Colorado Springs - Royal Gorge

Well, we're finally down to the last day of our trip to Colorado, and not a day too soon - there's just so much I need to blog about that's been stacking up for the last two weeks!

Last Saturday Agnes and I drove about an hour southwest of Colorado Springs to the town of Canon City to visit the famous Royal Gorge. This is an amazingly beautiful, thousand-foot deep gorge cut by the Arkansas River and spanned by the world's longest single-span suspension bridge. We actually saw the sights from two perspectives: first from the Royal Gorge Railroad train along the river at the bottom of the gorge, and then from the bridge far above.

Here's a sign at the top which offers a little history...

But I'm getting a bit ahead of myself. We first drove to Canon City to ride the Royal Gorge Railroad through the gorge. We opted for the most expensive tickets, buying seats in one of the VistaDome observation cars...

In this picture, you can also see the open car in front of the VistaDome car - this was for unobstructed photography, and (as you will see) we made good use of it. Our seats in the car were perfect - right in the front, offering great views all around...

The train wound its way through the gorge and back, passing magnificent vistas of the towering rock walls, the Arkansas River, and the Royal Gorge Bridge itself far above...

After passing through the gorge, the train stopped to wait for clearance for the return visit, then headed back to Canon City down the same route. Along the way, we passed many groups of white-water rafters working their way down the river, some more successfully than others...

After returning to the station at Canon City, we hit the gift shop (of course), then drove about ten miles to the site of the Royal Gorge Bridge itself. This was one of our first views of the bridge as we arrived, taken from a point near the boarding location for the aerial tram...

And here's the aerial tram...
I'm not particularly fond of heights, and so we didn't ride the tram. In fact, I wasn't really thrilled about walking over the bridge, either...intellectually, I knew it was perfectly safe, but it bounces and sways alarmingly as you walk (or ride across), and the gorge 1,053 feet below is visible through the gaps between the wooden planks of the bridge deck as you walk across. Agnes, far more adventurous than I, dragged me across the bridge and back. I don't look too terrified, do I? ...

And it was my braver-than-I Agnes who went right to the edge of the bridge and took this picture - straight down - of the train we'd ridden earlier in the day.

Here's another picture of the entire bridge, taken from Point Sublime on the far side...

And, of course, while the scenery is wonderful, you can just never find a bathroom when you need one...
There are lots and lots of other pictures, including some of the staged Old West-style gunfight at the park on the far side of the bridge, but time has run out and I need to get ready for work. I'll just add one more picture, though, in honor of Amanda. She's been blogging about the choking haze that covers Palembang (and most of Indonesia) at this time of year. I suggested looking at the bright side - the gorgeous sunsets such haze can provide. This is a view of a Colorado sunset, courtesy of the wildfires burning in California ...

Tomorrow, we're back to the usual commentary. For now, work looms on the horizon.

Sigh.

Have a good day. More thoughts tomorrow.

Bilbo

Colorado Springs - Seven Falls and the Cliff Dwellings

Today we continue our boring travelogue on Bill and Agnes's Visit to Colorado Springs by looking at two of the other places we visited: Seven Falls and the Manitou Springs Cliff Dwellings Museum.

Seven Falls is - as you might suspect from the name - a series of seven waterfalls which cascade down a very steep cliff face. It's supposed to be especially beautiful at night, when the falls are illuminated with colored lights; however, as geezers in training who need to be in bed early, we visited early in the day. This is what the falls look like from the "Eagle's Nest," an observation platform across the valley...

If you look closely, or if you click on the image to view it at full size, you can see a very long set of very steep stairs that climb the cliffs next to the falls. Yes, we climbed those stairs all the way to the top. This is the warning that you see at the bottom...

And this is the view back down from the first landing...

Once at the top, you can proceed on via a series of trails to other beautiful vistas...

And other warnings...

Eventually, you reach "Midnight Falls," which is very beautiful and serene, but not as spectacular as the actual Seven Falls...

After climbing the 224 steps to the top of Seven Falls, we weren't in the mood to climb another 185 steps to the Eagles Nest observation platform, so we opted to take the elevator...

Having seen Seven Falls, we still had time to travel on to the town of Manitou Springs to visit the Cliff Dwellings Museum...

I must admit to being a little disappointed in this museum. It did feature a reconstruction of an old Anasazi cliff dwelling, but the rest of the site was far more gift shop than museum. Here are a few pictures of the cliff dwellings themselves...

And of the intrepid tourists who climbed around through the narrow tunnels...

On the whole, we enjoyed the cliff dwellings, but were disappointed that there was far less museum than gift shop. It's worth a visit, but is less educational than you might expect.

Tomorrow, we finish up our travelogue with a visit to the Royal Gorge - from the bottom and from the top. Be here. But first, we have to go back to work. Sigh.

Have a good day. More thoughts tomorrow.

Bilbo

Colorado Springs - Pikes Peak

One of the great things about visiting Colorado Springs is that, while it's a wonderful place to visit in its own right, it's also very close to lots of other things worth seeing. Over the next few days we'll revisit the great places we saw this past week, starting today with Pikes Peak.

Pikes Peak is named for Zebulon Pike, an explorer who was surveying the area around Colorado Springs, part of the Louisiana Purchase. Mr Pike never actually made it to the summit, probably because he (rather unwisely) tried to climb the mountain in November. Duh.

Here is a picture of Pike's Peak from the parking lot of our hotel in Colorado Springs...

There are three ways to get to the top of Pikes Peak: climb, drive, or take the Manitou and Pike's Peak Railway cog train. Climbing didn't look too inviting (especially for a pair of geezers in training), and driving also didn't look very good (lots of hairpin turns, steep grades, and no guardrails). We decided to take the train. Here it is as it arrived at the station in Manitou Springs...

The scenery changes quite a bit as you head up the mountain. At the base, near Manitou Springs, there is beautiful mountain forest, dotted with rock formations...

As you go further up the mountain (the train manages grades as steep as 25%), the trees thin out and yield to mountain meadows and more rock formations...

Once past the tree line, rocks and hardy small plants predominate...

And the views looking back down the mountain from the train get to be ever more spectacular...

We finally reached the top and the train stopped just short of the end of the line...luckily (yes, that's a sheer drop on the other side of the bumpers). This picture also gives you a good view of the center, or "cog" rail the train uses to pull itself on the way up and brake itself on the way down the mountain...

At the summit, we had our obligatory touristy picture taken...

And admired the view...

At the summit, you really notice the thin air. I found myself gasping for breath when I jogged from place to place to take pictures, and felt almost drunk the whole time we were there.

The train stayed at the summit for a bit more than half an hour, long enough to take pictures, use the bathroom, and (of course) visit the gift shop before the trip back down the mountain.

We enjoyed the trip very much, not just for the pleasant trip and the marvelous scenery, but also for the great commentary provided by our young conductor, who was quite funny and who also seemed to know everything about the mountain, the flora and fauna, and the history of the area. If you ever visit the Pikes Peak region, I recommend the cog train trip. It's a bit expensive ($63 round trip for both of us), but worth it.

Tomorrow, we'll visit Seven Falls and the Manitou Springs Cliff Dwellings Museum. Be here.

Have a good day. More thoughts tomorrow.

Bilbo

Cartoon Saturday Will Be On Vacation This Week...

I'm sorry, but between the traveling and sightseeing and some issues with my laptop's ability to reliably connect to the Internet, I will not be able to publish the usual Cartoon Saturday post today. Don't despair, though - Cartoon Saturday will return in this spot next week at its usual time.

Agnes and I are visiting the Royal Gorge today, after taking about 75 bazillion photos yesterday at Pikes Peak, Seven Falls, and the Manitou Springs Cliff Dwellings. We'll be home tomorrow, and the travelogue will continue.

Have a good day. More thoughts (and pictures) coming.

Bilbo

Colorado Springs - The Garden of the Gods

I finished up my conference early this afternoon, and Agnes and I decided to begin our miniature vacation here in Colorado Springs with a visit to the marvelous park called The Garden of the Gods. This is a truly breathtaking place, with beautiful rock formations, forests, and meadows crisscrossed with miles of hiking trails. And the best part is that it's all FREE! Yes, the property was at one time owned by a gentleman named Charles Eliot Perkins, whose children donated it to the City of Colorado Springs in fulfillment of Mr Perkins' wish that it "be kept forever free to the public." The operation and maintenance of the park are paid for by various municipal taxes and the proceeds of the visitors' center and gift shop.

We parked at the main parking lot and joined a nature tour led by a young park ranger who gave a very enjoyable rundown on the plants, animals, and - of course - rocks all around us. At the end of her tour, Agnes and I hiked up a trail to a higher elevation for some other views. It's hard to describe the sheer beauty and magnificence of the park, so a few pictures will have to serve...

Most of the major rock formations have names. I don't remember most of the names, but this one is called "The Kissing Camels"....

There are lots of bears in the mountains, and they often come down into the park looking to get an easy meal in the trash people leave behind. The park tries to discourage them by installing bear-proof trash cans set in concrete, with lids designed to be difficult for bears to manipulate and impossible for them to reach through in search of treats...

Here are a few random photos of vistas in the park...

Since this is, after all, my blog, I get to include a gratuitous photo of myself...

A few more gorgeous scenery pictures...

And a nice picture of Agnes and I, taken by a fellow who was repaying us for taking pictures of he and his wife...

Between Agnes and I, we took a total of 241 pictures, almost all of which are spectacular. It's hard to shoot a bad photo of a place as beautiful as The Garden of the Gods.

Tomorrow we're going to try to ride the cogwheel train to the summit of Pikes Peak, and visit Seven Falls. I'll try to put up more pictures tomorrow evening.

Have a good day. More thoughts (and pictures) tomorrow.

Bilbo

Just Checking In...

Agnes and I are in Colorado Springs, and are having a great visit so far (except for that working part that I need to do, but that's okay). Haven't had a time to do any real touristy stuff yet, but that will start after work today. We had a great visit yesterday evening with one of my old friends from high school and his wife at their beautiful home out on the plains, with marvelous views of the mountains and the glorious sunset (thanks to all the fires in California).

This afternoon, weather and work permitting, we plan to visit the Garden of the Gods and Seven Falls. Hope it works out.

I will try to do a real post tonight or tomorrow morning...for now, just wanted to let you all know we're still alive and kicking!

Have a good day. More thoughts coming.

Bilbo

Another Look at Civility

I know I keep harping on the lack of common courtesy and civility in modern America, but I can't help it...it drives me up the wall. The Golden Rule (Do unto others as you would have them do unto you) seems to have been replaced by The Zinc Rule (Do unto others before they have a chance to do unto you...and do it loudly and often). Civility has all but vanished in politics, it's in short supply on the street, and it appears that many parents don't bother to teach it to their children.

WWGWD? - What would George Washington do?

A few months ago, an NPR report looked back at George Washington's handwritten list titled Rules of Civility & Decent Behavior in Company and Conversation. Yes, it's somewhat dated (we probably don't need the one which reads, Kill no vermin, or fleas, lice, ticks, etc. in the sight of others; if you see any filth or thick spittle put your foot dexterously upon it; if it be upon the clothes of your companions, put it off privately, and if it be upon your own clothes, return thanks to him who puts it off, at least in most locations in modern America), but many of his rules of civil behavior could apply just as well today as when Mr Washington wrote them down back in the 1700s. Here are a few of George Washington's rules to live by which wouldn't be out of place today:

- Every action done in company ought to be with some sign of respect to those that are present. (Everyone wants respect, but nowadays no one seems to realize that it has to be earned, not demanded)

- Sleep not when others speak, sit not when others stand, speak not when you should hold your peace, walk not on when others stop.

- Read no letter, books, or papers in company, but when there is a necessity for the doing of it, you must ask leave; come not near the books or writings of another so as to read them unless desired, or give your opinion of them unasked. Also look not nigh when another is writing a letter. (This is, after all, why people buy privacy screens for their laptops...)

- Do not laugh too loud or too much at any public spectacle. (I guess this means I have to stop laughing...or crying...at the antics of our elected reprehensives)

- Let your ceremonies in courtesy be proper to the dignity of his place with whom you converse, for it is absurd to act the same with a clown and a prince. (Of course, lately we all have more experience dealing with clowns than princes...)

- Be not hasty to believe flying reports to the disparagement of any.

- Associate yourself with men of good quality if you esteem your own reputation; for 'tis better to be alone than in bad company.

- When another speaks, be attentive yourself and disturb not the audience. If any hesitate in his words, help him not nor prompt him without desired. Interrupt him not, nor answer him till his speech be ended. (Wow...I wonder if any of the bozos who try to shout down speakers at public events would recognize this one?)

There are 110 rules in George Washington's list. He tried to live by them, and perhaps we should, too. We could do worse.

And all too many of us usually do.

Have a good day. More thoughts tomorrow.

Bilbo

P.S. - Agnes and I are headed out to Colorado Springs later this morning. I'm attending a two-day conference, and we're taking the opportunity to do a few days of sightseeing in the beautiful Rockies. I'll try to keep up the blog and the daily Facebook quotes while we're gone, but please bear with me if things are a little irregular for the next few days.

B.