Garden and Gorge

Four bucks and a doe at our campsite.
Garden of the Gods with Pikes Peak in the background.
Cheyenne Mountain
A young man looks on in amazement as Nanc holds up Balanced Rock.
More Garden of the Gods
World's Steepest Incline Railway
Looking down the incline at the rafts on the river.

World's Highest Skycoaster World's Highest Suspension Bridge

Royal Gorge Railway
Unusual bridge on the Rio Grande Railroad.

Where are the Fiddles?

We are now staying at the Mountaindale RV Resort south of Colorado Springs. It is located in the foothills of the Rockies and there is a lot of wildlife including deer and a bear with two cubs that visited our neighbors one night at midnight. We failed to see them because that is well past our bedtime. One day we went to the Garden of the Gods, a FREE park in Colorado Springs. The park has many unusual rock formations including Balanced Rock. It also has great trails for walking and biking. The park was given to the city by Charles Elliot Perkins the head of the Burlington Railroad with the stipulation that it remain free to the public. From Colorado Springs you can see Pikes Peak as well as Cheyenne Mountain, the home of the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD).While here we visited Canon City home of the Royal Gorge Bridge and Park. This is a park of superlatives with the world's highest suspension bridge, world's longest single span aerial tram, world's steepest incline railway and the world's highest skycoaster. The bridge was built 1053 feet above the Arkansas River in 1929 and the other attractions have been added over the years. In addition, there is a theater, a wildlife park, waterclock, petting zoo and mountain man encampment. All are included in the price of admission except the skycoaster which soars out over the gorge wall 1200 feet above the river below. (Un)fortunately we were saved from riding the skycoaster and tram by a lightening and hail storm. You can also view the gorge via a train trip along the old Rio Grande Railroad tracks or from a raft trip down the river. Because the gorge is so narrow here there is a very unusual bridge along its wall. It hangs from two upside down V-shaped beams that are attached to each side of the gorge. On another day we attended the Fiddlers Along the Arkansas Festival in Canon City but were disappointed when they only had a couple not so great guitar players.