Denver Botanic Gardens, July 4, 2025

Our last stop on this trip was Denver Botanic Gardens. There is a large conservatory there featuring tropical plants, and it seems that most of the gardens are informal (which I love). It was an enjoyable visit.

photos here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/QDND8iyjcz6vrJRn6

 

Glen Eyrie, July 2-3, 2025

Glen Eyrie began as the estate of William Jackson Palmer, a railroad magnate and founder of the city of Colorado Springs. He built it about 4 miles north of the city, bordering Garden of the Gods. In 1867, he purchased 10,000 acres at $1.25 per acre to establish the colony later known as Colorado Springs. He later bought an additional 2,225 acres on which he built the estate. In 1909, he died as the result of a fall from his horse at the age of 72. At that time, the estate was valued at $3,000,000. His wife had passed, and his daughters were not in a position to take care of the estate. The girls offered the estate to the city of Colorado Springs at the time, but they refused because of the expense to maintain it. It was sold in 1916 to home developers. But it was the time of WWI, and sales were lacking. The property was purchased in 1938 as a summer home and cattle ranch. In 1950, it was again placed on the market for $500,000 and purchased in 1953 by The Navigators, a non-denominational Christian group that is the current owner. They use this as a retreat and conference center and international offices. To enter the grounds, you have to have a reservation for lodging.

Because of their mission to bring people closer to God, The Navigators have not placed TVs in rooms here, and they do not serve alcohol in the restaurants. The place is meticulously maintained, and the setting is gorgeous, being adjacent to Garden of the Gods. Hammocks and benches have been placed around the estate as places of quiet reflection. There are trails on the estate that were used by Palmer himself, and pathways to walk and enjoy the surroundings. In addition to the main castle (17 rooms), there are 6 other lodges, including the one where we stayed.

On the 3rd, we headed down to the castle for breakfast. It is served buffet style with lots of choices. My favorite was French toast with berry compote and walnuts. Soooooooooo good. When we arrived for breakfast, the patio was full, so we started inside in the dining room. After a bit, as people left, we were able to sit outside on the patio and enjoy the wonderful setting.

Since we could stay on the property until 5 pm, we decided to take one of the trails here. We discovered that he trails were not particularly well maintained, and the maps were sketchy at best. As a matter of fact, we agreed that the trail map was one of the worst we'd ever seen. There were some nice views from the trail, though.

After the hike, we descended to Glen Eyrie grounds, where we lazed in a hammock for maybe close to an hour before moving on.

Photos here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/MPjAEdEB6GPUqHvR6

Shelf Road to Glen Eyrie, July 2, 2025

 

It was Ray's thought to take the "scenic" road from the place we were staying in Canon City up to Cripple Creek. From there, we were heading to Glen Eyrie in Colorado Springs.

Red Canyon Rd starts out pleasantly enough as a paved route that winds past ranches. Then it turns into Shelf Road, the old Stagecoach trail from Canon City to Cripple Creek back in the mining days. You half expect Indians to come charging over the hill, or stagecoach robbers to be around the next bend. The road is very narrow, and the road has a significant drop off on one side and step uphill on the other. This image (not mine) captures the flavor of it: https://maps.app.goo.gl/MfVr1ymzBmvhGec88. I don't imagine that Hertz thought that their 2025 Nissan Altima was going to be driving on Shelf Road.

The fastest you can go in a normal car is about 10-12 mph. The rocks and ruts and the narrowness of the road are the gating factors, along with rocks sticking out into the road. BUT- OMG what a ride. The scenery is ____ (fill in the blank with a superlative). After driving on the road for maybe a half hour (we weren't really watching the time), and dealing with the lumps and bumps, we came to a sign:

Rough road ahead/ 4WD or High clearance vehicle recommended/ limited maintenance

No kidding. This might have been helpful a few miles back. Not that we would have turned back...

But this drive was definitely a highlight of our trip.

From Cripple Creek, site of a large casino, we headed to Glen Eyrie, our accommodations for tonight, and a new place to explore.

Photos here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/iFHABw54aJNpR6vo6

Royal Gorge Railroad and Bishop Castle, July 1, 2025

The bridge above the canyon

We had early reservations on the Royal Gorge train that runs along the Arkansas river through a canyon whose sheer rock walls plunge into the river. A highlight of the gorge route is the 1879 hanging bridge that is  suspended on one side under A-frame girders that span the river and are anchored to the rock walls. At one point, the train stops under the Royal Gorge Bridge 955 feet above the river, and the highest bridge in the United States. In addition to the spectacular scenery, we saw many rafters float by on the river.

In the afternoon, we opted to drive down to Bishop Castle, about an hour from Canon City where we were staying. It is located in a pretty remote area. Jim Bishop bought the land in 1959 when he was 15, and started building a home there in 1969. A neighbor had mentioned that the rocks he had surrounded the cottage there looked like a castle, and that comment sparked Jim's imagination. The castle grew from there. He placed the rocks, made the iron stairways for 55 years until he died at the end of 2024 from cancer.

For most of the time he was building he had disputes with the federal government over the rocks he used to build the castle. He took them from the National Forest surrounding his property, and he felt that they were his for the taking. The feds wanted to charge him by the truckload. The government disputed his use of unsanctioned road signs that pointed to his site. Ultimately, official road signs were placed. 

We had been here with Alex in 1992, and we were amazed at how much more had been done on the castle in the interim. It's tallest tower is 160 feet, and he built the whole thing with mothing but his hands. It's an amazing work of art and human patience and industry.

Photos are here: Royal Gorge--https://photos.app.goo.gl/zyYr87g9DCWg7gp67

                            Bishop Castle--https://photos.app.goo.gl/vL31dAQY9m9bJ1ZW8

Million Dollar Road, Rte 550, June 30, 2025

We spent the day meandering down the Million Dollar Highway in Colorado. The name came from a comment made at a planning meeting in 1921. At this time, a meeting was held to discuss plans to rebuild the highway. As the men reviewed the contracts to rebuild the highway, one gentleman remarked that all the contracts added up to a figure very close to $1,000,000. In further comments, he began to refer to the road as “…this million-dollar highway….” and the name stuck. 

The Million Dollar Highway stretches for about 25 miles  in western in Colorado and follows the route of U.S. 550 between Silverton and Ouray, Colorado. Although the entire stretch has been called the Million Dollar Highway, it is actually just the twelve miles south of Ouray  to the summit of Red Mountain Pass. This stretch through the gorge is interesting to drive; it is characterized by steep cliffs, narrow lanes, and a lack of guardrails; the ascent of Red Mountain Pass is marked with a number of hairpin curves used to gain elevation, narrow lanes for traffic—many cut directly into the sides of mountains. It's a fantastic road to drive, with mountain views around every turn. Loved, loved, loved it.

In one stretch there is a site with memorials to people who died on the road, by avalanche and road maintenance. 

Photos here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/ZPRBTZKmDs19ytNt8

Through Ouray to Mesa Verde, June 28-29, 2025

Within a few minutes of setting out on our day's travels, I got something in my eye--it started as just an irritation, then grew to be painful, to the point where I couldn't keep my left eye open. Fortunately, we were near Montrose, a relatively large town of 21,000, and we stopped there for a visit to Urgent Care. The doctor there couldn't see anything in the eye, but recommended a saline wash that I could buy at Walmart down the road. We did pick it up there, I used the wash, and it got better--gradually.

Onward.

Ouray

We spent the next 2 days driving through spectacular mountain scenery through Ouray and Telluride to Cortez, and then visiting Mesa Verde. The mountains were wonderful, Mesa Verde, a mystery.

It's a mystery to me how the people of Mesa Verde lived their daily lives climbing up and down the cliff walls. 

It was hot (again 90s temps), and we only took short walks to the sights. I was interested to learn the Mesa Verde is not a true mesa, but a cuesta, a ridge with a steep cliff on one side, and a gentle slope on the other. We had done all the cliff tours many years ago, and just enjoyed our walks here. We ate our lunches by the edge

of the mesa in the shade. 

All around the various towns of Colorado, we have been amused at the names of Marijuana "Dispensaries" aka stores: The Weedery, Delirious, CanaCare, Pure Cannabliss, Rocky Mountain High, The Buzz...

Photos here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/UJNXshj2ekLnE5pz9

Colorado National Monument, June 27, 2025

 

After Grand Mesa, we drove north to Colorado National Monument. Temperatures were reaching near 100, and we wisely decided not to hike, but to just drive the road, Rim Rock Drive. Along its 23 miles, it's easy to take in  redrock canyons, crisp blue skies, and glorious views.

We spent the rest of the day traveling and stopping at viewpoints along the way. The photos are at https://photos.app.goo.gl/JsNwqc65cnVQuTgNA