We are in central Colorado
Today we are in Woodlawn Park Colorado and there is going to be a lot to do. First item on the list is Pikes Peak! I hope that the smoke and clouds aren’t too bad. There are two ways to get to the top of Pikes Peak either drive up or ride the Cog Railroad to the top. Since we didn’t know how bad it would be that high in the clouds we decided to drive. Right now the entire top of the mountain is under construction and just recently the new visitor center has been opened. With limited parking on the top most people have to stop at mile 16 and ride a shuttle bus to the top. Given two choices I usually make the wrong one first and today was no different. When we got off the bus it was fairly clear but instead of taking photos we decided to go into the visitor center first. Yes, by the time we came out the smoke and clouds had moved in and the photos reflect that. I have to admit my body did not work well at 14,110 feet but I can say that we were there. On the way up to the shuttle bus stop we passed a few hearty souls riding a bicycle on the road. I like riding my bike but I cannot imagine riding up a 14,000 feet high hill. I thought that I got a photo of them but I cannot find it. When we took out rest stop on the way up we got to talk to them. On the way back down we ran into the bike riders again and they did make it to the top and thought that they had a great ride. The one guy pointed out that to ride to the top didn’t take as long as riding a 100 Kilometer ride and he got to coast down most of it so maybe something to strive for.
When we first arrived in the RV park we were told about a dinner show that was a must do stop when in the area so our second stop for today is at Flying W Ranch & Chuckwagon Supper. The food was great and the show was better than expected. In addition to the food and show the ranch had some other attractions. They had a short hiking trail that helped one work up their appetite, On the trail we saw big horn sheep, but too far away to get a good photo. Closer to the ranch they offered a horse drawn wagon ride and a short ride on an small gauge railroad. There were Native Americans demonstrating some of their dances and other arts.
Our next adventure in this location was to Cripple Creek and Victor which was and still is the gold mine hot spot in this part of Colorado. Cripple Creek has become a central location for Casinos and the historic part of the town is well preserved and just out side of town is an old gold mine that still gives tours. Judy and I opted to do other stuff but have been informed that we missed a great experience by not doing the tour. Oh well there are only so many hours to be a tourist.
We drove over to Victor, Colorado which is still the home of an extremely large open pit gold mine and just like the coal mine I told you about a while back this mine has to follow the same guidelines about mining and reclaiming the land. It and also was once the site of several hand dug tunnel type mines. To get a feel for the overall size the town has a train ride through the mine area that explains the process and points out some of the abandoned mines. We also got a closer look at the modern open pit mine.
On the way back to Woodlawn Park we passed Florissant Fossil Beds National Park and it was one of those unexpected adventures. Although we only had about 40 minutes until closing we did have time enough to walk one trail. One of the highlights was all of the petrified tree stumps in the area and one amazing tree growing right out of the center of a petrified tree stump!
This feels like a good place to stop, so until the next entry thanks for following.