’t have a good feel for such things, but I’m wondering if that’s how that tank returned 14.1 mpg. From Junction City, Kansas, back to Jefferson City was back up to 17.1 mpg on 87 octane.
I love the ’61 Pontiac convertible but I have a bit of soft spot for blue Pontiac from 1961.
The Rambler hub cap looks remarkably comfortable on the front of the VW van.
I think those LTDs are helped by an attractive two tone paint job.
Love the Pontiac! Those 1961-64 B body cars are unique in one area, which is that depending on brand/model, you had your choice of 4 wildly different automatic transmissions. Buicks still had the last of the old Dynaflows, Oldsmobiles and lower Pontiacs got the unloved 3 speed Roto Hydramatic, Bonnevilles got the old 4 speed Jetaway Hydramatic (which they shared with Cadillac) and then there was the PowerGlide in the Chevys. This Bonne owner wins the transmission lottery in my book.
I am also a fan of the Fox LTD, but I much prefer the wagon (like the one I once owned). And I am in a swoon over the Travelall. You found one of the early ones, pre-1972 if memory serves.
I can tell by the condition of that Buick Century’s rocker panel that Colorado doesn’t use salt on their roads. Where I live (Iowa) Buicks of this age have thoroughly rusted rockers.
A nice assortment from a somewhat eclectic neighborhood “in transition” around there. The LTD reminds me of BOTH of our family’s – one was the upper color of this one but the same color all over and the other was a two-tone but a medium and light metallic blue combination.
BTW – New Mexico gets a surprising amount of snow and cold weather, especially the middle to northern parts, much of it is at fairly high elevations. Passing through last week I saw 21 degrees F in the morning an hour south of ABQ.
For reference, the hotel was on the northeastern part of Denver on Quebec Street.
Right across the street from the old Stapleton International Airport. Those houses off of south Broadway were built in the teens and 20s, maybe the early-30s. For some reason the Depression didn’t hit Denver very hard. (I’ve read stories of state troopers manning the border highways, turning back Okies.)
Paul’s right: Westerly winds driving either Interstate from the east or northeast to Denver will kill gas mileage. 30 to 50mph Chinook winds on 1-70 and I-76 are pretty common this time of year. The upside is that we always get a few 60-some degree days in Denver in January. Something to do with air heating up when it’s compressed, which allowed ancient people from Asia to cross the Bering Strates and migrate in a narrow band south next to the Rocky Mountains to what’s now known as Central and South America.
That new construction looks a collision between a house and an office building, with both trying to overwhelm the other! 🙂
Count me in on that Poncho ~ it looks to be ready for saving .
I find harp music to be very relaxing .
-Nate
Well done Jason, and congrats to your daughter on her achievement.
That boxy residential structure is called a ‘slot house’ which maximizes build-able square footage on many of the narrow lots found in Denver’s older neighborhoods. I get through those parts of town often and the 20s and 30s bungalows are disappearing to accommodate those structures which dwarf the remaining homes.
Too bad you weren’t downtown about seven years ago. You could’ve seen my baby. 1970 Riviera.
Another very enjoyable off-the-beaten track post, Jason – thanks. I’ve just googled some the distances you eluded to – that would be a long way in a basic van.
The reasons people choose vehicles are always diverse – from having space for 2 sets of golf clubs or the preferred choice of a special dog, but fitting in your harp is a neat one. We met a zither player some years ago, who could only buy a VW Sharon/Ford Galaxy (with a -y) as her full size concert zither would not find anything else. A friend who suffered from extreme travel sickness effectively chose his cars on olfactory reaction in the showroom, and latterly drive a Subaru just because it didn’t make him gag in the showroom.
And 5th in a nationwide competition? Awesome indeed – well done Eileen!