Royal Gorge RR Trip

HAPPY 37th ANNIVERSARY TO US!

Sunday morning the skies were a beautiful blue with few clouds and a perfect day for our morning train ride into the Royal Gorge. We selected to ride in the dome car and it was a good choice. The seat were so comfortable and the dome windows allowed for great views. The only problem was they hadn't cleaned the windows for a long time so taking pictures through them was basically out of the question. The car we were in seats about 40 people and there were only 12 of us, so it was like having a private rail car - nice.

The train takes you from Canon City through the gorge to Parkdale, then comes back through the gorge to Canon City. On the return trip, it stops under the Royal Gorge Bridge for about 15 minutes for picture taking. There is a open air car where we could go to take pictures and I was there for a good bit of the return trip. The next problem was the sun. Now, I love sunshine, but not when I want to take pictures where the sun is in my direct vision! Some of the pictures I took have sunspots on them, but nothing I could do about it. They still aren't bad.

The train ride was really nice, probably one of the most enjoyable we've done.

After the ride, we went to Mr. Ed's in Canon City for lunch and it was not good! I don't recommend this restaurant. The food was not hot and the entree was brought before you could even begin eating your salad. The only good thing I had was the pie - it was OK.

After lunch we drove Oak Creek Grade Road which provided some spectacular views after we drove up the mountain about 2500 feet. You could see a long way into the valley - I didn't take any pictures, don't know why except I was driving and didn't stop. This ride ended up being about a 80 mile circle taking us through Westcliff and back to the campground. A nice Sunday afternoon drive.

We are going to Florence, CO today, but it is overcast and they are calling for rain. Not sure what we'll find there, but if there is anything interesting, I'll take picture and post here. Otherwise, we leave here on Wednesday - our 37th Anniversary - heading for Fox Creek and meeting up with some friends. We are really looking forward to that. From there I'm sure I'll have a lot to report so check back....

Pictures at http://picasaweb.google.com/SchultzTravelPhotos