Breckenridge, Leadville and More

Breckenridge was our destination for Friday. It was a beautiful day, the sky was cloudless when we started our drive, but true to form for the mountains, clouds started forming by mid-morning. No problem though, they just add to the pictures.

On our drive to Breckenridge we drove over Wilkerson Pass at 9,507 feet in elevation. The views from the Information Center on top were breath taking. The mountains opened into a huge valley below with mountains with some snow still on them surrounding it.

Fairplay, CO was one small town we had to pass through - I wish I had know more about Fairplay before arriving there. A very small town, but with quite a bit of history. The residents have created from dozens of old buildings relocated from nearby towns, a street that is reminiscent of a mid-1800's gold mining town, called South Park City. I would love to go back to visit this area, but alas, it will have to wait for another year. I did get a picture of the old courthouse and an interesting chapel.

Breckenridge was much more than I expected. I know that it is a major ski area but after going to Angel Fire in New Mexico and being disappointed, I wasn't sure what to expect. Breckenridge is a delightful town with lots of shops, restaurants and beautiful flowers everywhere. It's obvious that the residents there are very proud of their city. We had a very good lunch at Downstairs at Eric's and walked the main street where a good many of the shops are located. There was even a Bubba Gumps Shrimp Co. here and I wanted to get a picture but was going to take it on our walk back toward the Jeep and forgot. I was surprised at how small a place it was.

Leaving Breckenridge, we decided to drive to Leadville, CO as it would take us on a different route back to Woodland Park. This took us over another pass - Freimont Pass at 11,300 feet. Everywhere you drive here you go over passes - have I mentioned that before?

We arrived in Leadville late afternoon so didn't have the time that I would like to have to explore the city. I can tell you that Leadville sits at 10,200 feet elevation and is the highest incorporated city in the continental U.S. It came about as a mining town but was built with a Victorian architecture. I love looking at the old buildings to see the designs that are used to top the buildings - I'm sure there is a name for this - anyone know it? I took several pictures of the old commercial buildings as well as some of the homes. My favorite is the yellow one - you wouldn't have a problem finding it if you came home a little tipsy! After walking the main street, we continued our drive toward Woodland Park and arrived home around 6 pm. Yes, it was a long day, we had drove over 220 miles and we were tired. Would I do it again - Yes!

As a side note - walking here in Colorado is a challenge for us since everywhere we go the elevation is over 9,000 feet and the air is thin. The amount of walking we do is limited. We just go slow and drink water - it seems to help.

The pictures will be posted soon at: http://picasaweb/google.com/SchultzTravelPhotos

We Survived The Drive To Pikes Peak and Back!

This morning we were going to go to Seven Falls, but after checking some information about it on the web, and seeing that they wanted $9.00 per person to view a waterfall, we decided against it. There are way to many waterfalls that can be viewed for free in the US! So what do to? We had talked about driving to the top of Pikes Peak, yea, I know, we already took the Cog RR there, but by driving we would have unlimited time on top. After a little discussion about taking the Pikes Peak Highway, off we went.

Well, I have to tell you that it was one of the most exciting, thrilling and scary drives I've ever done. It is 19 miles to the summit and probably two-third of it is paved roadway. The rest is gravel. Fortunately, most of the roadway is wide, which is great because there is very little guard rail used on this road. The drive to the summit takes about a hour, depending on the stops you make on the way up - same thing coming back down. The speed limit is mostly 25 mph with several curves at 10 mph. Speaking of curves - we were informed that there where 160 curves/hairpin curves on the road - I think that is counting going both ways meaning 80 one direction. After driving to the summit I can believe it!

We spent about 2 hours at the summit which was nice. We could take our time and check out the gift shop, eat some really good, but expensive, chili at the cafe, watch the Cog RR arrive and depart and leave when we were ready.

Dean drove us back down and we had absolutely no problem. We put the Jeep in Lo4 and low gear and he hardly ever had to step on the brakes. When you reach a half way point, they have security that checks the temperature of your vehicle brakes. If you read 300 degrees or more, you must pull over and wait for them to cool off. Our reading was 100 - below highway normal!

It was an exciting day and one that won't soon be forgotten. I took several pictures and will let them tell the true story of the road. Check them out at - http://picasaweb.google.com/SchultzTravelPhotos

Tomorrow we are going to Breckenridge, CO. Should have lots of pretty scenery to take pictures of. See ya later.....

Map Updated

I figured it was time to update our map where we've been. I've added Alaska since we took a cruise there last year and while we didn't actually sleep on land (our criteria) we did sleep within the off shore boundary limit. I'm not sure that we will ever drive there, so figured I would count it!

The last couple of days we've been just resting, trying to get a few minor things fixed on the bus and planning on what else we want to do while here. We are definitely staying away from Denver!

My daughter leaves next weekend for Minneapolis/St. Paul and the RNC. All prayers for her safe travels and safety while there would be appreciated. She is really excited about going as this is a first for her - a delegate to the Republican National Convention. She feels honored to be in this position and takes her commitment very seriously. I just hope that she also takes time to have fun and enjoy this once in a lifetime experience - it should be enjoyed.

Now I'm sure that I'll have a comment from her, probably correcting me - oh well!

Till next time.....

Pikes Peak Cog RR & Cripple Creek

It's Saturday afternoon, well early evening and I'm sitting here listening to the rain storm. Fortunately for us, we had returned home before the skies opened up. Yesterday was a beautiful day and I'll tell you about it.

We made reservations for the 1:20 pm Cog Railroad to the top of Pikes Peak. Being anxious to start this adventure, we arrived at the station about a hour ahead. That was OK as it gave me time to browse the gift shop.

Finally the time came for us to board the train and we were ready to go. The ride up to the top of Pikes Peak was awesome as where the views. We saw small waterfalls, beautiful scenery, mule deer, yellow-bellied marmots, big horn sheep and lots of rocks. The ride up took about one hour, but we were entertained by our conductor. Not only did he tell jokes, but he was great about pointing out the not to be missed things as we ascended toward the top of the mountain.

When we left the station in Manitou Springs the temperature was a comfortable 78 degrees. When we reached the top, it was a cool 45 degrees, funny though, it didn't really feel that cool to me.

We only had about 35 minutes at the top and we spent most of the time outside looking and taking pictures. There is a big gift shop and snack bar there, but just not enough time to take it all in. I did make sure to purchase a couple of the "Pikes Peak donuts". Not sure what the hype is, they were OK, but nothing special. Just plain cake donuts.

All to soon it was time to board the train for the trip back and I mean "back" as we rode backwards going down the mountain - not bad though, I got to see what we passed after we passed it - LOL. We actually saw more bighorn sheep going down and I had the advantage for picture taking - you'll see when you check out the pictures I've posted.

At 4:30 we arrived back at the station in Manitou Springs and our adventure was over except for the memories and pictures. We had dinner at the Hungry Bear Restaurant in Woodland Park before coming home for the evening.

This morning we took off for Cripple Creek early so we could take advantage of the 49 cent breakfast at Bronco Billie's. Yes, that is correct, 49 cents gets you two eggs, hash browns & toast, or in my case a cheese omelet, hash browns and toast. You can add bacon or sausage for 75 cents which we did. Our bill total including coffee and OJ was $4.06! On top of a great price it was good! After eating we checked out the casinos in town and I lost, Dean broke even. I was not overly impressed with Cripple Creek. All there is are casino's and empty buildings. Very few shops at all. There is a train you can ride that goes four miles (we didn't do it) and a museum. The big thing there just seems to be the casinos. After going to Virginia City in Nevada last year, Cripple Creek was disappointing.

On our drive home we drove through Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument. We were going to go in, but I had left our Natl. Park Senior Pass at the motorhome so we didn't. Not sure I'm really into looking at fossil's in rocks anyway. We did pass a interesting homestead that I have pictures of posted at the picasa web site.

That about brings me back to the beginning of this post. The rain has stopped and the temperature is now up to 59 degrees. I'm about ready to move on to someplace a little warmer. It's not bad when it's not raining or overcast, but those days are getting a little cool for me. Not only that, but the campground that we are staying at will not allow you to use your heat pump or electric heaters - bummer as we have 50 amps. We are parked right next to one of the camphosts so we can't even cheat! I think that we will only stay here for two weeks then move on to Canon City to do the Royal Gorge. See y'all soon....

Pictures will be posted at http://picasaweb.google.com/SchultzTravelPhotos

Manitou Springs Area

Unfortunately, Murphy was still here this morning! I got up and decided to turn on the zone 1 furnace (heats the front of the coach) and it has disappeared from the options on the thermostat! I decided not to worry about it, if things keep happening at the rate they are right now, we will still be here in 10 feet of snow but hey, that's life - right?

The rear or zone 2 furnace was still there so I turned it on and fortunately there are two big vents that blow to the front of the coach so in a short while we were nice and warm. After breakfast, we decided to just leave this pile of junk behind for the day and head off to Manitou Springs and some of the sights there.

Our first stop was the Manitou Springs Cliff Dwellings. These cliff dwellings are not some of the largest in the US but they were impressive. One of the nice things is that they are very hands on. Last year we visited Montezuma's Castle (cliff dwelling) and you could look but that was all. We walked through the entire dwelling and found it very fascinating. When you go look at the pictures, remember that the larger openings are maybe three feet in height - those are the doors. The smaller openings are the windows. These dwellings are approximately 700 years old and are still in very good shape considering the age and the fact that everyday, people are walking through, touching etc. I do need to mention that these dwellings were once inhabited by the Anasazi Indians. There is a three story Pueblo that is a gift shop/museum now, but the first six rooms on the lower level were built in 1898 and were occupied by Native Americans until 1984. The museum contains some very interesting artifacts from the Anasazi and other Native American tribes. I posted a picture of one piece of pottery that I found to be, ahh - different? See what you think.

Leaving the dwellings we drove on to Manitou Springs to check out the town. The buildings have a very old look to them (it is a old western town after all) and several where built to conform to the mountains hillside which includes large rocks that were left and built around.
We walked through town and had lunch in a cute little bar and grill, I forget the name. Dean ordered their "Famous New Orleans Red Beans and Rice". I guess they are famous here in Manitou Springs but they would never make it in New Orleans! After lunch, we walked around some more, then drove to the cog railway to make reservations for the ride up to Pikes Peak tomorrow.

On our way back to Woodland Park, we saw a sign that said Green Mountain Falls and decided to check it out. Well, there is a town by that name but no falls! It was a cute little mountain town, so all was not lost by driving there.

The rest of our afternoon was spent relaxing. Tomorrow should be interesting since we will be going up to 14, 110 feet in elevation. Be sure and check back to see if we make it - I know I'll be gasping for air. At least when we get back to 8400 feet the air will feel much heavier than it does now - LOL!

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

Today Was Moving Day

Wednesday is here and we bid farewell to the USAF Academy Famcamp this morning. Quite a day it was though. Everything was going along just fine until I went to pull in the slides. They decided they didn't want to come in! I guess maybe they liked the famcamp and wanted to stay. We still are not sure why they would not come in, but after about 15 min. of trying different things they finally conceited and came in. Whew, Dean was getting a little agitated by this time but now all was well and off we drove heading to Woodland Park and Diamond Campground.

About a hour later we arrived, were escorted to our site and proceeded to set up. Well, I guess today way Murphy's Law Day - who the heck was Murphy anyway and why didn't someone shoot him before he could cause such problems? The first thing is getting the coach level - yea, right - this campground is just that - in the woods, uphill. After several attempts, we finally get somewhat level (I asked about another site, but they were all full). I then proceeded to put the slides out - wrong! Now, they want to stay in - grrrrr! After about 20 minutes and trying different things such as turning the coach batteries on and off and flipping switches, they finally go out - hooray! I start out the door and stop quick - no steps. Man this day is just getting better and better. Dean turned on the manual switch for the steps and out the go, but every time the door shuts in they go. A little time had passed, I was outside, I open the screen door, the steps come out and I turn the manual switch off. YES! The steps stayed out.

We are going to be here for three weeks (longer if we can't get the slides in, the steps in etc.) so whatever the problem is I hope it corrects itself. I may make a call to Tiffin to see if they can walk us through troubleshooting the problem. All the batteries seem to be fine, but then if one has one bad cell that could be the problem - maybe - I'm shooting in the dark. If anyone out there has had a similar problem, email me with your solution please. It may save one of us from having a stroke when we get ready to leave here!

From this spot in Colorado, we plan on going to Pikes Peak, The Royal Gorge, Cripple Creek and several other areas. We don't have anything scheduled as of yet, but will probably start crossing places off our list by the end of this week, so check back soon for the details and pictures.

Rainy Days and ???

It has been raining now since yesterday mid-morning. Prior to that we were getting mid-morning or afternoon thunderstorms/showers since Tuesday. So what do you do on rainy days?



We have caught up with the laundry, done some inside cleaning, had the oil changed in the Jeep, went to Bed, Bath and Beyond for a blanket and rested. I don't like being outside when it's raining and the temperature is between 48 and 55 degrees - brrrrrr.



According to the weather report last night this rain should last through tomorrow then start clearing and getting warmer - yea!!! They also said that there is a good possibility that Pikes Peak will have a accumulation of snow above 11,000 feet. I'm waiting for the clouds to go away so I can see the mountain tops again and see if there is any snow there.



This morning we went back to Focus On The Family for a live taping of Adventures In Odyssey, a really good children's christian radio program. Even though it is primarily geared to children, adults love it also, me included. There is always a good moral lesson that applies to everyday living in each program. There were about 1500 people in attendance for the taping. They encouraged audience participation which we did with much gusto! One of the "voice overs" that most everyone will recognize is Dave Madden. He play the part of the manager of The Partridge Family on the TV series. Several of the other cast members have done roles that are recognizable such as Jess Harnell who had speaking parts in Finding Nemo, A Bug's Life and Toy Story to name a few. Will Ryan who was the seahorse in The Little Mermaid. Chris Anthony who was the longest running voice of Barbie. Pictures of the cast were handed out prior to the taping for a autograph session that was held after. We opted not to go to that session as I knew that the lines would be long and I'm not a autograph seeker anyway. It was very interesting just watching the taping, complete with the sound effects. The Foley sound effect crew was there to do the effects as needed, on the spot. This is usually done after the voice taping for a show. Of course there was a lot of "cutting up" with the actors and the sound people which made for a lot of fun.

So, here we are, back at the motorhome listening to the rain again. Sure does make one sleepy - z z z z . Guess I'll close for today. Hope you have a good weekend.

I've posted a few pictures at www.picasaweb.google.com/SchultzTravelPhotos

Touring The Area

Monday we decided to visit the Western Museum of Mining Industry. Dean enjoyed it very much because they have several old steam engines that where used in the mining industry, not necessarily here in Colorado. We watched a video that gave the history of mining here in Colorado then Dean took the hour guided tour through the museum, which we had done a quick walk through earlier. I sat outside while the tour was going on and met up with them at the steam engines. It was interesting, listening to how these engines where used. They had one that the wealthier would have at their home to power lights etc. in their house. The boilers where always kept outside in case of fire or explosion.

We then went to the Headquarters of Focus On The Family. We arrived to late to do the administrative building tour, but did walk through the visitors center and the bookstore. We also watched a video on how Focus On The Family was started by Dr. James Dobson. We plan on going back for the tour.

Today we drove to Woodland Park to check out the campground that we will be moving to next week. While there we said hi to Jack and Poppi but Danielle was not home - she was at line dancing. Since they are workcamping there, I'm sure we will see them often as we will be staying there for three weeks. We did have a nice visit with Jack, and if you read this Jack, we'll take a rain check on lunch!

We stopped in Manitou Springs at the Mason Jar Restaurant for lunch. Good food, good service. From there we headed to The Garden of the Gods. It is a beautiful place with white and red rock outcroppings in many shapes. A lot of them look like spires on a cathedral. We didn't stop at the visitors center, so don't have a lot of history etc., of the place to write about. I'm sure you can find more if you do a Google search.

I've posted all the pictures I've taken over the past several days including more of the Cadet Chapel here on base. I'm trying to capture a really good picture of it - don't think I've done it yet, but, I have several more days to try.

Oh yes, one thing I forgot to mention. We've been seeing small planes pulling gliders almost everyday since we arrived here at the academy. I found out that the cadets are taken up in the glider (with a certified pilot) to test their courage etc. One day we watched one just circle and circle the base, it never did drop the tow line to the glider. Yesterday, we stopped and I got a few pictures of the planes. Interesting to watch, the taking off and then the landing of the gliders.




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

Road Trip - New Mexico to Colorado

Yesterday morning we bid farewell to our friends, Roger and Brenda, and a beautiful place in New Mexico, Eagle Nest, and set out to see what Colorado has in store for us. I need to thank Brenda for a great breakfast sendoff - thanks.

The drive was easy and took us approx. 5 hours. The mileage was around 220 with the first 70 - 80 on two lane road that took us over the pass at Eagle Nest down into Cimarron Canyon, to Cimarron and then to Raton, NM where we picked up I-25. There we went over another pass into Colorado. This was my first time driving the mountains and I must say that it wasn't bad at all. We've learned one thing with the motorhome - drive the speed that you are comfortable with and let everyone pass. Of course you must do the minimum speed at the least.

Looking back south at Fisher Peak in Trinidad, CO.

I've put a few pictures here that I took en-route. Also one of the Cadet Chapel here at the USAF Academy. We haven't toured anything yet, except today, we went to the Visitor's Center here on base just to get some info. There is much to do in this area of Colorado and we are going to attempt to put a good dent in the list we have. We will be here until the 20th then we move to Woodland Park which is about 30 miles west of Colorado Springs in the mountains - up in elevation again. I'll just get used to breathing regular again when we will be moving - oh well! It will be nothing compaired to the thin air on top of Pikes Peak at over 14,000 feet in elevation.

First view of mountains in Colorado - shrouded in clouds...

Looking up I-25 toward the mountains..

The Cadet Chapel from the road - will have more pics in the future...

Oh yes, I have to tell you, while I loved it at Eagle Nest, the shopping (for groceries) was the pits. Today we went to the commissary on base and I was in heaven! I stocked up on items that I haven't had for over a month and yes, not all good for me, but that's life - LOL.

Tomorrow we are going to attend services at the Cadet Chapel and then spend the afternoon setting our plan of attack on all the attractions we want to see and do. We've just arrived and the fun will start soon, so check back often.

Boy Scouts and Ghosts

Everyone has heard of Phillips Oil Company, I'm sure. What everyone probably hasn't heard of is Philmont Scout Ranch. How do they tie together your asking. Well, back in 1922, Waite Phillips of Phillips Oil Company decided he wanted to develop a ranch in New Mexico. He chose the Cimarron area and eventually amassed over 300,000 acres of mountains and plains. He named the ranch Philmont, the Phil for his name and mont from the Spanish word for mountain.

The Philmont Ranch became a showplace. Phillips build a large Spanish Mediterranean home for his family, naming it Villa Philmonte. He developed horse and hiking trails throughout the scenic backcountry along with elaborate fishing and hunting cabins for his family and friends.

Waite believed in sharing his wealth with others and in 1938 offered 35,857 acres to the Boy Scouts of America. After observing the enthusiastic response of the first Scout campers, he augmented his original gift in 1941 and the Boy Scout property now totaled 127,395 acres. The camp was renamed Philmont Scout Ranch.

Realizing that the cost for maintenance and development of the property could not be derived from camper fees, as an endowment he included in the gift his 23 story Philtower Building in Tulsa, Oklahoma. A very generous man he was!

In 1963, Norton Clapp, vice-president of the National Council of the Boy Scouts of America, another 10,098 acres including Baldy Mountain was added to the Ranch. The Ranch now has a total of 137,493 acres for Boy Scouts to hike.

On Tuesday, we toured some of the property including Villa Philmonte. Our guide through the Villa was, unfortunately, hard to understand. Because of this, I was not able to determine the square footage of the Villa, but I believe it's between 3,500 and 4,000 sf., very large! The furnishing are almost all original to the house and where purchased in Europe. The master suite was very impressive as it had a walk-in closet for Mr. Phillips, one for his wife, a very large and sunny sitting room and private bath with a separate shower stall with seven (7) shower heads - unheard of for that time! There was a lot of gold paint and gold foil used in the decoration and on the furniture. It was one of those "no expense spared" projects.

I have pictures posted at picasa.

After touring Villa Philmonte, we drove back to Cimarron to the St. James Hotel. After a great lunch in the cafe, we toured the hotel. Unfortunately, there was not much "printed" material available on the hotel, but I did get this information from their flier. The cook to General Grant and then President Lincoln, Henri Lambert drifted west after President Lincoln's assassination, eventually settling in Cimarron. There he built the the hotel at the cost of $17,000. It had a saloon, restaurant and 43 rooms that were witness to at least 26 murders, mostly committed in "self defense". The cast list of characters staying there included settlers, Lucien Maxwell & Carlos Beaubien and other notable people such as Buffalo Bill Cody and his cohort Annie Oakley, Kit Carson, Frank & Jesse James, Wyatt Earp, Billy the Kid and Blackjack Ketchum. The notorious gunman, Clay Allison, allegedly danced naked on the bar. There are still bullet holes in the dining room pressed tin ceiling.

Not only does this hotel have a notorious past, but is famous today for it's ghosts. There was a episode of Unsolved Mysteries that told about the ghosts that still live in the hotel. One room, I believe # 18, is locked because to many guests have been haunted while staying there and the decision was made to lock down the room. The clerk told me that a couple of months ago, the key mysteriously disappeared to that room. I can't remember the name of the person who is supposedly haunting the room, but the story goes that he won the hotel in a poker game and left the game heading to his room and was shot dead. He still believes it's his hotel and his room!

We saw no ghosts while touring, but then it was daytime and the most activity seems to occur at night.

This will be our last "adventure" from Eagle Nest. On Friday we leave here and go to the USAF Academy in Colorado Springs for 12 nights. I'm sure that there will be lots to write about from there so check back next week.

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

Back to Red River

We decided yesterday to drive back to Red River since we had only driven through the first time there. Red River is a ski resort town in the winter and a tourist town in the summer. One thing that attracts people in the summer is the climate - cool days and nights. They also have fun stuff for families like six passenger buggies that you peddle (right through town), go-carts and all the other things that attract families with younger kids.

On our way we decided to go off the road to a advertised ghost town - Elizabethtown. Well, this was my first ghost town and if all the others are like this one, it will be my last. The family that owns the property are distant relatives of one of the families that lived in Elizabethtown when it was a booming metropolis of 7000 residents. The main reason for E-Town as it was called, was gold mining - what else! But, back to my reason for not really appreciating it - it looked more like a movie set when you arrive. Most of the buildings are not original to the town and what is there is a lot of false fronts. They do have a lot of antique's and items that where original to the town in a museum, but they are also collecting antique's from other places and a lot of them are just strewn everywhere. I've posted a few pictures from E-Town, but didn't take many for obvious reasons. I may try another ghost town in Colorado, we'll see.

We drove on to Red River where we had lunch and walked around town, in and out of a few shops that all seemed to sell the same junk, uh, I mean stuff - touristy stuff, the things that I don't buy anymore.

A couple at our campground had told us about a campground in Red River so we drove out to it, just to check it out. Roadrunner RV Resort - a full hookup w/30 amp is $37.00 a night - what, you want 50 amp - well there are only 8 sites and they are $40.00 a night. No thanks. On top of that the ladies working the check-in area where not really cordial and I was informed that it I wanted to make reservations, it had to be in writing with a non-refundable deposit of $75.00. We were allowed to tour the "Resort" - on foot! There was a gate and we could not drive through the "Resort". Oh well, didn't want to anyway! I was nice and thanked her for the information and walking out the door told Dean I was glad to get the info so we know NOT TO GO THERE!

On our drive back to Eagle Nest we saw some land for sale - up the side of a mountain and decided to drive up just for the views. They are selling lots - 10 to 40 acres. Now, I don't know what the price is but I can tell you that they all have million dollar views. I've posted a few pictures from there as well.

We arrived back at Weathers RV Park in time for the Sat. night wiener roast and smore's - yummy!

One day next week we are going to Cimarron and to the Boy Scout Camp. Check back for our adventures there...

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