Bachelor Loop for rock hounds

The Creede Balloon Festival for Labor Day was right across the road from our camp ground at the airport which had a couple of planes outside and a couple in the hanger. There were 7 balloons and less than 100 people most of which were from the RV park. I really liked the small town atmosphere.  

After watching the balloons and having some breakfast, we headed out to try a hike to Phoenix Falls that our neighbor suggested. That didn't turn out so well due to narrow roads and bad directions. After backing down the hill so a lady could go down along a cliff to a stream, I voted to end that adventure. I think Mike was ok with that.

Once we got off that road, we decided to check out the Bachelor Loop Historic Tour. This 17-mile driving tour loops through Creede’s historic silver mining district and ghost towns. The tour’s first interpretive stop is just north of Creede in Willow Creek Canyon.

Part of the movie "The Lone Ranger" with Johnny Depp  was filmed here.

We took the hike up Humphrey's Mill after a couple we met at the first stop suggested it. There were numerous switchbacks to keep the grade not too difficult. Along the way, people had set out gems and crystals and other artifacts to look at. This was a big amethyst vein and plenty left to enjoy. There are signs saying not to take anything and it looks like people have been pretty good about it.

The old rail line from the Commodore Mine.

Plenty of cool rocks

The trail up to the mine had plenty of switchbacks to keep the incline down to "not too steep".

I wasn't sure if I would get Mike down with so many cool things and rocks to check out. 

Finally, we headed up the loop to see the other historical places.

The beaver pond showing fall coming

A fun stop for some geocaching. We had just missed the tour and the next was in an hour.

The mine is privately owned and has a couple of suites a person can stay in for a donation. The views were incredible.

Sometimes artists use this deck while they work.

Creede is such a nice small town with so much mining history and outdoor activities. After 24 hours, we were recognizing people we had seen on the trails or other places.

We are getting better at the geocaching with a few found around here.

Cheyenne Mountain State Park

We had to return to Colorado Springs to take care of some personal business and medical appointments. It seemed to be the perfect time to spend time camping at Cheyenne Mountain State Park. Each roomy site is on the hillside overlooking the city to the east and NORAD to the west. We wake each morning to revelry in the distance from Fort Carson and turkeys in the campground.

This area has received more rain than usual this year. The gambel oak (scrub oak) have an abundance of acorns and plenty of wild turkey to enjoy them. There were 14 in this group.

There are 21 miles of trails to hike or mountain bike in the mornings depending on the weather. The first day we were out by 7:30. The sun was shining and going to heat up. We wanted to get our important stuff, DMV and banking, done in the afternoon before the week got away from us. The next morning, after a stormy night, we got our hike in between rain drops.

Cheyenne Moutain and NORAD

The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) is a United States and Canada bi-national organization charged with the missions of aerospace warning and aerospace control for North America. Aerospace warning includes the detection, validation, and warning of attack against North America whether by aircraft, missiles, or space vehicles, through mutual support arrangements with other commands.

There are two 23-ton blast doors between the main tunnel and the office buildings complex. During the cold war, one door was always closed. That meant workers had to enter through the first door, wait in a middle room for the door to be closed and sealed, then wait for the second door to be opened.The doors were permanently opened in 1992.  However, they were closed for a few hours during the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11 and they are closed once a day for testing to make sure they still work, just in case.

Aerospace control includes ensuring air sovereignty and air defense of the airspace of Canada and the United States. The renewal of the NORAD Agreement in May 2006 added a maritime warning mission, which entails a shared awareness and understanding of the activities conducted in U.S. and Canadian maritime approaches, maritime areas and internal waterways.

The trails were pretty peaceful in the mornings.

 

For every climb of 1000 feet of elevation the intensity of the sun increase by 4%. No wonder we both deal with skin cancer. 

We tried our hands at some geocaching but the first one was in poison ivy. We left the cache in place but enjoyed using the GPS.



Choke cherries

When we were girls, my sisters and I liked to see who could eat the most choke cherries. Aghhhh! I think Patty would win. But she was the tough one.

We missed riding with the Colorado Springs Cycle Club and were glad to have the chance to catch the Monday Dinner Ride and catch up with friends. Fortunately, the afternoon clouds rolled in, cooling us down for the ride. 



It was fun to catch up with a few friends and family between appointments. We could have spent much more time and were sad to miss some people we would have loved to spend time with. Colorado Springs has so much to offer.

Chatfield Resevior

It wasn't too difficult leaving Summit County, even if we did have a washer and dryer at our fingertips. I was excited to see my grandsons, Kyle and Tyler. They seem more grown up every time we see them. We headed out by 9:30 after packing and moving everything back into the trailer from the condo. The 90 mile drive was slow going up to Eisenhower Tunnel and then easy downhill to Chatfield. We were all setup by the time the rain and lightening started.

The view across the lake in the mornings from our campsite.

Slocum Cabin for the trappers of the 1800s along the bike path overlooking the lake.

One fat great horned owl

We started our bike ride to the Audubon Center with the intention of riding up Waterton Canyon. The Center's building was closed and a singletrack we hadn't ridden before was beaconing us. It was an easy rolling path along the North Platte River. At one point, I noticed we were going right through a thick patch that looked like poison ivy. I don't know if it was but we didn't get a rash. Thank goodness. 

Chatfield is such a nice place to spend some time with all its trails and close proximity to the city. We usually enjoy riding along the North Platte River into Denver or just stopping by the coffee shop at Hudson Gardens.  It would have been nice to spend more time in the area but a bit too warm for us and we had things to take care of in Colorado Springs.

Kyle is ready to hit the water.

It was a toasty day, perfect for some time on the lake. Kyle had a good time chasing minnows and riding on the paddleboard while his dad took him around.

Tyler loved the kayaking. I think his arms were tired after taking a few trips around the lake.

What a good weekend with a couple of good guys.

Adios Three Amigos!