Rio Grande RR thru the Royal Gorge

Before leaving Canon City I was determined to ride the railroad through the canyon.  No, they would not allow dogs aboard the train.  

That has become a difficulty for me--what to do about Daisy when others blatantly discriminate against 'her kind'.  

 Somehow most do not realize--she is actually a small, hyperactive person dressed in a scruffy coat.

I drove the RV to the park, which was conveniently located near the train station, and parked it under the biggest shade tree I could find.  After opening all the windows, I turned on the overhead fan, left lots of food and water, kissed Daisy and dashed for the train.

There was ample seating inside, complete with food and drink service but...

...most of the passengers opted for the outdoor observation car to get the ultimate impact from the trip.

The very narrow Royal Gorge is 1200 feet deep, a spectacular canyon carved out by the Arkansas River.  Sometimes the train seemed to brush the canyon walls on the twelve mile trip.

Being one of the deepest canyons in Colorado, it is also known as the Grand Canyon of the Arkansas. 

 The canyon is also very narrow, measuring from 50 ft (15 m) wide at its base to 300 ft (91 m) wide at its top, as it carves a path through the granite formations. (Wikipedia)

Mining took place in the canyon during the 1800s and some mining still occurs extracting coal, copper, iron and fossils.

Not my idea of a vacation getaway.

A gondola crossing the rim.

The very famous Royal Gorge Bridge.

There were lots of kayakers on the river.

Okay, I am a certified yellow bellied chicken!

When I got back from the trip I drove the RV to the top of the canyon with the single purpose of walking across the bridge or perhaps doing the Zipline over the canyon. Nope, I could not do either.  I could imagine myself lying flat on the floor of the bridge, crying uncontrollably and refusing to move.  Maybe if I had a parachute. 

In 1929 Cañon City authorized the building of the Royal Gorge Bridge, which at 955 feet (291 m) above the river held the record of highest bridge in the world from 1929 to 2001. It is still the highest suspension bridge in the world.

So Daisy and I just moved on.

Canon City, Co

Canon City is a tiny little western town on the eastern slope of the Rockies; a good stopping place for laundry, grocery shopping, and book reading (Hillbilly Elegy by J.D. Vance).

I spent several nights at Walmart...

...then drove at the crack of dawn to the local park where Daisy and I explored for the day .

What could be more fun than watching geese all day.  The noise was sometimes overwhelming.  I think they were teasing Daisy as she raced maniacally back and forth from window to window, guarding the RV against a goose attack.

The park straddled the Arkansas River which was flowing at peak volume from the spring runoff.

Ohhh, a trout breakfast would taste so good.

 Walking the park is hypnotically relaxing.

Until I began this odd lifestyle I never thought much about town and city parks.  They were places to 

congregate on the 4th of July or Labor Day or perhaps to meet a friend on occasion for an afternoon walk.  But now these little parks are my usual back yard.  During midweek I may have one all to myself.  

Picnic tables are great for working on the computer, spreading out lunch, playing with water colors, or reading a good book.

Sometimes a local will stop by and give me a tip on the best restaurant in town or info on the local farmer's market.

The park is Daisy's playground as well.  She loves all the children and has tried a few times, to join in on one of their ball games.

On this day we sat for a half hour watching these tight rope walkers.

They were pretty good.

 In Colorado, where pot is legal, I observed a number of loungers stretched out on blankets.  They spent the day contemplating the clouds,  the trees, or ...

...the swooshing sound of the river.  Unlike panhandlers, they never approached me.  They were so mellow and, judging by their cars and clothes, they were far from homeless.

  During my time in Colorado I saw a few dispensaries but never even stopped to check them out.  I didn't think about it until I was gone from the state.  I guess wandering the park is my drug of choice.  

Centennial and more doggie friends

I said 'Goodbye' to Mary and headed back to Denver where I planned to spend a couple of days parked at my 'Scrabble Buddy's' house.

Instead of the freeway I took one of the backroads through the mountains and enjoyed some spectacular scenery and a steak sandwich at this little roadhouse.

The road was definitely windy with lots of switchbacks but Spirit did just fine.

At 8000 ft I think Daisy's ears popped because she came wide awake at one point, sat up and looked around as though someone had poked her.

In Denver, Daisy discovered two new friends.  She is finally becoming aware that she is not the only dog on the planet.

Sally is my friend Suzie's sister and we play 'Words With Friends' together.  Suzie won't play with me--she says I cheat.  (I never--because I haven't figured out how. 😇)

Sally has two cute rescued pets, Rosie and Sparky.

 Daisy and Rosie had a great time but...

Sparky wasn't too thrilled to have another female around.

Now Daisy needs to work on the sharing thing.  We had a few skirmishes over toys and balls.  But when we drove away she was definitely unhappy.  This traveling thing is tough when you have to keep saying 'Goodbye'.

The temperature was climbing to uncomfortable levels so I decided to head up into the mountains for some relief.  Next stop, Canon City.

Rocky Mountain National Park

For the past few weeks I have been exceptionally busy, plus wifi has been very spotty or just non-existent, so I am woefully behind again with the blog.  But readers, I have been having a wonderful time so here comes my last month's wanderings....

Sister, Mary and I decided to spend a few days camping in Rocky Mt. Natl. Park.  The tiny town of Estes Park is at the entrance to the park.

It must be cold here in the winter because many of the trees are wearing hand knit sweaters.

Somebody had a lot of time on their hands....

...and an abundance of yarn remnants.

As you can tell by the tree coverings, this is a Crafty little town and we arrived just in time for a craft fair.  Mary and Daisy are bonding.

Parking behind the library we spied something up on a rock face that borders the area.  If you look very closely you will see three baby horned owls.  They were so close to the color of the rocks we could barely make them out. They still had baby feathers but the horns were starting to develop.

As we headed toward the park we passed the Stanley Hotel; built in 1909 by F.O. Stanley of Stanley Steamer fame. Stephen King stayed here and because the hotel is haunted, it inspired him to write, "The Shining."

Deer were everywhere...

  

...and Daisy was getting very confused.  Big dogs? 

There was still a lot of snow on the mountain tops.

Moraine Park

 Centuries ago Arapaho Indians carved ceremonial pipes here from pipestone quarried from Big Thompson Canyon.

Abner Sprague arrived in 1875 to prospect for gold.  He soon found his true fortune was operating the guest ranch he built a mile up the valley.  Within five years the park held several lodges, stores, summer cabins and a post office.

The 600 acre ranch changed hands several times, then, in 1962 the National Park Service bought the property, removed the structures (including a golf course) and allowed the natural vegetation to return.  

The elk moved back in droves.

While we were camping here, Tucson reached 100 degrees.  (Just one more reason to be traveling).  The nights were cold enough for blankets and the air was crisp and fresh.

Daisy wasn't all that excited about snow but I was loving it.

Here stand the great mountains of the Continental Divide that form the core of Rocky Mountain National Park.  

 Towering above them all is Longs Peak at 14,259 ft.  It is not only the tallest mountain in the park, but the northernmost 14,000 ft peak in the Rocky Mountains.

For the umpteenth time I yearned for a fishing pole.  

Old, bent and gnarly.  (of course I mean the tree)

We learned there was a pay-shower in Estes Park so we opted to stop for a really long hot scrubbing.   It was after she showered that Mary discovered she had used the men's room by mistake.  Does Colorado have a law about checking one's sex on one's birth certificate before entering a bathroom?