Historic Colorado Train Tour 2023

Oh, what an interesting trip we did take with our friends, Wilmer and Shirley Shank and Steve and Jane Conrad. 

The trip included six historic train rides and three national parks in Colorado.

**Note:  Click on any photo for an enlargement.

Day 1   September 22, 2023  - We took a shuttle from Harrisonburg to Dulles Airport and flew to the Denver Airport.  Thankfully, Gary and I had arranged for wheelchairs in both airports. The walking involved to get to our planes was really, really a long way!

NOTE:  I sprained my knee 5 days before the trip but was determined to go!  I wore a brace and used a cane.

We were met at the Denver Airport by our guide, Susan Bingle.  Susan was the main reason this was such a pleasant tour.  People didn't come late to the bus and with her bus rotation system, there was no grumbling about seating.  She was simply delightful and attended to every detail - even acknowledging Gary on his 78th birthday on September 27th.  

Susan's knowledge and narrative was interesting and fascinating.  She had been a guide in Africa for 30 years.

 

 This program will not let me shorten the green bar below.  Harumph!  As Mother would say,  "It's enough to make a preacher cuss!"  

Comfort Suites, Dillon, CO     2 nights

Day 2   September 23   Rocky Mountain National Park

Where is the Rocky Mountain National Park?
Just west of Estes Park and it one of the highest national parks in the nation.

How large is it?   400 sq  miles,with elevations up to 14,259 feet. 

 

 

We had lunch in Grand Lake at a fun outdoor restaurant right on the river.

 

The Aspen trees of Colorado are beautiful.  Yes, fall in Colorado is mostly yellow but it's a beautiful yellow!  The white trunks added drama.

 I find it fascinating that one aspen root sends out shoots to spawn thousands of trees.  They grow close because they're all connected.

This is silly but a nightly part of our trip -- I had to set up my "snake pit" for the CPAP machine, my Apple watch, and my phone.  It was challenging and I was thankful that I had brought my 3-way plug.

Day 3   September 24 Colorado and Southern Railroad   Our ride was almost 3 hours long.  It started at Leadville and returned to Leadville. 

We stopped at a water tower to stretch our legs, then had a surprisingly tasty box lunch on the train. The cars were open but covered.

I observed many people with very large dogs on the train.  Susan said Coloridians love their doge.  Many places let them bring their dogs to work! Wish I could have caught a picture of them!

Rest stop at Monarch Pass   Continental Divide 
 

Which is the least visited national park in Colorado?
Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park

It's hard to show how deep it is, but you can see teeny people in the background.  That's to show how big the area is.  Click pic to enlarge.

Who found the Black Canyon?
John W. Gunnison explored the canyon in 1853.   

Why is it called the Black Canyon?
The  walls are often shrouded in shadows making them appear black.

How deep is Black Canyon?
It is 8,000 ft, deep - making it the steepest, deepest, and narrowest in CO

How old is it?  Some of the rock is 2 billion years old!!!!

What happened between 1905 and 1909?
The Gunnison Tunnel aqueduct was built.  It was a 6 mile tunnel that brought water to irrigate 1000s of acres in an arid valley.

 

 

 

 

Dinner at Culver’s

Hampton Inn,

Montrose, CO

Day 4   September 25  Durango and Silverton RR narrow gauge.
 

 

Silverton to Durango is Million Dollar Highway a 25 stretch of highway between Silverton and Ouray. 

 

Silverton, Durango and Ouray is called “The Million Dollar Highway” either because it cost so much to build, because of the amount of gold ore that remained in the roadway's fill, or the figurative price for those amazing San Juan Mountain views.

 

Lunch at the "Shady Lady" in Silverton.  It was a brothel back in the day!

  

The narrow gauge train ride from Silverton to Durango was
45 miles long and was built in 1882. 

    

 

Sky Ute Casino

Resort

1 Night

-  Owned by the Southern Ute Indian Tribe

Day 5  September 26    Mesa Verde  Cliff Dwellings from 500 AD  

Mesa Verde means Green Table

Ancestral Puebloan peoples. The lived in the dwellings from 550 A.D. to 1300 A.D.

They were there for 700 years, then left probably due to drought. 

What makes Mesa Verde unique?  
More than 4,000 known archeological sites

Mesa Verde Is the only park In the country where 4 states come together – CO, NM, AZ, UT

This Mesa Verde National Park protects the cliff dwellings and mesa top sites of pit houses, pueblos, masonry towers, and farming structures of the Ancestral Pueblo people. 

We took a rest at our hotel in the afternoon - long drive from Durango to Sky Ute Casino on an Indian reservation

Dinner & a Delightful Cowboy Show at Bar D Chuckwagon 

Clean jokes and peppy music.  I hope the video plays for you.

Day 6   September 27    Cumbres & Toltec Scenic RR – Chama, NM to Antonito, CO     

 Our LONGEST ride – 6+ hours - 10 am to 4:40 pm  - 64 miles

We stopped at the top of the mountain for a buffet luncheon.  A local caterer served hundreds of people in a short time.  Their enchilada casserole was out of this world...not exactly a gourmet restaurant but hearty fare.  (or would it be hardy?)

  

 

      Highest and most authentic
      steam RR in North America, 

 

 

 


We got a kick out of the Speeder Car.  But, what a boring job that would be - on a little train car with no shock absorbers and all by yourself.

The speeder car went behind the train to spray burning cinders from the  train to avoid fires.

If you look closely you'll see the speeder car back there.

Hampton Inn Alamosa, CO

Day 7   September 28  Royal Gorge Route Railroad, Canon, CO  -  Picnic in the Park  and Garden of the Gods near Manitou Springs

Does the Royal Gorge train go over the Royal Gorge Bridge?
No, it goes UNDER the swinging bridge.

Shirley and Wilmer were on vacation with their children.  Wilmer refused to drove over this bridge so Shirley and children walked over and back.

This was a 24-mile round trip through the dramatic Royal Gorge over the famous Hanging Bridge.  

What are three interesting facts about the Royal Gorge Swinging Bridge?
 

* The bridge  is the tallest in the US at 955 high

* There are 1292 planks across

* It took only 7 months to build by 80 hearty men.

* Its 2 towers are 150 ft and 110 feet tall respectively.

     
 I think this photo of Wilmer is neat.  His shirt matches the buildings in the background.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Garden of the Gods, Colorado Springs

Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs is a city park.

 How large is Garden of the Gods?  1,367 acres

Gary & MaryMay Suter, Shirley & Wilmer Shank, Jane & Steve Conrad

 

 

Why is it so famous?

Garden of the Gods is home to a “plethora of geological and ecological rarities.”  (unusual rock formations)  

 Here's a Coloradian with her dog.   It was chilly but she's young!

From the discovery of a new species of dinosaur, to a subspecies of honey ant not previously recorded, this park is home to countless flora and fauna.

Prehistoric people visited Garden of the Gods about 1330 BC.  It is one of the most incredible geological wonders of the world.

How old is the Garden of the Gods?  300 million years old.

This is part of the results of plates slamming.

Dinosaurs roamed the Garden of the Gods. About 65 million years ago, there was an intense period of mountain building caused by the old Pacific plate slamming into the North American plate.

 

Raddison Hotel

Colorado Springs

2 nights

Day 8  September 29 morning  Cripple Creek & Victor Narrow Gauge RR 

 

You can see how narrow the tracks are.

Do they still mine for gold in Cripple Creek?   Open-pit mining began in 1995.  They mine gold and many other minerals today.

 

Coal ready for our ride.

 

 The locomotive is a 15 ton iron horse

   

 
The train ride was 4 miles and about 45 minutes long.

Today, that open-pit mine is the largest mining operation in the continental United States.

(I thought I took a picture of the guy shoveling coal into the engine but I guess I didn't.)

Day 8   September 29 afternoon   Broadmoor's Pikes Peak Cog Train   

from 6,000 ft in Manitou Springs to 14,000 feet at the summit of Pikes Peak.  
Did we suffer with altitude sickness (hypoxia)?  YES!

Gary watching the steep climb.

 

Everyone thought I was a bit crazy but I saw this darling family and wanted to take their picture.  

Here we are - on top of the world!

MaryMay's once again trying to learn to take selfies!

 

This blog program is making me mad.... it won't do what I tell it to do!   

Raddison Hotel, Colorado Springs, CO

Day 9   September 30   Depart for Denver airport. 

Once again, we had arranged for wheelchairs.  The wheelchair attendant who pushed me said they have more than 200 wheelchair attendances in the Denver airport.  We arrived there at 9:30 a.m. but our flight wasn't till 2:00.  So, we relaxed and had my favorite, Chick-fil-A for lunch.

Our shuttle was waiting for us at Dulles.  We got home about 11:30 p.m.  It was a wonderful trip and we enjoyed the entire journey!....

…. In spite of tender knees and aching backs!  More about that in another post. 

This trip was certainly one of those "a good time was had by all" trips