National Park Travelers Club Meetup

Given my interest in visiting national parks and collecting passport stamps, I became a member of the National Park Travelers Club (NPTC) many years ago. The NPTC is dedicated to the mission of providing networking and recognition opportunities for visitors to America's National Park System. The club also maintains a database of passport stamps and is my go-to for finding locations of stamps.

NPTC

From time to time, the club hosts “meetups” at various national parks. Today was NPTC Across America Day, where simultaneous meetups in various geographical regions were held. The one for the Rocky Mountain region took place at Cache la Poudre River National Heritage Area, just 20 minutes from our home.

I had been corresponding with the meetup host about options for the event, but this morning, I received an unexpected text message from him. He was in Estes Park with his family, and his mother had become very ill. When he asked if I would fill in for him as emergency meetup host, I agreed. We made hurried arrangements, and, somehow, it all worked out.

I met his wife halfway between Estes Park and Loveland, where she handed over the all-important passport stamp and other items. If someone had been watching us get out of our cars and quickly make the switch, they might have thought it was a drug deal! The attendees were patiently waiting for me to arrive at the Fort Collins Welcome Center, our meeting point, and I was only 15 minutes late.

Since there was no sign for the Cache la Poudre River National Heritage Area at the Welcome Center, we posed in front of the painted horse. Like many cities, Fort Collins has a program in which local artists paint a giant statue. In the case of Fort Collins, it’s a rearing horse.

The Meetup Attendees

From the Welcome Center, we proceeded to Big Splash at the Water Works, a Fort Collins tradition at the 1883 Water Works, co-sponsored by Poudre Heritage. Here, we were able to “step back in time and uncover the fascinating origins of our city's water delivery system, dating back to June 1883.” This facility was built to provide the growing town of Fort Collins with an adequate supply of water for fighting the building fires that plagued the early town. Today, it is being transformed into a Water Interpretive Center.

The Big Splash Event

1883 Water Works, Fort Collins, Colorado

Neither Tim nor I had ever visited this site, so we enjoyed the tour and learned a little more about our neighboring city’s history.