Canon City & Cripple Creek, CO II

We continued exploring the area around us by hiking around the bridge in the city park, visiting Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument & taking a train ride. 

The bridge crosses the gorge 955 ft. above the Arkansas River. It was the highest bridge in the world until 2001 when a bridge in China was completed, still the highest in US.  The bridge was built in 6 months in 1929 and designed by George E. Cole.

View of the gorge looking east.

Rugged mountain terrain surrounds the gorge. 

Cactus are blooming 

Perspective view of bridge and gorge 

Fellow hiker i.e. looking for hand-outs

Right time of year for cactus blooming!

Today we journey to Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument, a hidden gem!

Rock formations were amazing along the route

Became a National Monument in 1969.  Fossils from Florissant are in over 20 US and UK museums & universities. Today's landscape features ponderosa pine, spruce, fir, & aspen.  This is stark contrast to petrified giant sequoia stumps from the ancient ecosystem. There are also tons of fossils capturing leaves, fish, insects, etc. 

This may have been the seen 34 million years ago of the valley

Today's view

This stump is over 12 ft. in dia.

Plant life today enjoying growth on the petrified stump.

As we enjoyed our picnic lunch a jay is waiting for a hand-out.

We returned to the town of Cripple Creek to explore one of original "prime" business! Old Homestead Parlour.  Before you were allowed to enter and use the "services" your credit was checked.  The girls were restricted to the public and could only go once or twice a week in the town.

Miss Pearle DeVere established this house and ran it till her sudden death of drug over dose. She had a secret gentleman who was never disclosed but obliviously paid lots of money.  

Original furnishings are still maintained within the house.  Many of them were gifts from the high priced clientele. 

Original wallpaper

Miss DeVere was buried in the local cemetery, something that was not common for her city business status.  Her unknown gentleman supplied a white lace dress for funeral.  The funeral was one of the largest for Cripple Creek, mostly attended by people who just wanted see who else would attend! 

Did the 20 mile round trip Royal Gorge train ride 

Departing Canon City and entering the gorge

Gorge views from the bottom up.  Never saw any wild animals.

Arkansas River flowing on the left.  The river was closed to rafting this day do to dangerous waters, so we didn't witness any rafters.  

Bottom up view of the bridge

Rock formation showing different layers and movement of the rock from various ground shifts i.e. earthquakes or volcanic  

Water line to the town of Canon City had a caretaker.  This was the family's house.  The line ran along the river and they had to monitor & maintain the line. 

End of the upstream train ride. You can see rafters in a distance. A get out point is just down stream from here.

The End