Life is a journey, not always happy or sad but always interesting. Join me as we travel the winding road via this blog, on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/user/mabryatpinnacol), and on Instagram (@davidmabry).
In Manitou Springs, Colorado there's a hill and quite a hill it is. They call it the Manitou Incline and it's steep and people climb it purportedly for fun.
photo courtesy of the Manitou Incline Basecamp
The first time I did the Incline there was still a funicular that whisked you to the top to take in the view. It ran from 1907 until 1990 until economics made it no longer feasible to operate profitably. The funicular is now just a memory and today people haul themselves up 2,700 steps (railroad ties actually) at grades maxing out at 68% to earn the privilege of then hiking three miles back down.
Join me for a quick peek at our climb up this Colorado landmark. If you've done it kudos to you for accomplishing it. Now that I've done it both the easy and the hard way I'minclined to have a whole lot more respect for those that set their sights on reaching the top!
On our recent trip to the Manitou Springs area we took a side jaunt up Highway 24 through Woodland Park and then up the back road to Cripple Creek and Victor. Haven't been up that way since I was a lad of fourteen or fifteen which puts it way, way back in time even before legalized gambling took over both towns as a supposed economic panacea for towns that saw their life's blood - the mines - dry up. 1991 was the year gambling became legal and sadly it does not appear to have brought boom times to either town. I know we're just coming out of a pandemic so its hard to know what the future will hold . I hope Colorado and out-of-state tourists alike rediscover this neck of the woods not so much because I'm a gambling fan but because its a beautiful area of the state with such a rich (literally!) heritage it would be a shame to see these towns turn to dust.
$11 billion came out... Where did it all go?
The area is of course rich in western history. Before 1890 the history was largely focused on the Ute Indians but when Bob Womack finally found gold in, appropriately enough, Poverty Gulch, the rush was on. From 1890 through 1910 the area was known as the "World's Greatest Gold Camp" with more than 500 mines operating in the Cripple Creek/Victor region. Who's to argue as more than 22 million ounces of gold was pulled from the ground. That's worth, in today's dollars, about $11.2 billion. A tidy sum in almost anybody's book.
Note the credit to "Women in Mining"
While the casinos that are still operating focus on pulling folk's hard-earned cash out of their pockets, I spent my time looking backward. There is still gold mining going on (the proprietor at what seemed to be the only gift shop in Cripple Creek told us the big Newmont mine on the hill is yielding about a $million a day) but I was curious to visit some of the relics of yesteryear. Driving over toward Victor we stumbled on the Trails of Gold, a series of walking trails that take you through some of the old mining district. Its not too steep a trail (like the Manitou Incline, but that's a story for another blog) but you might feel the altitude a tad if you're a humble mortal like me. Still, it's worth the effort and they've done a nice job with the trails, the signage, and the old mine structures. Here's a short video of some of the highlights captured on a cool day when those infamous Colorado thunderstorms were threatening to recreate Noah's flood. Thank goodness the rain held off until we were nearly back to the car but the dark skies only added to the allure of these relics of days gone by.
So if you're ever in the area take the turn out of Divide, Colorado onto State Highway 67. The drive alone is worth it, and if you want to part with some of your cash in the Gambling Halls I guess that's fine too. But if you're like me, don't miss the chance to get out and stretch the legs on one of the Trails of Gold. Memories is what you'll find which just might make your day...
There are a few (actually its a pretty long list...) must-see/do things if you’re lucky enough to spend any amount of time in Colorado. One of those just reopened, though three years ago we were wondering if it was gone forever. I’m talking about the Manitou and Pikes Peak Cog Railway which just started operating on May 21st after a three year hiatus.
Now, after a complete rebuild, this Colorado treasure is back hauling passengers from its depot in Manitou Springs to the top of Pikes Peak in the type of comfort one might expect from the company that owns and operates it, the Broadmoor.
The railway began in 1889 with the first train reaching the 14,115’ summit in June 1891. For those not familiar with trains, a cog railway adds a third toothed rack rail that allows the train to climb grades in excess of 10 percent, steeper than normal trains could dream of tackling. And there are some steep climbs on the hour and ten minute journey to the summit so you likely won’t be tempted to hop off and jog alongside the train as it huffs and puffs upward at a steady 8 mph.
My wife and I rode the train this last Monday. I had booked seats as soon as I was able as I knew this would be a very popular excursion for Coloradans as well as tourists from around the world. Trains run every 40 minutes and our 9:20 a.m. train was completely full as were the other trains we passed during our trip.
There is still snow on top but it won’t last too much longer. The old visitors center is being demolished and replaced by a new one. Change is good and I’m sure the old one was past it’s prime but having been to the summit three times now (twice by train, once driving up on the 19 mile road) since the 1970’s I’m sorry to see the old building go. Of course the new visitors center, set to open in a month or so, gives me the perfect excuse to make at least one more trip to the top in the future.
Not that you need a gleaming steel and glass building - all the views are outside and the 360 degree panorama on a clear and sunny Colorado day is spectacular and the main reason so many people set their sights on getting to the top of our State’s fifty four fourteeners. Just bring a jacket - the temp when we left the depot in Manitou Springs was a balmy 80 degrees but at the summit it was in the low forties and the wind chill was in the thirties.
There is not a bad seat on the train (seats are reserved when you buy tickets) but the best seats, if you can get them, are the three seats at the front or back of the train adjacent to the engineer as he or she drives the train. We were in the front seats going up (as you’ll see in the video below) but since the train simply backs down on the return trip the folks at the ‘back’ of the train got the best view going down. Either way, just make plans to get on board at some point, sooner rather than later, as this is one special trip. As they say in the train business - “All Aboard!”
What do you want to be when you grow up? That age old question seems appropriate right about now. A new crop of high school and college graduates are about to leave one world behind and enter another. It would appear to be a good year to enter the job market now that the pandemic, or at least the deaths and hospitalizations, is on the wane. This morning’s job report said 500,000 plus Americans were recently hired which bodes well for all the young folks anxious to get out there and test their skills.
I’ve reached that age when I have more to look back at than to look forward to and I realize I’ve never quite been able to answer the question of what I wanted to be. Problem was, I could never narrow it down to one thing. It’s a mighty big world out there and despite the increasing number of constraints on folks pursuing their passions there’s always been and still are a lot of interesting avenues available for those willing and inclined to give it a try.
The list of things I wanted to do is way too long to list here but the reality of course is that most of them remain in the realm of woulda, coulda, shoulda. I’d hazard a guess that may be true for many of you as well. One of the things I would do if granted a return visit to this beautiful blue orb is spend more time on the ocean. I’ve covered a lot of land but given the earth is two thirds water my time gazing at a wave-filled horizon has been far too limited. There’s a young couple I follow on YouTube that are sailing the world in their catamaran. Not sure how they can afford what they’re doing but they’re in Tonga (in the South Pacific) soon headed to New Zealand. I’d certainly have traded my cubicle world for what they’re doing and seeing in a heartbeat.
I did have the chance to get out for another look at one of the active mines near Leadville. I would love to have walked Leadville at its height in the late 1800’s so it’s interesting to see that the aspirations of pulling wealth out of the ground live on today. Here’s a short peek at what’s going on at one of the gold mines:
