I have returned home safe and sound. On Sunday, I visited with my cousin and my uncle in Loveland. (I went to high school there and have many relatives in the Loveland/Fort Collins area.) I spent the night at my cousin's place, then headed to Pueblo on Monday.
A storm had rolled in, and the rain was heavy and made sightseeing impossible. The forecast called for more constant rain all day Tuesday, so I ran to the grocery store and stocked up my hotel refrigerator for the week. As forecast, Tuesday was a constant downpour. The Pueblo area got 4.2 inches of rain in 18 hours. In the higher elevations, they got light snow above 9,000 ft, and heavy snow above 10,000 ft. The rest of the week was sunny (sort of) with spots of rain here and there. But I was able to scout various neighborhoods and nearby cities.
This was taken in Wyoming at a small rest area called Mule Creek Junction. I like the way this image turned out and even thought about framing it. But it's Wyoming, so... no.
I headed west out of Pueblo, and this was taken near the town of Penrose, CO. You can see the light snow that fell above 9,000 ft. elevation.
Out at Canon City, there are many interesting sights, like the Prison Museum, which does a haunted prison thing around Halloween. Canon City is in Fremont County, which has 15 prisons. Also in Canon City is a beautiful abbey that is home to the
Holy Cross Winery, with an interesting history.
On a tip from our very own
@Jessica_Rose, I took a drive out west of the city to Skyline Drive. It is a narrow one-way road that rides the top of a hogback ridge overlooking the city. Our UK friends might be accustomed to narrow roads, but this one has steep cliffs on either side. The view was definitely worth it.
The view of Canon City from Skyline Drive. (Thanks, Jessica!)
From there, I headed further west out to Royal Gorge. At Royal Gorge Park, I took these two photos to show
@Sephirah just how crowded this area is. Tourist attractions cause these huge cities to be built nearby. Ugh, there are just too many people here!
This was also taken out by the Gorge. On the closer mountains, you can see the light snow that fell above 9,000 ft. from the recent storm. To the left, in the back, you can see a higher peak with the heavy snow that fell above 10,000 ft. That snow will be there year-round.
From there, I went out to the Royal Gorge. I have never been there before, but I wasn't going to spend $35 for a ticket to take pictures on this trip. I love you all, but maybe another time.
For those who may not be familiar, the Royal Gorge Bridge is America's Highest Suspension Bridge, with 1,257 wooden planks suspended 956 feet over the Arkansas River.
For our history buffs, the Railroad Wars involved competing rail companies trying to be first across the Gorge. There was only enough room for one set of tracks, so the fighting was bitter. There was sabotage, barricades, and sneak attacks between the two companies. Eventually, the most bitter fighting was in the courtroom where the matter was settled.
I spent the rest of the week scouting out a new home. I know I will be moving (probably in July), I just don't know where yet. The New England area is trans-friendly, but I can't handle the weather anymore. I have lived in the Midwest for over 30 years, and I'm getting tired of this weather, too. Colorado has been proactive lately in passing state laws protecting the rights of transgender residents. I am from the state, and there is more gold in Colorado than in South Dakota. Win-win-win!
Oh, I almost forgot. I had dinner at a Mexican restaurant and had fried ice cream for dessert. I ordered a second one for
@ChrissyRyan, but I couldn't get it to stay in the envelope so I could mail it. It was a mess. Sorry, Chrissy. You'll have to try it yourself at a local restaurant.
