Grizzly or not

 

We did go after that alleged grizzly that was reported near Helper although I have a suspicion that what that feller spotted was a black bear instead.  In and around our bear hunt, we managed to fit in a few other excursions also.  It was made more difficult because some of our precious one day here was used up by our RV dealer not dealing . . . with things like the electric water heater not working.  We shall see where that leads us; the better news is that we discovered Helper has a lovely river walk.  We quite enjoyed a stroll along the tree-lined Price. . .

 

 

 . . . enhanced by Helper street art . . .

 

 

. . . with always the landmark Balance Rock high up the cliff on the skyline.

 We returned to and passed our earlier jaunt out to Soldier Summit, where gasoline was going for a whopping $4.19 per gallon!
 

Along that route through these wild and rugged mountains, humanity in various forms has been passing, or at least attempting to pass for a very long time.  The first non-natives to traverse it may have been Franciscan priests Escalante and Dominguez in 1776.  They called it Grassy Pass, a moniker that was exchanged at the beginning of the American Civil War for the current Soldier Summit.  Its latest designation was applied when six or seven military men plus one boy were frozen to death there during a blizzard as they were making their way to join the Confederate Army after being released from the Union forces.

Certainly many others have found their way to that place that allows access over the mountain.  We learned from a plaque at the site about the Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad attempting to establish their operations at that higher spot instead of lower at Helper.  

Providing "housing" for their employees was a fiasco when they set up wood-framed tent structures wrapped with tar paper.  Advancing from that primitive shelter to little better "half salt box" or "squat box" houses proved inadequate also.  Those small dwellings were said to be 850 square feet divided into smaller rooms.

They provided the 2500 residents little defense again the six to 16 feet of snow that accumulated for up half the year.  Folks were required to dig snow tunnels to access other buildings, even outhouses.  A decade later, in 1929, the railroad moved the whole kit & kaboodle back to Helper, where it was easier to maintain operations.

The town at Soldier Summit is now little more than a few residents and a gas station.

This building appears to have been the local calaboose; it consists of two very dank and drab cells and a front jailer's room.

Along the way . . .

I had never heard the term "culinary water", but then I don't get out much.  Now I know it's a thing.

Decades of use and severe weather take their toll on old roads and bridges as well as buildings.

We drove out along a "scenic byway" (aren't they all scenic around here?) to the Scofield Reservoir and a summer community of the same name.  We were surprised at the extensive size of the lake and the huge number of white pelicans floating and circling.  There were plenty of other waterfowl, but identification was difficult among the whitecaps whipping the water's surface.  I would have liked to do some birding and photography; unfortunately, it seemed that we had stepped through a doorway into winter.  The wind was whipping; as rain turned to hail, we headed back downhill, but not before we perused a memorial to the miners who died in the Scofield Disaster - 200 of them!

We also stopped at the Castle Gate cemetery where there are graves of 171 men killed in the Castle Gate Mine disaster.  It is humbling and tragic to learn of these and so many others who have perished in mine explosions and cave-ins time after time.

Gordon Creek Falls . . .

Now about that bear: we decided to go on out to see if we could find him.  What a superb idea, I thought . . . right up until we were out there in the boonies and seeing bear tracks . . . right on the trail we were hiking.

Bear spray or not, it took a bit of self-convincing that the trek was a good idea after all.  Convincing complete: we continued on our hike which was along an ATV track in beautiful country, following a small stream below us in the canyon bottom.  Driving an all terrain vehicle along there would have been a very dusty proposition but would have been no problem on those steep grades.  On foot, though, we did a whole lotta huffing and puffing as we climbed steeply and steadily in places.

Alas (or hooray), no bear in sight, and believe me, I had my antenna finely honed.  Our efforts were rewarded when we came upon the sight of Gordon Creek Falls, a water cascade dropping and sluicing down an immense wall of rock strata.  

Closer and closer we got and then we were climbing down to the stream's course as it meandered across the water-smoothed rock before its drop.  It was delightful to immerse ourselves in the beauty of the water's sounds, the spray, the colors and beauty from the height of dropoff!  It was delightful to spend time and to enjoy the blessings of the gift, and of course water is irresistible to me, so into it, we went. 

If our Darren had been with us (and we felt that he was), he would have clamored all over up and down those rocks and in that water and savored the excitement of the place.  It seemed to be the right time to release the first of his ashes, and so we sent him out there with love to fly free.

Finally sated and cooled with our water experience, we began our return to the truck just in time to reach shelter before the threatening thunderstorms commenced with lightning.