Great Weekend Getaways - The lure of the Plains

Genoa Wonder View Tower and Museum

By Christine Loomis

As a quirky roadside attraction about 95 miles southeast of Denver, off I-70, this definitely falls in the oddities category. It's said that from the top of the tower you can see six states on a clear day, but whether that's truth or tall tale is hard to tell, just as it's nearly impossible to tell what some of the thousands of items jammed into corners and nailed to walls and ceilings throughout the museum's labyrinth of 22 rooms really are.

You can try asking Jerry Chubbuck, who has cared for the museum and its odd collection for 37 of his 74 years. In addition to the buffalo hairball, two-headed calf, eight-foot pig and thousands of other artifacts, Jerry has a special collection of 300 items. Identify 10 in a row and you'll get your $1 entrance fee back. "One man came three times before he got 10," Jerry says, "but he wouldn't take his dollar back because he had so much fun." Jerry would divulge the identity of only one of the items, because I might go "and be able to guess 10."

Seems unlikely; the one item I now know about is a petrified dinosaur dropping. I asked what it looks like. "Well, it went in the north end and came out the south end," Jerry declares by way of description.

If you're traveling by in the heat of summer, stop in just to visit the eight rock rooms-rooms made entirely of rock and filled with 1,000 rock paintings created by a real Sioux princess. They're always cool-in every sense.

But the real reason to go is to chat with Jerry, who has welcomed visitors from as far away as China, Japan and Russia, and from every state in the union. Be sure to sign his visitor's book; he likes to read the notes and keep track of where his guests come from.

Information: 719-763-2309; opening hours are pretty much whenever someone shows up; "I live right here, you know," says Jerry.

Please note: This article is from our archives and some facts may have changed. Please contact your nearest AAA office and ask to speak to a travel counselor to update you on the latest travel information.

Christine Loomis is a freelance writer and editor in Lafayette, and a frequent contributor to EnCompass.