We got on train and headed out of Cripple Creek.
Passed all of the exciting sites. The tour guide did have some great stories about the old mining days.
The scenery was beautiful but it was a short ride. Thirty minutes out and then we turned around and came back. We stopped several times along the way to hear stories about each of the local mines and the history of the area. The ride went by really fast.
We were back in Cripple Creek before we knew it.
Cripple Creek was exactly what I thought it was going to be. A sleepy little town far from the big city. Except for the big casino that looked brand new. Not sure how old that was. We walked around a little bit before catching our train ride.
The white building was the oldest building still intact. The original town “parlour house”. Now it’s a museum. Love their motto “Where the customer always comes first.” You can read some history about it here.
The usual things you find while waiting for your train ride are above. The little bird is a junco. They were very skittish.
A lot of fun in a tiny little town.
And then off we went on our train ride. More to come….
Linking to Wednesday Around the World
All above were taken on the road to Cripple Creek. Once you pass the city of Divide, you start driving around the other side of Pikes Peak and getting in the mountains were the aspen trees had all turned yellow. It’s a long winding road but there were many sections were you could pull off and take pictures. I think we stopped at every one.
Woke up to another dismal morning at the hotel in Cheyenne Mountain. What to do when it rains? The lady at the front desk when we checked in said there was a pretty scenic drive that we could drive to get on a train for a short ride. At least we would be in the car.
Off we went to Cripple Creek, about an hour from Colorado Springs. About 20 minutes later we saw blue skies.
There was so many cool things to see on the road to Cripple Creek. We started to see the yellow aspen trees. I kept making Brett stop so I could take pictures. It took us over 2 hours to get to Cripple Creek with all of the stops. So glad I paid attention to the lady at the front desk.
Our view from the hotel. The first morning was the only time we saw Cheyenne Mountain. After this it was completely covered in fog.
We spent a morning walking around in the drizzle at Garden of the Gods.
An afternoon at Cave of the Winds. The view from the parking lot is above.
The above were on the road to Cripple Creek.
Spent a short time walking around the grounds of Glen Eyrie Castle. You can stay here but they book up fast. Maybe next year.
Helen Hunt Falls in Cheyenne Mountain Park.
It was hard to believe that just two weeks after Hurricane Irma passed through our area we were waking up in the foothills of Cheyenne Mountain just west of Colorado Springs. We had planned this trip back in early spring and there were a lot of hurdles to get through before we could relax on our vacation including a 7 hour flight delay getting there. Relaxing wasn’t high on the list for the vacation though. We spent every day outside in the rain and drizzle walking around. Even in the fog and rain, the area was insanely beautiful. Or maybe it was because we aren’t accustomed to seeing the mountains on a daily basis. I guess some of the people who grew up here would say the same thing about our beaches in Florida. We hit most of the places on our wish list but due to weather missed a few as well. All the more reason to go back in the near future. I took a ton of pictures and am just starting to edit them. More later.
