Colorado's Royal Gorge and Phantom Canyon
Our last day in Colorado was spent visiting the Royal Gorge near Cañon City and driving through Phantom Canyon on the way back to Colorado Springs. Here are some of the pictures I took along the way.
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Our first stop was at the Holy Cross Abbey in Cañon City.
There is a winery and tasting room on the grounds of the abbey.
The winery next to the Holy Cross Abbey is called "The Winery at Holy Cross Abbey" if you can believe it...
A few miles from Cañon City, near Florence, is a Federal SuperMax Prison. This is where Ted Kaczynski lives now. Other inmates include: Zacarias Moussaoui, Terry Nichols, Richard Reid, Eric Rudolph, Ramzi Yousef, Jose Padilla and Robert Hanssen. Timothy McVeigh was here until he was executed in 2001.
Not far from ADX Florence SuperMax. Royal Gorge is home to the world's highest suspension bridge which is 1,053 feet above the Arkansas River. Don't even think about fishing from the bridge, it's forbidden
Royal Gorge as seen from the bridge.
Off in the distance you can see JFK Mountain, which looks a little like John F. Kennedy's silhouette... if he were laying on his back... and a mountain...
The Arkansas River, far below the Royal Gorge Bridge. A sightseeing rail route runs along the river at the bottom of the gorge.
A slightly different view of the river. The gaps between the boards of the bridge provide plenty of opportunities to watch the river go by... 1,000 ft below.
If the gaps in the bridge planks aren't extreme enough for you, there's always the bungee swing.
Where there are tourists, there are guided horse tours
...and high-wire trams.
The less adventurous can see the gorge just fine while riding shotgun in a park ranger's golf cart.
After leaving the Royal Gorge we went through Phantom Canyon on the way back to Colorado Springs. This road was originally a railroad track from Cañon City to Victor, a mining town a few thousand feet up, at the top of the mountain.
The views inside Phanton Canyon were spectacular, plus we were there to catch the last hour of light before dusk.
Phantom Canyon road is only 25 miles long but it is very narrow as it winds from 5,500 ft to over 10,000 ft in elevation so it takes about two hours to drive from Florence to Victor.
Wild flowers on the side of the road about halfway up Phantom Canyon.
Just before dusk near Victor, Colorado at the end of the Phantom Canyon road, 10,000 ft above sea level.
Click here for more pictures.
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Our first stop was at the Holy Cross Abbey in Cañon City.
There is a winery and tasting room on the grounds of the abbey.
The winery next to the Holy Cross Abbey is called "The Winery at Holy Cross Abbey" if you can believe it...
A few miles from Cañon City, near Florence, is a Federal SuperMax Prison. This is where Ted Kaczynski lives now. Other inmates include: Zacarias Moussaoui, Terry Nichols, Richard Reid, Eric Rudolph, Ramzi Yousef, Jose Padilla and Robert Hanssen. Timothy McVeigh was here until he was executed in 2001.
Not far from ADX Florence SuperMax. Royal Gorge is home to the world's highest suspension bridge which is 1,053 feet above the Arkansas River. Don't even think about fishing from the bridge, it's forbidden
Royal Gorge as seen from the bridge.
Off in the distance you can see JFK Mountain, which looks a little like John F. Kennedy's silhouette... if he were laying on his back... and a mountain...
The Arkansas River, far below the Royal Gorge Bridge. A sightseeing rail route runs along the river at the bottom of the gorge.
A slightly different view of the river. The gaps between the boards of the bridge provide plenty of opportunities to watch the river go by... 1,000 ft below.
If the gaps in the bridge planks aren't extreme enough for you, there's always the bungee swing.
Where there are tourists, there are guided horse tours
...and high-wire trams.
The less adventurous can see the gorge just fine while riding shotgun in a park ranger's golf cart.
After leaving the Royal Gorge we went through Phantom Canyon on the way back to Colorado Springs. This road was originally a railroad track from Cañon City to Victor, a mining town a few thousand feet up, at the top of the mountain.
The views inside Phanton Canyon were spectacular, plus we were there to catch the last hour of light before dusk.
Phantom Canyon road is only 25 miles long but it is very narrow as it winds from 5,500 ft to over 10,000 ft in elevation so it takes about two hours to drive from Florence to Victor.
Wild flowers on the side of the road about halfway up Phantom Canyon.
Just before dusk near Victor, Colorado at the end of the Phantom Canyon road, 10,000 ft above sea level.