AAA Colorado

Reader Service
Free Travel Info

Colorado Calendar

EnCompass^® The AAA Companion

July \| August 2004 Volume 78 Issue 4

Member Feedback

Teen driving safety sparks member support

I missed the poll in support of Graduated Drivers Licensing (GDL) in the last issue. Having a son nearing driving age, I fully support the law. What can be done to push it through? Petitions? Letters to any particular government official?
— C. Zieve, Telluride

Editor's Note: The issue of teen driving safety has struck a responsive cord with many AAA members. EnCompass has received numerous letters — most of which support stronger measures than currently in place — and a AAA Colorado Telephone Poll regarding the issue (EnCompass, March/April) drew more than twice the normal number of respondents to such polls.

To learn more about AAA's view on teen driving safety, and to find out what you can do to have a positive impact, see the President's Message (page 6) and the new poll in the Commentary section.

Reader survey card draws good response

Editor's Note: In the May/June issue, we asked readers to fill out a survey card to help us better understand what you want in your member magazine. Thanks to the more than 1,600 readers who returned cards, and special thanks to the nearly 800 people who wrote something extra (90% of which were positive). We plan to report the results of your responses in the September/October issue. The lucky winner of the drawing for a $100 AAA Travel Store gift certificate was C. Barnes.

Mystery town unveiled?

I am a genealogist and I tried to find on the censuses some of the people whose names were on the storefronts of the picture in the Mystery Photo, page 69, in your May/June issue. I could not find any Perlinskys, except in 1880 in Cañon City, Fremont County, Colorado. But there was no Paul.
— Kathy Johnson, email

Editor's Note: Last issue's mystery photo caused a lot of reader interest. We received numerous letters, some of which were quite detailed — none more than the two letters (and one phone call) from Mark Niemeyer, an historical researcher. While his "guess" is most compelling, it is not definitive. He hopes to visit his candidate town and take a photo that will show the same mountain configuration displayed in the historical shot. We plan to report what he finds in the September/October issue.

Meanwhile, the mystery photo stimulated such interest that EnCompass has joined forces with the Colorado Historical Society to provide a similar photographic mystery each issue. We hope that our members can aid the Colorado Historical Society in the important job of identifying such images.

Gas price comments create "flabbergastion"

I am flabbergasted by your May/June piece on gasoline prices — how can anybody be so ignorant of the facts?

The main reason for the high prices is lack of competition. We have a near-monopoly and a resulting conspiracy in the marketplace. When you allow the largest oil company in the world (Exxon) to buy the second largest (Mobile) and additional mergers among the top six or eight, what do you expect — more competition? Why do we have insufficient refining capacity? Because the oil companies wanted it that way... You fail to point out that the ever-increasing size of our car engines and the unwillingness of our politicians to establish tougher consumption standards (CAFE) are responsible for a good portion of this increased consumption... Conservation should not be limited to cars, but must become part of all facets of our daily lives.
— Peter Brebach, Manitou Springs

Are seatbelts about politics or surviving?

I appreciated your response (May/June, page 8) to a reader who objects to seat belt laws [as a "political issue"] and thinks that if he doesn't wear one and has an accident he is the only one impacted. My wife was in an auto accident a few years ago and because of wearing her seat belt she received only minor injuries. It was much cheaper to the insurance company as well as to our mental health. I do not believe this was political that she survived.
— Wayne Wathen, Highlands Ranch

Glenwood Springs has much to offer

You blew it in your article on America's dozen distinctive destinations (May/June, page 67). You described Glenwood Springs, but you completely neglected to even mention a prime attraction, the historic Glenwood Caverns and new tramway.
— Ellen Leupold, Boulder

Editor's Note: The article Ms. Leupold refers to reported on what the National Trust for Historic Preservation said about Glenwood Springs, not what EnCompass feels Glenwood has to offer (which is quite substantial). As to the Caverns, they were featured, along with the new tramway, in our July/August 2003 issue.

Return to Table of Contents