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
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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
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Hampton Inn,
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Montrose, CO
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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
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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
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Dinner
& a Delightful Cowboy Show at Bar D Chuckwagon Clean jokes and peppy music. I hope the video plays for you.
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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.
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
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Gary & MaryMay Suter, Shirley & Wilmer Shank, Jane & Steve Conrad | |
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.
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This is part of the results of plates slamming.
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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
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Colorado Springs
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2 nights
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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.
The locomotive is a 15 ton iron horse
The train ride was 4 miles and about 45 minutes long.
(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.
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