Royal Gorge Scenic Railway, with the Royal Gorge Bridge in the background.
(Photo courtesy of royalgorgescenicrailway.com)
Continued……
It is roughly an hour drive between Pikes Peak and Canon City, home of both the Colorado State Prison (a place I never want to visit) and the Royal Gorge (a place I love to visit). The Royal Gorge area is filled with ests.
The Aerial Tram over the Royal Gorge
(Photo courtesy of royalgorgebridge.com)
The suspension bridge over the Arkansas River is the highest (1053 ft.) in the world. The aerial tram that crosses the gorge has the longest single span (2200 feet), and the Incline Railway is the steepest (100% grade, 45% angle) in the world. We were going to have fun doing them all.
But first we stopped at the nearby Royal Gorge Scenic Railway. This is located on the same road you take to the gorge, but it is not part of the park. They had a scaled down train, like on you would find in KiddieLand. The trip is about half an hour and at it’s apex you get a great view of the gorge and the bridge. That view alone is worth the price. We got to stop there for a few minutes, and admire the view. The kids liked the chipmunks, who were used to handouts from the passengers. Once back to the depot we toured their Steam Train and Antique Car Museum.
The Incline Railway
(Photo courtesy of royalgorgebridge.com)
I don’t recall much about it, but I thought it was at least close to worth the admission price.
Next it was off to see the Gorge up close and personal. We paid at the gate and parked. I believe you are allowed to drive across the bridge, after paying park admission, but we weren’t really interested in that. The road didn’t go where we wanted to. But, we had to walk on the bridge and look down. The only thing that compares with the sheer drop off, at least that I have seen, is the Grand Canyon. But, while the Grand Canyon commands a feeling of awe, the Royal Gorge just gives you a dose of acrophobia. But evidently not everyone is so affected. They have sign, about the middle of the bridge that says "No Fishing Off of the Bridge". I couldn't decide if someone was trying to be funny, or if there are people in this world dumb enough to try, and had a reel with 1000 feet of line.
Jessi
Before you say it’s the former, there is another sign just down a piece, that tells of the time someone bungee jumped off of the bridge for the 1970s TV show "That's Incredible". Got to love those adrealine junkies.
The aerial tram had great views of the area. We had bought all inclusive tickers, so there was no reason not to go on it. We did and were very pleased. The feeling is different from the bridge. You are up a bit higher, and instead of being supported by 1300 tons of solid American Steel, you are supported by steel cables that weigh 7 tons each. It’s not like you feel your going to die, but it’s in the front of your mind that if something goes wrong it’s going to be ugly (almost 1800 feet to the bottom). So your feeling of awe at the views all around is tempered by that tap of “What If” on your shoulder. Still very cool.
Next up was the Incline Railway. An Incline Railway is difficult to describe.
Me an Jolene
It like being in a subway car that goes up and down a hill. This particular “hill” goes straight down. As such sitting in the car is not possible. You climb into the car, which is open air, but surrounded by a cage, and move to the far side. It was three of four per aisle. When everyone is loaded, down you go. It takes about 5 minutes to travel the 1500 feet. When you get down several things impress you. First, the bridge waaaaay above you, looks so small. Second, the river is bigger than you thought from the top. Third, you look across the river and see what has to be an old water delivery system. But it is made of wood. A wooden pipe system! I imagine it leaked like a colander, but some water had to get to town! There is not a lot to see and do, once you are down there, but you stay as long as you want. As quick as the cars reach the bottom and are unloaded, they are reloaded with people returning to the top. So we admired the rock structures, cricked our necks looking up a lot, and watched the water go by for awhile. But soon we had had enough, and we went back up top.
That was about it for the Royal Gorge.
Future cowboy, Brandon
We had spent between 2 ½ and 3 hours there. But, we weren’t done with Canon City. There was one more attraction that we had to see, Buckskin Joes.
Buckskin Joe is formerly a real town, that is now a combination movie set and Old West themed attraction. John Wayne filmed parts of “The Cowboys” and “True Grit” here. Other movies like “The Duchess and the Dirtwater Fox” and “Cat Ballou” were also filmed there. But as much as that interested me (& Dad if we could have gotten him to go on this trip with us) the kids were most excited about the shows and things to do. But, our first order of business was to get something to eat. It was nearly 6 PM and lunch had long since worn off. We ate at the Crystal Palace.
Jolene
I think Hamburgers and Chicken Fingers were the fare of the day. Jayme and I had beers. We did not fail to notice that in the bar upstairs a Yard of Beer could be had. Jayme and I had experienced yard glasses before. But, alas, this was family time.
We only had about 3 hours to enjoy the town. It is set up like an old west town you would see in the movies; dusty streets, façade cover buildings, a stable, cemetery, stagecoach, saloons, and plenty of shops and exhibits. We had no trouble finding things to see and do for our three hours. We road the stagecoach, saw a gunfight, shopped in the various stores, and took the kids on a horse ride. That was particularly memorable, because they essentially gave us the animals and turned us loose. The horses were saddled, and we put a kid on each one. Then Margo, Jayme, and I got to lead the horses, with a kid atop, around a specific trail. The kids loved it and we got a kick out of it too. It was a different way of doing it, like renting a moped. Here you go, bring it back when you’re done.
The town closes down when it gets dark, so all too soon we had to make our way back to the car and head off to find our hotel.
Guilty of being cute! Jessi, Brandon, and Jolene
We spent the night in Pueblo, in our first of several Motel 6s. Our first day was done and we had a blast. Tomorrow we would be seeing Bent’s Fort and then on to Dodge City for more Wild West action!
