The best laid plans
August 29, 2015

After an overnighter at the Gunsmoke RV Park outside Dodge City, we were intending to stay at La Junta, Colorado, for several nights; however, a sleepless night of listening to coal trains performing exceptionally noisy clankings and shooshings and backings, and couplings and uncouplings and bangings and rattlings throughout the night, we requested and received a refund.

The reality is that the railroad was only the final straw; alone, it might not have precipitated our decision.  We went there primarily to “do” Picket Wire Canyon, a highly-lauded archaeological and dinosaur track site.  As it turns out, access to that fantablulous goal is via a 10-mile round-trip hike, and as it also turns out, the forecast temperature was to be approximately 100, definitely not a trek a person gets excited about when there is no shade and no shelter for the entire day.

So . . . it would seem that better planning should precede doing Picket Wire.  It would likely be optimum in the autumn.  With a sigh of relief, we ventured on toward Cañon City.

We went from this in Dodge City . . .

to this in Cañon City . . .

City park . . .

During our one afternoon in La Junta, we took a drive around to see what we could see.  A replica of the Statue of Liberty caught my eye, so stop we must to determine why such an oddity would be in that particular place.  

The accompanying plaque told us it was erected in 1951 in the city park by the Boy Scouts of America "With the faith and courage of their forefathers who made possible the freedom of these United States" . . . "as a pledge of everlasting loyalty and fidelity."  None of that explained what precipitated its placement, but I thought it was impressive, and loved my photo of it with the American flag behind.

In general, we got the impression that La Junta is not thriving; however, their city park is delightful.  During our walk, we especially enjoyed the band practicing in the ramada - excellent music, friendly folks.

Fresh grub! . . .

We have been bemoaning the dearth of farm stands encountered along our way.  Departing from La Junta, however, changed that.  For the previous many miles, agriculture consisted almost entirely of field corn, soybeans and milo, lots and lots of milo in western Kansas. 

As if a switch was flipped, we suddenly were in the midst of truck farming that is irrigated from canals carrying water from the Arkansas (pronounced Ar-Kansas) River.  The roadsides were dotted through that region by farm stands.

I was thrilled when we found one that could accommodate our rather large size, and took full advantage to fill our fridge with veggies and melons, not that it takes much to fill that smallish space.  How delightful it is upon walking up to a farm stand to smell the vine-ripened aromas!

As we began our climb toward the mountains and away from the river valley, we reveled in the higher elevations and the first sight of Rocky Mountain ranges.  To our left, we were thrilled at the long line of the Wet Mountains.  Our right was flanked by the Front Range with Pike’s Peak’s bald head towering up behind it.

Cañon City, Prospector's Park, birds . . . 

Rolling on through Cañon City, we could not help but note at least three prisons there, a rather odd and startling sight.  I have since discovered that there are 19 prisons there!  Why the town is so amply supplied with such is beyond my knowing.

Our last-minute choice to escape from La Junta was a campground beyond and at a higher elevation than Cañon City itself, and near to Royal Gorge.  The Prospector's RV Park has some great features for children, including a splash park, swimming pool and jump pillow; however, the place in general is relatively primitive.  We are ensconced down the hill in a corner all to ourselves, not another RV in sight.

Our feeder has attracted our first evening grosbeak of the trip, and as usual, the hummers - black-throated and broad-tailed, first for this trip - are battling for nectar.  We also have a pair of canyon towhees feeding two babies on the ground - seems late in the season for such. 

Royal Gorge . .  .

We had never seen Royal Gorge before, and what a sight it is!  Of course the bridge that spans it is the big draw - the highest suspension bridge in the U.S. at 956 feet above the Arkansas River, and nearly a quarter-mile long.  Unfortunately, the powers that be have opted to add attractions that they term an "amusement park", said accouterments justify their hiking up the costs.

For our $20/each senior discount, we would be allowed to walk out on the bridge and ride the gondola over the canyon, attend the theater and putz around on a goofy baby train, but what we really wanted was only to walk out on the bridge.  Just couldn't see shelling out $40 to do it.

We enjoyed walking along the rim of the fabulously beautiful gorge and peering deep down to the river below.  The Arkansas, through here, is quite the white-water rafting mecca.  Even late in the day, we saw three rafts making their way through some rapids that looked very intimidating in what seems to be low water.

That speck high in the center of the photo is a crazy person on the zipline.

The canyon was host to a large flock of white-throated swifts zipping rapidly one way and then another.  They were also new for our trip list.

The fire . . .

In 2013, a horrendous fire on the south rim jumped entirely across the huge chasm and destroyed the park facilities, including the caboose of Old Engine No. 499.  The locomotive itself survived, but not unscathed.  Hundreds of tourists and staff were evacuated.  When we first arrived, I wondered aloud why the landscaping was all so new; that was my answer.  It's pretty amazing what has been rebuilt so quickly.  About 100 of the wooden planks on the bridge were damaged and replaced, but other than that, it also seems to have come through the conflagration.

I was curious about this odd vein on the cliff face.  My geology-minded partner said it is called a "sill", resulting from molten lava flowing through a crack in the rock.

Meanwhile, back in Dodge City, I was flabbergasted to see this train-like rig - a motor home towing a three-wheeled motorcycle in addition to a car.

You never know what you're going to see at a roadside rest stop.  I had to jump out for a chat with this nice fellow and get the skinny on his companions - four very large dogs.  He transports dogs for military families and was on his way home after one such deed.  Out of his 22(!) great Danes, he often brings along these four because they're such good travelers.  He has 22, one for each color, he said.  I'm thinking some of them must be teal and fuchsia.  Some are rescues, very sweet canines.  They slobbered on me a lot, but it was friendly slobber.