Colorado - Part 3

Early the next morning, my Aunt and I snuck out of the place we were all staying in Buena Vista (hopefully without waking up any kids) and headed out before sunrise to try to take a few pictures. We managed to make it to the nearby Collegiate Peaks Overlook to catch the apenglow on the 14,204 foot Mount Princeton.



Mount Princeton is part of the Collegiate Peaks, a section of the Sawatch Range that contains some of the highest mountains in the Rockies. It gets its name because several of the mountains are named after famous universities (like Princeton, Yale and Harvard). I looked to see if any mountains were named after my alma maters (the University of the Ozarks and UALR) but had no luck. But we drove back on the same road that went to St. Elmo to get a few pictures of some waterfalls and aspen trees. This was the view as we approached Mount Princeton.



The road follows Chalk Creek, a stream that starts out at the Continental Divide and then flows 27 miles between Mount Princeton and Mount Antero before flowing into the Arkansas River. Along the way the creek tumbles over Cascade Falls. We stopped to get a few pictures of the creek as it tumbles down the mountain.





The road ran paralell to the clear water of the creek, and it was hard to not constantly stop every five feet to take pictures...





It is a scenic little stream, especially with the aspens trees that were growing along the way.



We needed to head back to our rental place because we had to check out that morning, but it was hard to turn back. The creek was scenic, and aspen trees with vibrant fall colors lined the road. We made one last stop at this large stand of aspen.







Aspen trees are really beautiful and unique when seen up close. I wish we could grow them in our backyard at home.



A stand of aspens like this are actually one giant organism, all connected together through their roots. In fact, scientists believe that the largest and oldest organism in existence is a stand of aspens in Utah.

Colorado - Part 2

The Arkansas River gets its start near the town of Buena Vista in Colorado, starting from snowpack in the Sawatch and Mosquito Mountain ranges. It was kinda neat to drive by the river when it was just a stream, small enough that you could jump over it if you wanted. From here it flows for about 1,400 miles towards the Mississippi River, where it definitely gets too big to jump across. We spent the next few days in Buena Vista, which sits along the Arkansas River and is a popular place for whitewater rafters.

We didn’t go rafting this trip, but the next day we went out and tried to do a little sightseeing. We drove over to Monarch Pass, which sits at an elevation of 11,312 feet along the Continental Divide. The plan was to ride the gondola to the top of the mountain with Jonah, but unfortunately it had already closed for the season (we missed it by just a few days). So to make up for it he got to pick out a souvenir from the gift-shop. This was the view from the parking lot, taken with the infrared camera:



From there we headed downhill and drove to the ghost town of St. Elmo, which was founded in 1880 and at its peak had a population of about 2,000 people. Most of the people who lived here worked in the nearby gold and silver mines. But in the 1920s, the mines began to close and the town’s population began to dwindle. A few people still live here, but most of the buildings are empty (although mostly well-preserved). There are even a few shops open that cater to tourists during the summer.



For being a ghost town, it was surprisingly busy and crowded there. I guess because there was a festival in Buena Vista that weekend? The dirt road that went through town was crowded with parked cars. We joined them and had a look around. This is the St. Elmo town hall and jail, which is a restored version of the original building that was built in the 1890s but was burned in a fire in 2002.



St. Elmo is considered to be the most well-preserved ghost town in Colorado.







Having two young kids means that we've spent many hours watching children's television. Luckily both kids have loved Sesame Street. So I couldn't help but think about Elmo's World while we were there. I wonder if Mr. Noodle lived in any of these houses?





There is a small fire station there, and whoever named it must have had a good sense of humor (or at least some good 80's nostalgia).



Jonah didn't seem too interested in looking at old buildings, but he did love one of the main attractions in St. Elmo - the chipmunks! The general store sells seeds for just 50 cents, and there is a designated feeding area where if you stand still, chipmunks will run up and eat the seeds out of your hands.





After that it was time to head back to Buena Vista so we could get ready for the big wedding that evening. My cousin and his bride had picked out a beautiful spot for their ceremony, which was at an overlook that provided an expansive view of the Arkansas River Valley and Mount Princeton.





And someone was even nice enough to leave an old sofa out there!