|
|
|
Welcome to Colorado Travel Journal ! |
|
We are committed to enhancing your enjoyment of our beautiful state through:
-- Attractions: Plan a trip with information and maps (click left or top "Attractions" menus)
-- Events: Browse upcoming festivals and events (click top "Events" menu)
-- News: Find out what's happening (see below)
-- Articles: Discover new things about Colorado (scroll down)
-- Forum: Join in a discussion about things to do (click "Forum" button on top menu).
|
|
Latest Colorado Travel News |
|
|
Friday, 23 May 2008 |
|
Colorado's busiest event season is just getting underway. There are quite a few popular annual events in May -- take a look at the events calendar on the top menu to check them out or click on these links for a few examples:
Telluride Mountain Film Festival, May 23-26
Boulder Creek Festival, May 24-26
Iron Horse Bicycle Classic, May 23-26
Junior College (JUCO) Baseball World Series, May 24-31
BolderBOULDER 10K Road Race, May 24-26
|
| |
|
|
Trail Ridge Road Opening (NPS) |
|
Friday, 23 May 2008 |
|
 |
| Trail Ridge Road, Rocky Mountain NP |
Trail Ridge Road, the highest continuous paved road in the continental United States, celebrated its 75th Anniversary in 2007. The road rises to an elevation of 12,183 feet, above where trees can grow. The central eleven miles of this high route traverse open, windswept alpine tundra. This route provides some of the greatest mountain views available from roadside in the nation.
The lower portions of Trail Ridge Road are open year-round. The central part of Trail Ridge Road is generally open from late May through mid-October.
Trail Ridge Road is currently opened to Colorado River Trailhead on the west and Many Parks Curve on the east. The higher elevation sections are scheduled to open Friday, May 23, 2008.
|
|
|
Colorado's Historic and Scenic Railroads |
|
Friday, 11 May 2007 |
|
 |
| W.H. Jackson: St. Peter's Dome |
Early Colorado history is closely linked with the westward expansion of the railroad into the Rocky Mountains. From the time of the Pikes Peak Gold Rush in 1859, another rush began to find a way to transport rich ores out of the remote mountainous regions of Colorado. The first targets of this expansion were the gold mines in Central City, Black Hawk, and Idaho Springs, northwest of Denver. Because of the difficult access however, tracks did not reach these areas until the early 1870's. When gold played out after a few years, discoveries of silver in the area kept the momentum going for a while. The last vestige of this early railroad development is the Georgetown Loop Railroad. The famous "Loop" was an engineering marvel constructed in an attempt to extend the Central Colorado Railroad from Georgetown to Leadville, where a rich silver lode was discovered in 1878. The Georgetown Loop Railroad, along with two historic silver mines, are now operated as tourist attractions.
 |
| W.H. Jackson: Pikes Peak Prospector |
The Leadville silver strike sparked a "Colorado Silver Rush". Fierce competition broke out between the railroad companies, in one case resulting in an armed conflict. The "Royal Gorge War" between the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railroad and the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad (D&RG) had all the makings of a Hollywood movie. This "war" for control of the rights to build a railroad through the narrow Royal Gorge, the "Grand Canyon of the Arkansas River", even included the enlisting of the famous gunfighter Bat Masterson by the Santa Fe. After two years of confrontation, court battles, and exchange of gunfire, courts ruled in favor of the D&RG with the concession that they not extend their tracks into New Mexico to compete with the Santa Fe Railroad there. A few years after completion of the railroad through the Royal Gorge, it became known throughout the world as a scenic route for passengers traveling from Denver to Salt Lake City. Today visitors can experience some of this history and scenic beauty on the Royal Gorge Route Railroad, one of the few remaining pieces of the DR&G empire of the 19th century.
 |
| Royal Gorge Railroad |
In the late 1870's, silver mines in Silverton, in southwestern Colorado, also were targeted by the railroads. General William Palmer, a Civil War hero and founder of the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad, hatched a secret plan to reach Silverton from the south. Palmer was one of the first railroadmen in Colorado to fully exploit the use of narrow gauge track, which is only about 3 feet wide. This narrow track allowed faster and cheaper contruction of railines through mountains, since sharper curves and lighter weight than standard gauge track were possible. By 1882 he completed construction of track all the way from Pueblo west to Silverton, passing through Alamosa, Chama on the New Mexico border, and Durango. The railroad passed over La Veta Pass, Cumbres Pass and Toltec Gorge, and the Molas Divide -- an amazing feat of engineering. Three sections of this route remain today, the Cumbres-Toltec Railroad, the Durango-Silverton Railroad, and the recently inaugurated Rio Grande Scenic Railroad. The first two still operate as steam-powered, narrow gauge trains and use original equipment.
The avent of the automobile and airplane in the early 20th century doomed many of the railroads to extinction. In the past few decades, however, there has been a resurgent interest in these old trains for tourism. Colorado is in the envious position of having preserved a number of heritage trains. In addition to the ones mentioned above there are the 1891 Pikes Peak Cog Railway, the Leadville Colorado and Southern, and the Cripple Creek and Victor Railroad. If you are interested in more information on these fascinating trains, please click on the links below.
State Map: Colorado Train Rides
Cumbres and Toltec
Durango and Silverton
Georgetown Loop
Pikes Peak Cog
Royal Gorge Route
|
|
|
Tundra Wildflowers on Trail Ridge to Bloom Soon |
|
Thursday, 24 May 2007 |
|
 |
| Alpine Daisies, Trail Ridge |
The stark, barren surface of the wind swept "tundra" (treeless land) is transformed into a tapestry of vivid color as wildflowers begin to bloom on Trail Ridge in Rocky Mountain National Park. Usually by early June the beautiful tiny blue clusters of forget-me-nots dot the landscape, and yellow snow buttercups peek through the patches of melting snow. As the spring turns to summer, a large variety of flowers bloom during the tundra's short growing season of six to ten weeks. Blooming starts in late May to early June and usually peaks about mid-July, although some flowers bloom throughout the summer.
Extreme conditions exist in the tundra -- desiccating winds, often over 100 miles per hour, extreme cold, a growing season with only about 40 frost-free days, repeated freezing and thawing cycles, and intense solar radiation. Tundra plants, most of them perennials, have unique ways of adapting to these conditions. They typically grow close to the ground to preserve energy, put out long tap roots to search for moisture, and have stems with wax or hairy coverings to preserve moisture and heat. Most of the plants are small and compact, and some contain "anthocyanin", a chemical "antifreeze" that converts sunlight into heat.
A short stay at Forest Canyon Overlook, a one mile walk at Rock Cut, or a leisurely walk along the trail at Medicine Bow Curve pullout will introduce you to the diversity of Trail Ridge's interesting wildflowers. A variety of cushion plants are found in rocky areas of the tundra such as these. The cushion plants include blue Forget-Me-Nots, pink Moss Campions, white Sandywinks (Sandwort), and bluish to white Alpine Phlox. Another variety of cushion plant is the colorful yellow Draba. Always remember to stay on the trail if an area is designated as a "Tundra Protection Area", as these flowers are fragile.
|
|
Read more...
|
|
| | << Start < Prev 1 2 Next > End >>
| | Results 1 - 7 of 9 |
|
Friday, 03 September 2010
|
Featured Photos |
|
|
