Gallery:
Silverton and Animas Forks area – September 6, 2009
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Ore from the Mayflower Mine in Arrasta Gulch was carried nearly two miles on an aerial tram to Mayflower Mill while miners often rode the buckets up to work. Since the heavily loaded buckets ran downhill, gravity did all the work and little power was needed to pull the empty buckets back up to the mine. Except for a few years in the 1950s, the mill ran continuously for over 60 years.
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Gallery:
North Rim – September 11, 2009, Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, Colorado
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The Island Peaks are towers of rock that have been separated by erosion from the canyon wall.
Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park is a United States National Park located in western Colorado, and managed by the National Park Service. There are two entrances to the park; the more-developed south rim entrance is located 15 miles (24 km) east of Montrose, while the north rim entrance is located 11 miles (18 km) south of Crawford and is closed in the winter. The park contains 12 miles (19 km) of the 48-mile (77 km) long canyon of the Gunnison river. The national park itself contains the deepest and most dramatic section of the canyon, but the canyon continues upstream into the Curecanti National Recreation Area and downstream into the Gunnison Gorge National Conservation Area.
The Gunnison River drops an average of 43 feet per mile (8 m/km) through the entire canyon, making it one of the steepest mountain descents in North America. In comparison, the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon drops an average of 7.5 feet per mile (1.4 m/km). The greatest descent of the Gunnison River occurs in the park at Chasm View dropping 240 feet per mile (45 m/km). The Black Canyon is so named on account of its steepness which makes it difficult for sunlight to penetrate very far down the canyon. As a result, the canyon walls are most often in shadow, causing the rocky walls to appear black. At its narrowest point the canyon is only 40 feet (12 m) across at the river.
The extreme steepness and depth of the Black Canyon formed as the result of several geologic processes acting together. The Gunnison River is primarily responsible for carving the canyon, though several other geologic events had to occur in order to form the canyon as it is seen today. (Wikipedia)
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Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado, September 13, 2009
The mountain on the horizon is said to resemble a man laying on his back with his arms crossed on his chest. Its name is Sleeping Ute Mountain.
While it was pretty dry during our visit to Mesa Verde — there was a fire ban and no campfires allowed — there was a daily threat of rain. We did get rain one day, but it lasted only a short period. Dry conditions are normal here and there is evidence all over the park of numerous fires that have occurred over a long period.
The Knife Edge Trail is a 2 mile round trip walk along the north rim of Mesa Verde National Park. It takes about l 1/2 to 2 hours to walk the trail.
Historically, part of the Knife Edge Trail follows a section of the Knife Edge Road built in 1914 as the main access into the park. Along the trail you may see patches of asphalt that remain from this road. Old-timers still proudly talk about what a feat it was to build, or “hang,” a road on this steep bluff. Users recall it with a bit of dread because of its narrowness, the unexpected rock slides and its slippery ruts.
The photo is from the newest of my photo galleries and the second from Mesa Verde. The gallery includes images from Cliff Palace — a Puebloan culture cliff dwelling —, the Knife Edge Trail and more.
Gallery: Cliff Palace and More — September 13, 2009, Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado
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Gallery:
Royal Gorge – Colorado, August 23, 2004
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This tour helicopter came in low over the Royal Gorge Bridge and then dropped into the canyon. We were on the bridge, walking across, and I was able to get this eye-level shot. The camera I used was a Kodak EasyShare, small for 6 years ago, with modest zoom capability.
The
Royal Gorge Bridge is a tourist attraction near Cañon City, Colorado, within a 360 acre (1.5 km²) theme park. The bridge deck hangs 955 feet (291 m) above the Arkansas River, and held the record of highest bridge in the world from 1929 until 2001, when it was surpassed by a bridge in China. It is a suspension bridge with a main span of 938 feet (286 meters). The bridge is 1260 feet (384 m) long and 18 feet (5 m) wide, with a wooden walkway with 1292 planks. The bridge is suspended from towers that are 150 feet (46 m) high. (
Wikipedia)
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Dome Rock State Wildlife Area, Colorado, August 29, 2004
Dome Rock is a 7,000-acre parcel of land in Teller County, Colorado. Purchased in the late 1970s as habitat protection for bighorn sheep, it was named after a prominent dome-shaped rock outcropping. In 1986, the Colorado Department of Wildlife entered into a lease management agreement with the Department of Parks and Outdoor Recreation, with the wildlife area to be managed under the umbrella of Mueller State Park, which is adjacent to Dome Rock. While the wildlife area was renamed Mueller State Wildlife area, over time, the combined area became known as Mueller State Park. It was later determined by federal auditors that the lease agreement was in conflict with regulations on the use of federal funds which were used in the original purchase of the wildlife area. As a result the Department of Wildlife resumed management of the land and the name reverted back to Dome Rock State Wildlife Area.
We hiked in to a portion of Dome Rock from a residential area to the south.
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Gallery:
Dome Rock State Wildlife Area – August 29, 2004
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