Saturday, June 11, 2011

Off Road Travels Down Phantom Canyon Road

(Cripple Creek, Colorado) 68 degrees, blue skies with a few clouds


There are some excellent off road trips to take in this  area called the Gold Belt Scenic Backcountry Byway's. One of the routes called the Phantom Canyon Road starts in Cripple Creek and ends in Florence. Originally this was built by the railroad in 1894 to run gold ore day and night to nine processing plants.  It was an engineering marvel at the time and ran until 1912.  A huge flood with a 30 foot wall of water cascaded down this canyon and wiped out most of the tracks and bridges. 

Our jeep was "born" for a trip like this one.  Much of the road is gravel and at times very narrow.  It goes up and down the canyon with some spectacular views.  We bought a driving tour CD in Florrisant for $5 and it was timed perfectly along this route.  It told us a lot about the railroads, gold mining, and floods that swept through this area.




This road is restricted to vehicles no longer  than 25 feet.  The scenery changed constantly and we really enjoyed this trip.  It was definitely a "Wow" experience.





Only remaining railroad bridge (others swept away by 30 foot wall of water during a flood)
There were two tunnels along the route
The road ended in the small town of Florence and is known for its antique malls.  We traveled to Canon City for lunch at our favorite Italian restaurant and went home by a "normal" road.

We plan on taking the Shelf Road next time.  Our jeep is looking forward to that adventure too. 

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

Back Home In Indiana

(Indianapolis, Indiana) 94 degrees, hot and humid

Evan

My nephews graduation from high school was an event that could not be missed.  I flew back to Indianapolis for a week to attend his graduation and see a few friends and family.  It was so good to be home and I spent a fun week seeing as many people as possible.  My friend, Debbie, invited me to stay at her home for a few days and the rest of the time was spent at my brothers. 

Hunter
The first day I stopped at the PICU (pediatric intensive care unit) to see how Hunter was doing.  He is Debbie's grandson that I have written about earlier. He is recovering from open heart surgery and is doing really well.  They are hopeful that he can come home in a few weeks.  What great news and an answer to so many prayers. 




 
My step daughter has moved back to Indianapolis and it was so nice to spend some time with her.  She has a great job now and is very happy that her boy friend, Rob,  has now moved to Indy too. 

I made a surprise visit to see my co-workers at a baseball outing they were attending.  My boss, Jackie, had invited me and it was fun to surprise them. It was fun to catch up with everyone and it was a perfect day for a baseball game. 

CPIA Team Community Health Network
Debbie and I had a nice dinner with our friend Jean at Maggiano's.  We used to work together at St. Vincent and have remained friends for many years. 

Jean and Debbie
John and I belong to a Indy Good Sam's Club and I really was looking forward to seeing our friends John and Norma. They had just spent the weekend camping with our club and caught me up on all the news.   


Jen, Rob, and I spent the rest of the time at my brother's house.  We helped get everything ready for the open house and attended Evan's graduation.  We are so proud of Evan and all that he has accomplished.  He will be attending Purdue this fall and is majoring in pharmacy.  The high school has over 75% of the graduating class attending college in the fall. 


Evan and friend (nine of his class will be attending Purdue)



Most of the family was able to come for Evan's graduation.  We had a full house and it was a lot of fun. 

Family

Me, Evan, and Jen


The next day everyone was put into action to prepare for the open house.  There was lots of food and it was well attended.  Jackie's sisters and Mom are amazing in the kitchen.   Jackie was very prepared and had a list we all followed that kept everything very organzied.  Rob and Jen have both worked in food service and they really helped with all kinds of tasks.

Evan and Harry had also put together a movie that was  about Evan from birth to graduation.  It was set to music that Evan picked out.  Most of us shed a few tears watching it. 

Friends


Evan and Harry



Harry, Evan, Jackie, and Alison
The week went by quickly. Soon I was on my way back to Colorado. John picked me up at the airport in Denver and he had spent  a busy week at the campground.  It sure was good to see him and Jimmy.