Living full time in our motor home allows us to be Ready To Go. . .on to the next adventure!

Golden Gate Bridge - San Francisco Skyline as seen from the Marin Headlands - California

Monday, April 30, 2012

Full Time RV Travel: Canon City CO and the Royal Gorge Bridge

Driving south towards Canon City on
Colorado State Rd 115. . .this was our view.
The Sangre de Cristo mountain range. . .
Not sure which snow covered peak
we are seeing, but I do know that
on the other side is New Mexico. . .
Canon City (pronounced Canyon) is a cute little tourist town. . .
Much bigger than I had anticipated. . .
they even have a Super Walmart. . .
but we were headed about 7 miles away
to the Royal Gorge Bridge. . .
which was the highest bridge in the world until 2001. ..
isn't that cool?
Since I don't do history lessons here on the blog. . .
this sign post pretty much covers the basics
There was a bit of a dispute about how far down it is
to the Arkansas River below. ..
the sign post says 1053 ft. . .
I believe the actual record is 955 feet. ..
but hey, I only know what I read. . .
I do know that when you are standing in the middle of the bridge,
reading the NO FISHING SIGN (really?). . .
you can hear the roar of the river. . .is is awesome.
and yes, believe me, vehicles do still drive across the bridge!
John F Kennedy Mountain - snowcapped and visible from the Bridge
I didn’t know John F. Kennedy had a mountain
named after him. . .
but you can see it from here.

We rode the incline rail car to the bottom of the canyon. . .
Arkansas River
where we could see the Arkansas River. . .
Dave at the bottom of the canyon - Arkansas River
up close and personal. . .
The Royal Gorge train from Canon City
made it into the Canon, while we were at the bottom. . .

The folks in the open air car were very friendly!
Train that runs between Canon City and the Bridge - there's no way for it to turn around, so it backs out of the canon. . .
there’s nowhere for the train to turn around,
so when they get to the end of the line,
they hafta back out of the canyon.
as hostile as the environment at the bottom seems,
there are still beautiful cactus and wildflowers growing down there. . .
Water Flume

and last thing. . .before we head back to the top. . .

Water Flume
although it is collapsing. . .
the water flume is still very recognizable. . .
We spent about four hours at the Royal Bridge Park. . .
and enjoyed most of it immensely. . .
You can read our more about our
if you would like. . .

and because once a fireman, always a fireman
of course Dave had to have a pic of the
Royal Gorge Fire Engine. . .



6 comments:

  1. Memories.....spent quite a few years in Canon City..the Super Wal Mart is where the drive in used to be....

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  2. Canon City is a neat town. My hubby is a retired volunteer fireman also. We have a lot in common I'm finding out. Enjoy your summer.

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    1. We will need to go back to Canon City one day. . .and really do some exploring. . .I missed the fact that it was the county seat. . .and there was a courthouse. . .I love courthouses.

      Hubby was Captain on the Industrial Fire Crew for a chemical plant where he worked for 32 years. . .he still teaches rescue classes for one the fire schools in Texas during the winter! He loves it. . .

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  3. You have got to take a trip over Skyline Drive too, of course you cant take the RV..but since I lived there they have excavated dinosaur tracks etc....and the view of the city from the top is splendid!

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    1. Maybe someday Lynn. . .when we have smaller vehicle. Our 2 1/2 ton RV Hauler doesn't really do so well off the pavement. . .as a handful of wrecker drivers can attest to. . .LOL!

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