Friday, June 17, 2016

Divide, Cripple Creek, and a Surprise in the Trees

June 11-12, 2016
Manitou Springs, CO

After Friday was so crowded, we stay home on Saturday. I didn't get out of my PJs all day. Bill puts additive in the Jeep's fuel tank and fills it with high octane gasoline. Hopefully this will make a difference. 

It rains lightly off and on while we putter and read and watch a movie. 

Bill uses GoogleEarth to figure out where the house he lived in is, and Sunday we drive back to Colorado Springs. I love these older neighborhoods, and the property where he lived is beautiful.


The wrap-around porch on the front house is huge
Bill and Stone in front of his little house in the back - 1979
The same little house looking very much the same - 2016
We drive around the city. The business district is nearly deserted while the surrounding areas are packed with folks enjoying the weekend outdoor market and filling all the local eateries. We head back to Manitou Springs and find The Dive has two stools open at the counter. Breakfast is delish!


Empty streets of a Sunday morning
Can't remember the last time I sat at a diner counter!
After our yummy meal we head west on Hwy 24 for the little town of Divide. His brother and family lived there for awhile as well so we have another house to look for.

We don't find the house, but do find a lot of beauty and a wonderful surprise.


The western slope of Pike's Peak
Aspen glow in the shifting sunlight
Interesting formations dot the landscape
Mueller State Park on Hwy 69 has a lovely campground in the trees. Electric at every site, water at some. Good spacing, expansive views from many of the pull-throughs along the perimeter. 

We stop at a pond on our way out. Bill's first cast nets him a nice trout so he's happy to spend some time here. Tessa and wander around in the green grass. I hear the distinct sound of a hawk high in a pine, and what sounds like babies (eyas is the correct term).


At the very top of this tree
What a surprise!! Mom and her two eyas in their nest
Feeding time
Waiting patiently for the next meal
What a great time at this little state park! We continue on Hwy 69, heading for the little town of Cripple Creek, CO.


Today's storm darkens the distant skies
while the sunshine overhead brightens the hillside
It is Sunday and the rodeo's in town so Cripple Creek's main street is very busy. It is a wonderful little town, proud of it's mining history. The gold mine was one of the largest in the country, and the many large and ornate buildings show us a little town that was very prosperous. Tourists looking for the real western experience seem to be keeping things going strong.











The distant storm catches up with us and unloads torrential rain blown sideways by high winds, and tosses in some hail for good measure. It follows us down the mountain for miles. Traffic comes to a standstill for the signal at Pike's Peak Highway and its like being parked in a river. Exciting stuff!



We consider stopping at the little cafe and doubling the population, but continue through the storm
The Jeep runs fine all day until the last ten miles. Oh well. Just west of Manitou Springs the rain lets up and by the time we reach home the skies have cleared.




20 comments:

  1. How nice to be able to go back and see the old homestead. Best of all, it's still there. I loved the pictures of the hawk and her babies. I bet you took lots of them. Looks like you had another great day rain or shine.

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    1. Yep, I took a LOT of pics, trying to get the zoom to focus in my moving hands! It was a great day indeed.

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  2. How fun to see the houses from Bill's life. It is very difficult to find things in areas where there is so much growth. Nice that Bill got to do a little fishing and you and Tessa found that great nest. Boy, those babies are ugly:) They need some clothes:) I love how the dark storm clouds and areas of sun play across the landscape. We've has some beautiful scenery with our almost daily afternoon storms. Glad you made it back safely. Hope you figure out what the Jeeps problem is.

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    1. I thought they were creepy looking - amazing they grow into something so majestic. We're really missing those daily showers and cooling temps - it's brutal in Longmont this weekend :-(

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  3. Great hawk pictures. Amazing that those little fuzzy things will grow up to be so beautiful. The town of Cripple Creek has great architecture. I love looking at the tops of buildings, thanks for those pictures. LOL at Bust with a population of 2. Well that's the number isn't it? Wish you'd been able to stop. HATE driving in rain storms.

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    1. Cripple Creek is a gem I knew nothing about - another one :-) With the slowed down traffic on the wide highway it wasn't too bad, but I was happy when it was over!

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  4. Wow!!! How amazing to see mamma hawk and her babies.. The collection of boulders almost looks like a family hugging each other. Great pictures!

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  5. Always fun to see places we've lived and how they have or haven't changed. Your days in the area bring back great memories. If you're into quirky google Bishop's Castle, and interesting place near CO Springs.

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    1. We're definitely into quirky - will have to see it next time though. You lived in a beautiful area - one of the prettiest we've seen.

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  6. Pike's Peak or Bust, huh? I thought that picture of boulders looked like a pile of petrified dinosaur poop. Loved the baby hawk pictures; thanks for sharing them.

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    1. It's an amazing mountain - funny that the Pike it is named after never made it to the top! Yeah, I saw poop too :-))))

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  7. Oh how cool—you found Red-tailed Hawk babies! Your photos are great! Cripple Creek looks like such an interesting and colorful town. Just the kind of place we would enjoy exploring.

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    1. Thanks Laurel, it was fun to watch them interacting too. Yep, you guys would have a fun time in Cripple Creek I think.

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  8. Funny how difficult it can be to find your "old house" as I had trouble several years ago. I like Bill's little house. That Mueller park looks nice surrounded by the glow of aspen. The hawk sighting is awesome and your shots amazing, especially that eya with the big eyes. Cripple Creek has changed a lot since I was there 40 years ago.

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    1. He was so glad we found it after all the searching! The little town definitely seems to be growing - although it's wonderful there's no chain restaurants or Walmart in sight :-)

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  9. we spent many summers vacationing in Cripple Creek before the casinos went in...our treat was going to the melodrama at the Imperial Hotel............wondering if they do that there....your pictures are great..guess I need to get our slides out again...HA

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    1. Slides! Love it :-) The Imperial Hotel did have signs for melodramas but I didn't notice if they were current or nostalgia decor. You'll definitely need to make a visit to find out!!

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  10. The hawk and baby pictures are awesome Jodee...what a treat!

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    1. Thanks! I felt really blessed to share some time with them.

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