Colorado - July 2000

Colorado was perhaps best known to me for the winter activities available in the many mountainous areas for snow sports. But the mountains brought welcomed relief from the summer temperatures to these Arkansas and Texas folks for a few weeks in July. Mary traveled west with me and we picked up Pat at the airport when she flew in from Houston.

One surprise that greeted us was the rainy season that occurs in the latter part of July and August. But a few afternoon showers did not cramp our style. Most mornings we awoke to glorious sunshine with clear skies and tried to plan our outdoor activities to avoid afternoon rains.

We also learned a lot about elevations and how much the change affected temperatures. But most of all the scenery delighted us all. Below is a view from Pikes Peak.

Colorado Springs welcomed us from the Great Plains to the Rocky Mountains. At 6,000 feet with a population of 281,000 it was an easy to travel in city. The first night we realized that campgrounds close to the Springs wereare way too crowded for us and eventually worked our way further west and outside of town. Our first night was spent at Lone Duck in Cascade, too crowded for us, but nice for families with activities for kids.

Woodland Park is a fast growing modern city west of Colorado Springs. Several miles north of town are several national forest campgrounds. We chose South Meadow Campground in the Pike National Forest. The elk came through one afternoon and took down my bird feeder .. or so the neighbors told us. Stellar jays, magpies, and black headed grossbeaks shared our camping area with numerous retirees and hummingbirds.

At the Garden of the Gods, in the northwest part of Colorado Springs off US 24, we found a 1,300 acre park that was donated to the city with the provision that visiting always remain free.

Towering red sandstone formations are found throughout the park. The Visitor's Center offers a nice display and information about nature walks. A buffalo burger can be had at the Trading Post where there is a peaceful outdoors patio cafe alongside a little pond. Kay and Charles joined us for the adventure. Kay is looking out over the scenery.
The cog railroad that ascends Pikes Peak is located in Manitou Springs on Ruxton Avenue and runs to the summit many times each day. After making a reservation be sure to take a jacket and a water bottle. Many visitors find themselves quite light headed and dizzy at the 14,000 foot altitude as did Kay and I. Kay and Mary look happy to be there.

The trip up the mountain on the cog railway was an adventure.

Manitou Springs, sitting just below Pikes Peak, is an old spa long noted for its soda water and iron springs. The town is full of artists and tourists but the parks found throughout the center of the city provide serenity to the visitor. A trolley runs from the Garden of the Gods through Manitou Springs stopping throughout the town. Hopping on and off is ok. Miramont Castle, a 48 room mansion built at the end of the 19th century by a French priest, is located on the side of the mountain located just off Ruxton Avenue. It includes a miniature museum and self guided tour.

Old Colorado City was originally an old miners town six miles east of Manitou Springs. The historic district is between 24th and 27th streets and is now a part of Colorado Springs. A park is located among many shops and eateries and the library just behind the park is a great place to check email. A bakery just across from the park seems to be a favorite among the locals. I spent some time in the area after dropping Mary and Pat at the airport and bus stations because Ziggy needed mechanical attention again!

On further west a trip to the Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument provides interpretive programs and self guided tours of an old lake bed that 35 million years ago was layered by volcanic ash and lava flows from a volcano near Guffey. The plant and animal life was preserved and the giant petrified redwood stumps are protected in the 6,000 acre NPS monument. A tour of an old 1878 homestead nearby gives visitors a glimpse into the life of a wealthy widow and her children. One of our nature walks helped us to learn how to recognize douglas fir and blue spruce trees. This is one of the petrified stumps.

Also in the area west of town is Mueller State Park . This was a great spot to spend one night which would have been more had it not been full.

The Elevenmile Canyon Recreation Area was a most scenic area along the South Platte River.

Forest service campgrounds provided a convenient location to camp. Many campgrounds were in the area and we stayed at Springer Gulch .

Nearby trout fishing on the South Platte River is where I became hooked on fly fishing. It had nothing to do with catching a fish as I didn't but it was more about the peaceful serenity that surrounded me on the banks of that river. Now if Ionly had some waders.

Here Mary fishes the South Platte.

The road was a one lane washboard gravel road with several rock tunnels but scenic indeed as it ran alongside the South Platte.

One the way to Aspen we passed through Buena Vista, a peaceful community with a population of 1,800. We stopped for lunch at the Nordic Inn in Twin Lakes. What a cute tiny old community with a population of 50. Old buildings caught our eyes down the side roads.Later we were on Independence Pass. I was quite fearful of heights at that time and was almost in a panic.

We visited the Maroon Bells in Aspen, Colorado. What beauty.

We traveled the scenic route from Glenwood Springs which turned into a dirt road that took us high above Gore Canyon. You probably can't see the train on the tracks below. We were lucky we didn't break down until we got past this road.

Along the way I was fascinated by the hillsides and had to see if it were dirt or rock.

The views were so spectacular. Too bad I cropped all my photos so small. That was when computers loaded them quite slowly.

This was a peaceful campground among the pines on the western edge of the Rocky Mountain National Park, Whiskey River. From this campground we took Ziggy to the shop in Granby and rented a Suburban.

A glacier lake .. Grand Lake .. another first for me .. did I mention this was my first trip west to a mountainous region.

Even though we broke down just as we planned to enter the Rocky Mountain National Park we did not let that hinder us. We got in the rented Suburban and traveled across the mountain top. Camping became a choice of Mary's tent or the back seat of the Suburban.

This was up close in the Rocky Mountains, a first time experience for me!

We camped at at Timber Creek, a first come first served campground located on the western side of the park on the edge of the Colorado River.What better place to go on a bird watching walk with the national park enthusiast.

Pat lives in Houston and hadn't seen snow in years. She (in the white top) couldn't resist getting out to play as we maneuvered the hairpin curves on Trail Ridge Road.

Moraine Park Campground, located on the eastern side of RMNP, provided us with another serene camping spot among friends. We stayed here in a rented vehicle and a tent while the van got some repairs in Granby. From here we crossed the Continental Divide back to Granby through Berthoud Pass rather than take the hairpin curves on Trail Ridge Road. There didn't seem to be much difference so the next time we took the interstate through Eisenhower Tunnel. Due to car repairs we crossed the Continental Divide four times, two of them unplanned. We ran into Mary's friends who were also touring the area. Next to me are Charles, Kay, Steve, Bev and Mary.

Cripple Creek, made famous in the gold mining rush after gold was discovered in 1891, presents itself less busy than it might have been decades ago, except for the tourists. The town once had a population of 18,000 where now 600 reside. After a town fire destroyed the buildings in 1896 the town was rebuilt with brick, many buildings now turned into casinos.

At the Molly Kathleen Gold Mine, located just north of Cripple Creek on 67, one can take a most informative 40 minute tour of an open pit mine 1,000 feet underground. Many old gold mines are in the area as witnesses of past decades. The entire area has deserted houses and shades of gold are abundant on the hillsides .

The Phantom Canyon Road, from Cripple Creek to near Canon City, follows an old railway bed that ran to Cripple Creek. The 36 mile gravel mountain road winds through canyons, over mountains, and along rivers. It takes about two hours to make the drive with pullouts on the one lane road for meeting other cars. The scenery is breathtaking as are many of the curves with no guard rails. This is not a road I would have taken but we didn't hesitate to ride with Kay and Charles. Kay could hardly contain herself.

The Cripple Creek and Victor Narrow Gauge Railroad takes tourists on a 4 mile, 45 minute narrated trip from Cripple Creek to Victor stopping to view panoramic vistas and deserted gold mines. The Lost Burro Campground north of Cripple Creek was a suitable place to stay while playing in the area.

Victor was founded in 1893 and 475 mines in the Cripple Creek and Victor area extracted more than 800 million dollars in gold from 1891 to 1961. The population in Victor was over 12,000 near the turn of the century and today there are 300 residents. Many old Victorian houses from the early days still stand. The Lowell Thomas Museum offers visitors a glimpse of thee gold rush days. You can see the mines in the background above the town.

The bridge over the Royal Gorge near Canon City was built in 1929 and is the world's highest suspension bridge spanning the Royal Gorge 1,053 above the Arkansas River. I refused to ride across the bridge!

Pat flew back to Houston after spending one week with us and Mary caught a bus to visit friends in New Mexico. It was a fun and memorable experience.