On to New Mexico

After spending a few more days in Colorado Springs so Sheila could take care of some work we departed south towards Santa Fe, New Mexico.  On our way south we passed a train laden with windmill turbine blades bound for a power generating wind farm.  We were impressed with just how large a single blade was when compared to the large semi trucks on the highway next to the rail road.

Immense power generating wind mill blades south of Colorado Springs.

As we continued on towards New Mexico we encountered another item of interest at a rest area not far from the border.  As water can be scarce in  Colorado in areas not serviced by a municipal water system, they came up with a unique way to handle bathroom waste at remote rest areas.  Unlike older pit toilets, this one had no odor!

A waterless composting toilet at a Colorado highway rest area.

The 13,626 foot tall Spanish Peaks in Huerfano County, southern Colorado.

As our ultimate destination was Holbrook, Arizona, we spend just one night in Santa.  Our destination for the evening was just north of Santa Fe and as we were tired and arrived later than anticipated, we decided to treat ourselves to some authentic New Mexico cuisine.  And treated we were!!  At the Road Runner café in Pojoaque north of Sante Fe they serves up the BEST chicken enchiladas, chili relleno and sopapillas on earth! 

Authentic New Mexico cuisine at its best!

Manitou Cliff Dwellings

Saturday, October 11th 2014 the rain gods that had punished Colorado Springs with two days of record rainfall departed to the Northeast and the day dawned clear and sunny.  Blinking like moles in the bright sunlight we emerged from our soggy RV and headed off to visit a rare historical treasure, the Manitou Cliff Dwellings in Manitou Springs.  The site is preserved under a red sandstone overhang and visitors are free to touch and go inside these fascinating remnants of the Anasazi culture.

Multi level cliff dwellings at Manitou Springs.

A red sandstone overhang protects the cliff dwellings.

An example of how small the main entry doors are!

 

Manitou cliff dwelling selfie.

 

After leaving the Manitou cliff dwellings, we spent some time in historic downtown Manitou Springs.  Nestled between Pike's Peak and the Garden of the Gods, Manitou Springs is home to eight free flowing naturally carbonated mineral spring fountains for all to enjoy. 

Tom sampling some naturally carbonated soring water.  Yes, he's burping.....

To wrap up the day we took a stroll down main street in old Colorado City located a short distance from Manitou Springs.  Envisoned as a major supply hub for the new gold mines in South Park and Blue River, Colorado City commerce instead shifted towards serving the agriculture of Colorado's eastern plains.

The 1861 Colorado Territory capital...for 5 days before it was moved to Denver.
 



A colorful town indeed!

Rain rain and more rain.....

In his 1970 song "Let it Rain" Eric Clapton perfectly described our day today.  On Thursday October 9th, 2014 Colorado Springs received enough rain to set a new daily record...2.83 inches to be exact!  Not only did it rain with a vengeance, the wind kicked up, and at times it was raining sideways!!  During the periods of hardest rainfall the small rain gutters on our 5th wheel were gushing gallons of water per minute!

A mini rooftop waterfall in Colorado Springs.

During a lull in the storms Tom walked over to a small wash that ran through the Garden of the Godss, our campground in Colorado Springs to see if any RVs were on their way down to the Colorado river.  Fortunately, the wash was handling the water volumes quite well and no one was being washed down river.

Looking upstream after an early morning storm, Colorado Springs.

Looking downstream after an early morning storm, Colorado Springs.

Given the nasty nature of today's weather, we hunkered down inside with Sheila burying her head deep in her work and Tom idly wondering what he wanted to be when he grew up.  The day ended with Sheila accomplishing a pile of work and Tom still wondering....

Up on Cripple Creek

On Wednesday, October 8th, we headed west up Highway 24 on a scenic loop thru Woodland Park to see what we could see.

Looking southeast at Pikes Peak.

On the way to Cripple Creek we also stopped at the Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument.  The Monument encompasses almost 6,000 acres of grassy mountain valley located on highway 1 just south of Florissant, Colorado.

The Monument is famous for the abundant and well preserved insect, plant and small animal fossils located in its mudstone and shale deposits.

Fossils removed from Florissant's Fossil beds.

There is a large diversity of plants that occur in the beds, ranging from microscopic pollen to petrified Sequoia Redwood stumps.  Several examples of the petrified stumps are unearthed for viewing.

Petrified Sequoia stump near visitor center.

Petrified Sequoia stump on hiking trail.

Leaving Florissant we were again treated to Colorado's finest fall colors as we continued our journey to Cripple Creek.



Highway 1 between Florissant and Cripple Creek.

Cripple Creek, a former gold mining town, is located 44 miles southwest of Colorado Springs near the base of Pikes Peak. 

Bennett Avenue, Cripple Creek, Colorado.



Cripple Creek, Colorado elevation 9,494 feet above sea level.

 

 

Though gold mining is still underway in Cripple Creek, its main business is now tourism. 

Flatlander tourists in Cripple Creek.

Though Cripple Creek boasts 13 casino hotels, the focus of our visit was the District Museum.


Since 1953, the Cripple Creek District Museum has worked to preserve the history of Cripple Creek.

Historic train depot Cripple Creek, Colorado.

Antique telephone switchboard.

The parlor upstairs in the train depot building.

The kitchen upstairs in the train depot building.

In addition to hundreds of exhibits in the museum's two main buildings, several historic buildings are on display on the grounds.

Miner's cabin, Cripple Creek, Colorado.

Surprised miner!!

Back in the old days donkeys were widely used in the local mines and many were set free once they were no longer needed.  Today the local herd is believed to be made up of several direct descendants of the liberated donkeys, and a bronze statue stands outside of the museum in their honor. 

Can you spot the two asses in this pic?



Garden of the Gods

On Tuesday, October 7th, we paid a visit to the Garden of the Gods park in Colorado springs.  The Garden of the Gods park is popular for hiking, technical rock climbing, road and mountain biking and horseback riding.  It attracts more than two million visitors a year and is Colorado Springs most visited park. 


Garden of the Gods was designated a National Natural landmark in 1971.
  

Keyhole Window.



A ham in a rock.

Balancing Rock.

 

White Rock.

Signature Rock.

South Gateway Rock.

Cathedral Spire.

Kissing Camels.

 

Tower of Babel and Kissing Camels.

Rock climbing is allowed in the park, provided the climber has secured the required permit, possesses the proper technical rock climbing gear and climbs with at least one partner.

Rock climber Garden of the Gods.

Crossing the continental divide

Sunday, October 5th dawned cold and clear in Carbondale with us eastbound on I-70 towards Vail, Colorado thru more beautiful fall colors.

I-70 thru Glenwood Canyon is considered an engineering marvel with a 12 mile span featuring 40 bridges and numerous tunnels, and is one of the most expensive rural highways per mile built in the US.

On the road to Vail.

Vail Colorado.

Fall colors and ski slopes Vail, Colorado.

Not long after Vail, we began the long, arduous climb up to the highest point on the US interstate system, the Eisenhower Tunnel, 11,158 feet above sea level at the continental divide.  Our faithful 2000 F250 Diesel pulled our 19,000 pound combined gross weight up to the top pretty well, considering it's 14 years old and pushing 231,000 miles.

Climbing towards the continental divide.

Approaching the tree line!

Eisenhower tunnel at the Continental Divide.  Whew....what a climb that was!!

Just past the east end of the tunnel we pulled over at a parking area perched high on the side of the mountain to give the truck and ourselves a well deserved break.  As we stepped out of the truck, the distinctive sound of a steam whistle greeted our ears. Stepping over to the edge of the steep drop, we were treated to the sight of a steam locomotive chugging across an elevated trestle on the historic Georgetown Loop Railroad!




The Georgetown Loop Railroad was one of Colorado’s first visitor attractions. Completed in 1884, this spectacular stretch of three-foot narrow gauge railroad was considered an engineering marvel for its time.

Engine 9 chugging up the Clear Creek canyon from Silver Plume to Georgetown.

The decent from the Eisenhower Tunnel down towards Denver is a long descent with many steep 7% grades.

It felt like we were going straight down at times.

After approaching what we thought was the bottom of our long descent, we were treated to this ominous sign.

They weren't kidding either.....

Eventually, we did reach the bottom, and thanks to our diesel engine brake, without smoking the truck or trailer brakes!