The later half of March is a confusing time to be in Colorado.  The range of possible weather events makes it a tough time period to plan for.  In the mountains, there are plenty of times snow continues to fall, and provides more high quality snow days for skiers and snowboarders.  But, the snow does not always continue to fall, and if it doesn’t, conditions on the mountain can deteriorate fast, as warmer temperatures are likely to eat away at the snow pack.

At lower elevations there is quite a bit of variance as well.  March can easily bring Denver, Fort Collins, and even Colorado Springs long strings of 70 degree days.  It can also bring heavy snowfall, as was the case this past Wednesday.

There’s no guarantee that the weather will cooperate for any outdoor activities.  There is always the chance that skiing conditions will continue to deteriorate without conditions for cycling or hiking at lower elevations improving.  For people like me, this time of year has the potential to be quite underwhelming.  Due to this uncertainty, I would not personally recommend people travel any great distance to visit Colorado in the later half of March or April.

With leftover snow on the ground, covering the trails and such, this weekend ended up being a good time to visit one of Colorado’s indoor attractions.  I often lament that Colorado does have some quality museums, an indoor activity, but that I rarely actually visit them as I am planning outdoor adventures.  A weekend like this, with less than inspiring weather conditions is the perfect time visit the Colorado Model Railroad Museum in Greeley.

As should be expected from a museum dedicated to model railroads, there is quite a bit on display here.  Following the suggested self-guided tour route through the museum, I started out by going upstairs, where I viewed the model rail display in its entirety.

Although it is neat to see these trains go by, each one carrying a different type of freight across the landscape, model railroads are about so much more than just the trains.  They depicts towns, industry, and scenery.  Some of the mountains depicted on this display even contain small components of real rock.

The upper floor of this museum is like a trip back in time.  Plastered on the wall is a map of regional railways, which were once the primary way in which we traveled around the area.  After viewing the photos of historic rail depots, posters from the middle of the 20th Century promoting passenger rail service, and old train schedules on display, I imagined myself in the setting of some quasi-ambiguous time in the middle part of last century, bags packed, ready to hop aboard one of these trains to embark on an adventure.  I gaze at these maps, and think about how much I enjoy not only the adventures I have at various travel destinations, but the process of getting there, the journey.  The railways, and these models, are all about the journey!

The second half of the self guided tour takes visitors downstairs, to see the components of this elaborate model train display individually.  Each segment of model trains tell a story, but not a straightforward story.  They show a snapshot of life in different places along this train’s route.  Looking at all of these individual displays, it is quite easy to imagine oneself there, as part of the story, or as an omnipresent type of observer.  The details and creativity allow visitors to develop a story based on what they see.

In this thriving town along the rail route, I imagine myself getting a dollar out to purchase a soda from a vending machine on a hot day.  I imagine what this family is doing.  Did they just have a fight?  The Man’s arms are folded and the daughter is turned away from her parents, clinging to a stuffed bear.

They got creative too.  The scene here is a wildfire being put out by firefighters.  This is one of many places throughout this gigantic exhibit where specific events are depicted.  Not only do we see where stores are, where houses are and such, imagining the day-to-day life in fictitious towns along the route, periodic occurrences are displayed before us as well.

In a few areas, the builders of this display got even more creative.  My favorite one here depicts a kayaking trip gone wrong.  This kayak now inhabited by a black bear, with two people having been thrown into the water, only one still holding on to their paddle.

A ton of work went into the displays at this particular museum.  It’s been a long time since I have been to a museum like this one, but I picture most model railway museums being similar in nature.  It is impossible to overstate how important attention to detail is when creating an exhibit like this, or even when people create model train sets for their own homes and gardens.  I do not consider myself detail-oriented enough to put something like this together.  I am also probably way too extroverted to want to spend the time putting together a display like this.

Seeing this display, first in its entirety, and then by its individual components, gave me a newfound appreciation for the attention to detail payed when creating this exhibit.  None of it would have been nearly as good had anyone involved in building this exhibit taken the attitude I often take that details matter less than the big picture.  The story of this exhibit would not be presented properly had one little item, one tiny piece of brick at 1:87 scale been slightly off.  Maybe details need not be dismissed.  Maybe those of us that are frustrated with dealing with details we deem insignificant need to just understand how they fit into the big picture.