Jun 16, 2013 - A day in Cripple Creek

48 out of 52 buildings burnt down, the old locomotive & carriage that I put a photo off on the blog also is no longer there. There is damage as well to the bridge 32 planks have got to be replaced but otherwise the bridge was saved. We had seen pictures of the fire at Royal Gorge Bridge & Park and it now looks nothing like what we visited. Saturday found the fire was out at Cripple Creek so headed up there a 42 mile drive way up in the hills with winding narrow roads again but at least we were only in the car. Cripple Creek is an old mining...

Jun 16, 2013 - Estes Park, Colorado

June 16, 2013 – Estes Park The drive to Estes Park, gateway to Rocky Mountain National Park was lovely but uneventful. As you get into Colorado, the Rocky Mountains appeared but it was quite cloudy and foggy so the view was not clear. However, the road (US 34) to Estes Park provided stunning scenery as it followed the path of the Big Thompson River crossing from side to side of the river during the trek. The river is very full and running very rapidly snugged up to the base of enormous canyon walls. It’s clear to see how this canyon was...

Jun 15, 2013 - Colorado Springs & Around

Wednesday drove out to Cheyenne Mountain State Park where we hiked 3.5 miles saw Prairie Dogs there and a few more different wild flowers. Then drove onto another Park where we walked a few more trails. The fires are still raging here in Black Forest as well as well as Canon City where we left. We get up in the morning and can smell the smoke and its 15-18 miles away there has been over 100 homes lost and loads of people evacuated it is 0% contained as I write this. Canon City fire has done a lot of damage as well, 48 out of 52 buildings...

Jun 14, 2013 - Find In City Park Leads To Another Canyon

From Kings River Bend RV Park – Montrose, CO The day we visited the Ute Indian Museum we also walked across the street to a small city park on the Uncompahgre River’s edge. Amongst walkways under shade trees and a boardwalk through the marsh leading to the flowing river we noticed a group of what appeared to be monuments of some kind and decided to take a closer look. The four cement monuments were in honor of the Dominguez-Escalante Expedition of 1776 which traversed this area of western Colorado. This was an expedition by two Franciscan...

Jun 13, 2013 - A Bit Of Ute Indian History

From Kings River Bend RV Park – Montrose, CO Today’s outing began less than a mile down the road from our RV Park at the Ute Indian Museum and Ouray Memorial Park. This is one of the few museums in the country devoted solely to one tribe……….the Ute people of western Colorado. Located on the farm that once belonged to the famous Ute leader Ouray and his wife Chipeta the museum portrays the Ute life and culture. It is also home to the Ouray Memorial and Chipeta’s grave. For over 1,000 years the Utes crossed western America’s great mountains...

Jun 12, 2013 - Drive to Canon City

Monday a 2.5 hour drive to Canon City where are stopping just 2 nights, another nerve racking drive over Monarch Pass narrow winding roads with tight bends and me on the edge again pretty scary stuff. Amazing scenery along the way though. We also drove through Bighorn Sheep Gorge the river and the rail track alongside us all the way through but no train appeared. More road works on route that held us up again and a delayed journey. Later on we drove up to the Royal Gorge Bridge & Park where we walked across the bridge it is a suspension...

Jun 12, 2013 - Fire & Evacuation

Tuesday off to The Royal Gorge Bridge & Park again as when we visited last night only the bridge was open, first we rode on the Aerial Tram that goes across the gorge which is 2200ft wide and when you are in the middle it is 1000ft down with the Arkansas River roaring below. There is also a railway that runs alongside the river. Once we were over the other side of the gorge we walked around the animal area where we saw Elk, Bighorn Sheep & Bison, there was 3 White Bison very rare and scared to the Indians we had never seen these before. I...

Jun 12, 2013 - Mesa Verde National Park

Mesa Verde National Park was created in 1906 to preserve the archeological heritage of the Ancestral Puebloans, both atop the mesas and in the cliff dwellings below. It was very interesting touring the Cliff Palace 100 feet below the mesa top, climbing down stairs and ladders - a little exhausting on a very hot day!

Jun 11, 2013 - Fun Valley-South Fork Co.

Kids slept in till 10:00 am, so we had a slow start. Which is what vacation is all about. Once the boys are up they are out on the picnic table fishing before they eat breakfast. At 2:00 we watched an Acoustic Jam Session. It was fun to watch and sing along. The harmonica player was great. There is a train pulled by a jeep that runs through the park from 10:00 am till 5:00. Every once in a while Jay and Ava go for a ride. They can go get ice cream and get back on it. Mostly, they just like to ride. Braxton is the fisherman. He now has the...

Jun 11, 2013 - Silverton, Colorado

We are in the awesome little town of Silverton, Colorado. We absolutely love this part of the country, no wonder they call this area the Million Dollar Highway. :-) We actually drove the highway backwards from everyone else. We started in Dolores and went to Mountain Valley, then Telluride, then Ouray. From Ouray we drove to Silverton, then Durango and back to Cortez. It was a total of 240 miles, some of the most beautiful miles we have ever driven. It reminded us so much of Alaska. We also stopped in more small towns we loved on the way,...

Jun 10, 2013 - Switzerland of America?

From Kings Riverbend RV Park – Montrose, CO Today’s adventure took us south of Montrose among the majestic San Juan Mountains and canyons where the small town of Ouray can be found nestled in some of Southwestern Colorado’s most scenic areas. This old western mining mountain town is a treasure of geologic wonder. Among them are Box Canon Falls, several abandoned mines, a sulfur free hot springs pool, a world famous ice park and Mount Sneffels. As you approach the town of Ouray from the north you see in the distance the 14,000 foot peak...

Jun 10, 2013 - Ouray, Colorado

We are in Ouray, Colorado. It is one of the most beautiful areas we have seen in Colorado. Ouray's intimate downtown is a designated National Historic District, it is nestled in a canyon at the base of the San Juan Mountains and offers some of the most panoramic views in the United States, earning it the nickname "Switzerland of America." Natural wonders like waterfalls, hot springs, mountain peaks and wildlife abound in the area. We saw a huge herd of elk right outside of town. There were so many I gave up counting. Ouray has been a...