Return from Cripple Creek

For our return trip from Cripple Creek, we backtracked to Dalhart, TX, to spend the night. It rained on us most of the day, starting shortly after we left Cripple Creek. We took our time descending through the mountains on those narrow roads, and were glad to reach Canon City and a 4 lane highway.

Canon City is an interesting town. It is located near the Royal Gorge, among other things. I wouldn't mind spending some time there. Should we ever buy another trailer and full-time, I intend to go there. In fact, there are numerous points of interest from the Raton area to Canon City, including several state parks. All beg for a visit.

But today, we just skirted through Canon City. 35 or so miles later, we were in Pueblo, site of our first stop of the day. We always go around on Highway 45 on the west side of Pueblo. There is a nice McDonalds there where we always stop for drinks. We picked up coffee this cold, rainy day. A mile or two farther down the road, I pulled into a Walmart Neighborhood Market for fuel.

We continued around the loop and hopped on I-25 heading south. The rain continued. It would rain heavy at times, then slack off and just drizzle, but it continued non-stop. As we passed through Trinidad, we began climbing Raton Pass. I was glad to descend on the other side. We made another McDonalds stop in Raton, then headed east on US 87. We had hoped to stop at Capulin Volcano National Monument, but the weather was not cooperating, so we drove on past.

We finally drove out of the rain around Des Moines. For fellow travelers, please note that there is a nice rest area with restrooms located on the north side of the highway about 6 miles east of Des Moines. At Dalhart, we stopped for the night. Early the next morning, while it was still dark, we pulled out. The morning was clear until about Boys Ranch, then the fog moved in. We continued south on US 385. Just south of Vega on I-40, the fog was replaced by drizzle. It would rain on us the rest of the day.

I chose this different route home because Donna and I wanted to do a "memory tour." We were able to detour off this route to drive through towns we formerly lived in. First, we detoured through Olton, where I enjoyed my first full-time teaching job way back in the late 1970s. Courtney, our daughter, was born while we were living there. We drove by our old house, which was old when we lived there and is even older now. The school still looks good. The town itself seems smaller. It appears to have fewer businesses. Olton is a farm town, and life has not been good for our farmers in recent years.

Farther down the road, we detoured through the small community of Wellman, where I taught from 1984 to 1987. Since my time there, the school has consolidated with another country school -- Union -- to become Wellman-Union. It was in Olton and Wellman that I had my best public school teaching experiences, I believe. Those were some good kids. Most of them came from hard working farm families. It was a pleasure and privilege to teach them.

From Wellman, we worked our way home, stopping in Big Spring briefly for a late lunch.

It was good to get back home. I discovered 2.25 inches of rain in my gauge upon our return. Boy, we could use the rain. It continued to rain off and on following our return home.

Cripple Creek and Victor Narrow Gauge Railroad

On our last full day in Cripple Creek, the skies cleared. We decided to head down the street for a train ride.

The Cripple Creek and Victor Narrow Gauge Railroad offers a short ride on a narrow gauge railroad. The trip is short, lasting only 45 minutes or so. But it does provide a good look at some beautiful mountain country. Please visit the link above for details concerning rates and schedules.

Ticket office and gift shop

Ticket office and loading platform. Since this is a narrow gauge railroad, the rails are only 2 feet apart.

Donna in the gift shop

The depot is at the east end of Bennett Avenue. The small engine pulls two cars, one enclosed in glass and the other open. Donna and I opted for the open car. The ride was quite breezy and cold, but I wanted the open car to provide clearer pictures.

Car nearest is enclosed in glass. Donna and I road at the back of the second car, which is open.

Coal fired engine gives off a unique smell that reminded me of tar.

Before leaving the station, the engineer provided some background information on the train as well as Cripple Creek itself. The track winds south a few miles. At the end, it comes to a complete stop, allowing the engineer to provide more information. We then backed up a short distance so the train could reverse direction on a side track. Near the station, the train then pulled into another side track, which allowed us to back into the station.

We made 3 full stops on the journey, and at other times the train slowed to a crawl while the engineer provided information. He pointed out various old mines located along the route, for example. Below are pictures of the tour.

This is the inside of the car we rode in. We sat at the very back, but were able to move around freely to snap pictures. The engineer is at front center speaking into the handset. Speakers are located on both cars.

Leaving Cripple Creek

We passed through some beautiful mountain country on this short trip. That is the highway heading to Victor, another old mining town south of Cripple Creek.

Along the route, the engineer would point out items of interest, such as this old chute from an old mine.

The track winds through the trees.

More beautiful mountain scenery. Note some of the trees turning color.

I believe the engineer called this the World's Fair mine; I'm not sure. It's a pity to see this beautiful country raped.

Aspens along the track.

Nice color near the end of the ride.

All bundled up for the ride. I'm not good at taking selfies. I can't pose and snap the photo at the same time. No good at multi-tasking these days.

Cripple Creek, Second Time Around

We recently spent 4 nights in Cripple Creek. We really like this mountain town, and we wish it was closer so that we could go more often. But it is a 1500 mile round trip, so this may be our last visit for a long time, especially with winter already appearing in those mountains.

In my last post, I recorded the first leg of our trip to Cripple Creek, which took us from San Angelo to Raton, NM. From Raton, we followed the route we took on our return trip back in May (see "On the Road: Cripple Creek to Santa Rosa, NM"). In other words, we went from Raton up I-25 to Pueblo, then US 50 west just past Canon City, then on 3 mountain roads the remainder of the trip to Cripple Creek. As we left Raton, the rain pounded us all the way through Raton Pass. I was glad when it finally let up and we made it through the pass.

The approach drive to Cripple Creek is really pretty. The aspens were turning at the higher elevations, and Donna tried to snap some shots as we drove along. Unfortunately, the glare on the windows is obvious in some of the pictures.

Donna took this photo just a few miles outside Cripple Creek. No picture can really do justice to the beauty of the aspens as they turn.

Cripple Creek has an elevation of 9494 feet. Let's just round that off to 9500 feet. It is way up there. The weather was pretty cool during our entire stay. The nights dipped to around freezing each night while the highs never got out of the 40s. A couple of days were rainy and overcast, but on our last full day, we were able to get out for exploring.

Cripple Creek is an old mining town, the site of the last great Colorado gold rush. Gold was discovered there in 1890, and the population soon exploded from about 500 people to 10,000. Two separate fires in 1896 essentially destroyed the town, but it was rebuilt in that same year. Most of the historic buildings you see in town today date back to that rebuilding period.

Today, the population of Cripple Creek hovers around the 1200 mark, and most of the residents are employed in the new gold rush, casinos and tourism. We go there mainly for the casinos. On our two trips there, we have stayed and played mostly at Bronco Billy's, though we also spend a lot of time at the Double Eagle a couple of blocks down the street.

Below are some other photos of Cripple Creek.

Looking south. The highway you see goes to Victor, another old mining town.

Looking west along Bennett Avenue, the main thoroughfare through Cripple Creek.

Looking east along Bennett Ave. Notice the clusters of aspens as well as the clouds shrouding the mountain.

This is the Double Eagle Casino.

It was early when I snapped this photo of Donna as we were walking east towards the Double Eagle. You can see the sun just beginning to peep over the mountain. It was probably about 35 or 40 degrees, cold but invigorating.

On the Road: San Angelo, TX, to Raton, NM

Note: The following entry is not in real time, but was posted several days after it happened.

We are on our way back to Cripple Creek, Colorado. We really enjoyed ourselves on our last trip there, so we wanted to go again before cold weather set in.

The entire trip is pretty long, about 720 miles, so we decided to take 2 days to get there. On our first day, we made it only as far as Raton, NM, which is just south of the Colorado state line on Interstate 25.

It's 520 miles from San Angelo to Raton, but the road is great.

US 87 from San Angelo to Amarillo is 4 lanes. We follow US 87 north through Big Spring and Lamesa before picking up Interstate 27 (which replaces US 87) in Lubbock. From San Angelo to Big Spring, we see mostly ranch land with frequent hills lining the road. The highway follows, for the most part, the course of the North Concho River to the west, and you can usually see the tree line along the river. Near Big Spring, the river plays out.

North of Big Spring, farm land gradually takes over, with cotton the dominant crop. The land is table flat (thus, the name Lamesa, which is pronounced La-meesa). There are occasional swells in the land, but for the most part you can see for miles. There are no natural trees, so when you see a large cluster, you know you are approaching a small town. Many of the farm houses have a line of cedars or similar bushy trees to serve as wind breaks. Right now, the cotton is maturing. I was surprised at the number of new oil rigs between Big Spring and Lamesa. There must have been 10 or so.

I-27 starts at the south loop in Lubbock. It is an easy drive through Lubbock to the north. There isn't much change in the landscape until we approach Amarillo. We skirt around the lovely city of Canyon (see "Good Eats: Best Thai Restaurant" and "Panhandle Plains Historical Museum" from August 2012) and soon take the west loop around Amarillo.

At the northwest corner of Loop 335, we take Highway 1061, Tascosa Road, towards the old Panhandle town of Tascosa. In about 20 miles, we come to the Canadian River valley. A few miles later we intersect with US 385. There isn't much left of old Tascosa, but it was one of the 3 original towns of the Panhandle. Quite a bit of history walked the streets of this wild old town, and quite a few legendary figures, such as Charlie Siringo, Pat Garrett, and Billy the Kid. At one time, it served as the supply town for some large Panhandle spreads, such as the famous XIT. Today it is best known as the home of Cal Farley's Boys Ranch and Boot Hill Cemetery.

Boot Hill Cemetery is on a hill overlooking Boys Ranch

Historical Marker at Boot Hill Cemetery

The Chapel at Boys Ranch

From Tascosa to Raton is true ranch country, and tributaries of the Canadian cause breaks in the flat landscape. We cruise on north, passing through only small towns, like Channing and Hartley. At Dalhart, we continue northwest on US 87, again passing only through small towns: Perico, Texline, Clayton. We finally arrive in Raton, where we have a room reserved. Be sure to keep plenty of gas in your tank, as stretches between towns are quite long in these parts.

Raton is home for the night. We enjoy a good steak at K-Bob's and get ready for the next day.

Getting Around

Well, it is still hot, hot, hot in San Angelo. Daily highs have been hovering around the 100 degree mark, and we even hit some triple digits this week. I'm ready for some cooler weather. Even the nights are warm, rarely getting below 75 or so. We were fortunate to receive a little rain this week, about .2 inch. That's not much, but perhaps it will green things a bit.

I had an interesting experience while walking Wednesday morning. There is an elderly man a street over who uses a walker, but the old guy does his short walk on a regular basis. I spotted him up ahead as he was finishing his walk. He walked onto his driveway, then stopped. As I got closer, he waved me over, then pointed to his front porch. I took a look, and there was a little rattlesnake there. The old gentleman went in to his garage and came out with a shovel -- he couldn't find a hoe -- and asked me to kill the snake. I severed the head and the gentleman disposed of the remains. Another walker out here recently told us about finding a snake at his house, so we have to keep our eyes open.

Donna and I attended another presentation in the Fort Concho Speaker Series. This one was "Mysteries of the Texas Panhandle" by Joe Weaver. The title was a bit misleading, as I was expecting mysteries, such as missing people, unexplained lights, or some other such thing. Instead, it was really a discussion of how the Panhandle has developed over the years and related items. I still enjoyed it very much, as the Panhandle has long been a place of interest to me and I've read much about it. These presentations surely do pull a lot of people in. Most folks are retired, like Donna and I, but there are others who attend. The sessions are set up for lunch, so even people from the work force can attend.

We attended a little social at our club house this week as well. We were treated to root beer floats. It's hard to turn down anything free, but when ice cream is involved, it's darn near impossible. We were able to meet new neighbors, and that is always good. Over the 15 or so months we've lived here, we've met quite a few of the residents. I grew up in a small town and literally knew just about everyone in town. Rio Concho West has that sort of feel about the place.

But we are always reminded that this is a retirement community. Even though Donna and I are healthy and active, some of our neighbors are not. During one of my walks early in the week, an EMT vehicle came along the street searching for an address. It passed me, continued a quarter mile or so down the street, then came roaring back. In the meantime, I spotted another EMT vehicle on another nearby street. Both eventually found their locations. One evening this week, Donna and I were on our patio enjoying a light rain when an EMT vehicle flew by on the street. It turned and went down the next street and continued out of sight. I wonder about the quality of the GPS devices they must use, as they seem to have trouble finding addresses.

All's Well

Irma has dissolved and I'm happy to report my brother Larry came through the storm in very good shape. He lives on the east coast of Florida, so at first we thought Irma was heading straight for me. Of course, the storm moved farther west and Larry did not get a direct hit. He was without power for a few days, but his building suffered no real damage. It looks like Jose has turned north and will miss much of the east coast, but two other storms, Maria and Lee, are currently building in the Atlantic. Current projected course for Maria will take it over much of the same route as Irma, so that isn't good. But storms can change, and we'll hope for the best. It's really too early to project a course for Lee.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, things have heated up in San Angelo. We've had several 100+ degree days, and have even set a record or two. It is, of course, dry. By the end of this month, though, we should be cooling off and settling in to some good autumn weather.

Donna and I continue to be absolutely worthless and do nothing except walk a few miles every other day. We do have upcoming trips planned, though, and we are looking forward to those. Unfortunately, I've been sent a jury notice, so I will have to make an appearance sometime in October. We'll have to plan our trips around that public service.

I've been monitoring this Equifax nightmare and taking necessary precautions as I can. I can't express the outrage I feel over this entire episode and the irresponsible manner the Equifax morons have handled things. We should reconsider public floggings.

Lunch at a Cathouse

For Donna's birthday, I let the old girl pick where she wanted to have her birthday meal. She decided on Miss Hattie's Restaurant in downtown San Angelo.

Now, there is a bit of history to this place. It's full name is Miss Hattie's Restaurant and Cathouse Lounge. The actual building housing the restaurant was constructed in the 1880's and was, at that time, home to the San Angelo National Bank. (see history) The bordello was actually two buildings over and upstairs, if I understand correctly, and there was a tunnel which connected it to the bank for the convenience and "discretion" of its patrons. The bordello began business in 1902 and continued operating until closed by the Texas Rangers in 1952. Today, you can tour Miss Hattie's Bordello Museum. Times are somewhat limited, so check the website. By the way, Miss Hattie's was not the only bordello operating along Concho Street.

Entrance to the Bordello Museum.

The restaurant is in the building on far right. This was, as I said, originally the bank building. The bordello was in the upstairs section of the larger building on the left. 

Boardwalk in front of the restaurant

Entrance to the restaurant

This was our second time to eat at Miss Hattie's. It's a nice place, and the building maintains many of it's original features, such as pressed tin ceiling. They have a full lunch menu with a variety of items, including a "Brothel Burger" that was acclaimed at one time as the 28th best burger in Texas by Texas Monthly magazine. I've not tried the burger yet, but intend to some time.

For her lunch, the birthday girl ordered grilled chicken pasta, which is a grilled chicken breast served over fettucine tossed in Alfredo sauce. I ordered the chicken fried steak.

The meal for each of us began with a small salad, consisting off a few tossed greens, 1 slice of cucumber, and half a slice of tomato. Rather meager pickings, I'd say. My steak looked good when it arrived, but my disappointment soon began to build. First, the menu clearly stated the steak is served with mashed potatoes, and I was served French fries, which I'm not a big fan of. The vegetable of the day was a helping of sweet corn. Neither the corn nor the fries were hot, just lukewarm at best. I began cutting into my steak. It was not until my fourth bite that I finally tasted meat. About a one inch perimeter of the steak was nothing more than crust. One of my standards for a good chicken fried steak is how tender it is; I expect to be able to cut a cfs with my fork. I had to use a knife several times on this steak.

My chicken fried steak. Gravy was served on the side. About half of the steak was crust.

Donna's pasta dish started out well. The chicken actually had a good flavor, but as she worked her way through her meal, she found the chicken to be tough.

Donna's grilled chicken pasta

The waitress was attentive, but there was a lot of waiting involved for us. There seemed to be long gaps of time from sitting down, being served drinks, ordering our meal, and being served. Once we finished our meal, it took us about 25 minutes to pay up and leave. I don't know what the precise problem was; as I said, the waitress was attentive, but the process seems to be out of whack. There were plenty of wait staff for the number of patrons in the restaurant.

Interior of restaurant

So, we were disappointed in our meals. Will we go back? Yes, we will. Our previous experience was good, and we like the menu. I think it is just a matter of figuring out what to order. But the environment is nice, and prices are reasonable for this type of establishment. But you can bet I won't order the chicken fried steak again. I might just get that brothel burger.

It was nice of Donna to let me go to a brothel on her birthday.