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General Prowler Discussion Royal Gorge-Rocky Mountain High event (Page 1)
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Author | Topic: Royal Gorge-Rocky Mountain High event |
Marc-Colo-99 POA Site Supporter Prowler Junkie From:Aurora, Colorado |
posted 12-31-2001 04:46 PM
Check out this picture! We will be driving across the bridge and making a stop here on one of the cruises. www.royalgorgebridge.com/tickets.htm ------------------ This message has been edited by Marc-Colo-99 on 12-31-2001 at 04:48 PM |
sunbird Prowler Junkie From:Ridgecrest, California |
posted 12-31-2001 11:12 PM
Looks nice, Mark, but I always found it a bit pricey to just cross the bridge. I would mosey on down the road to Canon City and travel the hogs back - Sky View Drive (or some similar name). It is just as good for pumping adrenalin and it is free! ------------------ |
sunbird Prowler Junkie From:Ridgecrest, California |
posted 12-31-2001 11:29 PM
Come to think of it, the drive between Canon City and Salida along the river through Dead Mans Canyon would be a great drive in a kat. Hook up with 285 in Salida, go over Kenosha Pass (see how the kat breathes at 11,000 feet) and glide on down back into Denver. ------------------ |
Douglas Jerry POA Site Supporter Prowler Junkie From:Huron Twp,MI, USA |
posted 01-01-2002 09:01 AM
Marc looks very exciting. I'm glad you posted this. I never seen or heard of this park and looks like a trip I will have to plan from Michigan |
Marc-Colo-99 POA Site Supporter Prowler Junkie From:Aurora, Colorado |
posted 01-01-2002 10:30 AM
Sunbird That's exactly the route being considered only in reverse. Up hwy 285 over Kenosha Pass into South Park (incredibly view) to Salida, down the canyon, over the Royal Gorge and through Garden of the Gods on the way back to Denver. Douglas There will be a catavan from the east you should hook up with. GPS John will be leading the way. ------------------ |
jd2ksilver POA Site Supporter Prowler Junkie Personal ScrapBook From:Mt. View, CA |
posted 01-01-2002 12:15 PM
quote:
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ed monahan POA Lifetime Site Supporter Prowler Junkie Personal ScrapBook From:Cincinnati, Oh, USA |
posted 01-01-2002 01:39 PM
Marc, the first time I was there was around 1983, and they were re-doing the bridge. It was closed to vehicular traffic. There was a guy sitting on top of the cable, working, without a safety belt. I realize it is only about 1050' drop but I got nervous looking at him. We walked across the bridge. I do not like heights, so it was a real adventure. I presume the donkeys are still roaming near the front gate, looking for free handouts. ------------------ |
GPS John POA Site Supporter Prowler Junkie From:Illinois |
posted 01-01-2002 01:51 PM
Now Now JD - the only reason to bring a map is to give directions to the "rescue squad" for fallen DEAD soldiers, left on the side of the road, much like some from Custer's last expedition... ------------------ |
CJ POA Lifetime Site Supporter Prowler Junkie Personal ScrapBook From:Rochester Hills, MI USA |
posted 01-01-2002 08:25 PM
Just a little Royal Gorge history! Silver! In the late 1870s miners descended on the upper Arkansas valley of Colorado in search of carbonate ores rich in lead and silver. The feverish mining activity in what would become the Leadville district attracted the attention of the Denver & Rio Grande and the Santa Fe railroads, each already having tracks in the Arkansas valley. The Santa Fe was at Pueblo, and the D&RG near Canon City some 35 miles west. Leadville was over 100 miles away. For two railroads to occupy a river valley ordinarily was not a problem, but west of Canon City was an incredible obstacle - an obstacle that would result in a war between the railroads in the race to the new bonanza. West of Canon City the Arkansas River cuts through a high plateau of igneous rocks forming a spectacular steep-walled gorge over a thousand feet deep. At its narrowest point shear walls on both sides plunge into the river creating an impassible barrier. On April 19, 1878, a hastily assembled construction crew from the Santa Fe began grading for a railroad just west of Canon City in the mouth of the gorge. The D&RG whose end of track was only ¾ of a mile from Canon City raced crews to the same area, but were blocked by the Santa Fe graders in the narrow canyon. By a few hours they had lost the first round in what became a two-year struggle between the two railroads that would be known as the Royal Gorge War. The D&RG crews tried leapfrogging the Santa Fe grading crews, but were met with court injunctions from the Santa Fe in the contest for the right-of-way. The D&RG built several stone "forts" (such as Fort DeRemer at Texas Creek) upstream in an attempt to block the Santa Fe. Grading crews were harassed by rocks rolled down on them, tools thrown in the river and other acts of sabotage. Both sides hired armed guards for their crews. Rifles and pistols accompanied picks and shovels as tools. The railroads went to court with each trying to establish their primacy to the right of way. After a long legal battle that ended in the U.S. Supreme Court, on April 21, 1879, the D&RG was granted the primary right to build through the gorge that in places was wide enough at best for only one railroad. The Santa Fe resorted to its larger corporate power and announced it would build tracks parallel to and in competition with the existing D&RG lines. The bondholders of the D&RG, fearing financial ruin from this threat, pressured the management of the D&RG to lease the existing railroad to the Santa Fe for a 30-year period. This created a short-lived truce in the struggle. The Santa Fe soon manipulated freight rates south of Denver to favor shippers from Kansas City (over its lines to the east) to the detriment of Denver merchants and traffic over the leased D&RG lines. During this period the Santa Fe constructed the railroad through the gorge itself. The D&RG, however, continued construction in areas west of the gorge still trying to block the Santa Fe. After months of shrinking earnings from their leased railroad, the D&RG management went to court to break the lease. An injunction from a local court restraining the Santa Fe from operating the D&RG on June 10, 1879, sparked an armed retaking of their railroad by D&RG crews - war in earnest in the old west. Trains were commandeered, depots and engine houses put under siege, bullets flew and a few men died. A final peace in the war came after the intervention of the Federal courts, and the railroad "robber baron" Jay Gould who loaned the D&RG $400,000 and announced the intention to complete a rail line in competition to the Santa Fe from St. Louis to Pueblo. On March 27, 1880, the two railroads signed what was called the "Treaty of Boston" which settled all litigation, and gave the D&RG back its railroad. The D&RG paid the Santa Fe $1.8 million for the railroad it had built in the gorge, the grading it had completed, materials on hand and interest. The Royal Gorge War was over. D&RG construction resumed, and rails reached Leadville on July 20, 1880. Hanging Bridge Passenger Service Ends The Colorado Public Utilities Commission (PUC) granted the Rio Grande railroad authority to discontinue trains No. 1 and No. 2, the daily passenger trains between Denver and Salida, on July 28. This authority meant the last run of the two trains would be on July 27. The first passenger train arrived at Salida in 1880. In 1882 the Royal Gorge route became a transcontinental rail link between Denver and Salt Lake. The first rails laid were "slim gauge," 36" between rails; later it was standard gauged to 4'81/2" between rails to facilitate the movement of foreign line cars. The Grand Canyon of the Arkansas River, known as the Royal Gorge, was one of the highlights on the route through the Rockies. The Denver & Rio Grande was then known as the Scenic Line of the World. When surveying parties first examined the route, it seemed impossible to construct a railway through the rugged canyon. The perpendicular granite walls scarcely left room for the river. Blasting away the obstructions, a roadbed was constructed hugging the canyon walls. As the railway progressed, the rugged canyon walls grew higher and higher, the river became a raging torrent to the sea, and areas the sun could not penetrate. At the narrowest point, which is 30 feet wide, a long, iron bridge was suspended from the smooth canyon walls. This became the famed hanging bridge. Passenger trains have stopped at this point for decades to allow passenger to alight and marvel at the sights and sounds of nature and see how man had conquered one of nature's obstacles. The walls of the canyon at this point rise 2,600 feet above the track. During the 90's, four transcontinental passenger trains a day passed through the Royal Gorge. The original route between Denver and Salt Lake went over Marshall Pass, through Gunnison, Montrose, and Grand Junction. Later, the main line was constructed over Tennessee Pass through Glenwood Springs and into Grand Junction. With the opening of the Moffat Tunnel in 1928, passengers could go either way to Salt Lake. If they chose the Royal Gorge route, they would leave early in the morning arriving at Grand Junction in time for their train to be combined with the overnight Prospector for the run into Salt Lake. Planes, with their faster schedules, automobiles, for the independent traveler, and buses, were the downfall of the Royal Gorge, as passengers took to other forms of transportation. The last segment of this famous train was between Denver and Salida. April 1 was the crowning blow, when the U.S. Post Office Department cancelled the mail contract on this train, leaving the Rio Grande with empty head-end cars and coaches. The handwriting was on the wall. Authority was soon forthcoming for discontinuance of the Royal Gorge trains No. 1 and No.2. On July 26, 56 passengers and 34 Head Start children boarded train No. 1 at Denver. The children, many having their first train ride, detrained at Littleton. Passengers boarded the train at every station along the way that day. Arriving at Cañon City, 104 passengers got on the train for the ride through the Royal Gorge, getting off at Parkdale, the first stop beyond the hanging bridge. Over 300 passengers had ridden the train the day before it was to be discontinued. Arrival at Salida saw 171 passengers still on board. To many at the depot, the alighting mass brought back memories of days of long ago. For the final run of No.2 out of Salida, 120 persons found their seats in the three coaches. The trip was uneventful except for the feeling of nostalgia that prevailed at a time like this. Each one on the train knew they were part of Rio Grande history, being made on the last trip through the Gorge from the west.
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jd2ksilver POA Site Supporter Prowler Junkie Personal ScrapBook From:Mt. View, CA |
posted 01-01-2002 08:45 PM
quote:
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ALLEY CAT POA Lifetime Site Supporter Prowler Junkie From:mesa, az, USA |
posted 01-01-2002 09:09 PM
I've been to the Royal Gorge four or five times, and highly recommend everyone to see. I've walked over and driven over the bridge, but found that the "Incline Ride" to the bottom of the Gorge to be the best bang for the buck there. Are we there yet? ------------------ |
CJ POA Lifetime Site Supporter Prowler Junkie Personal ScrapBook From:Rochester Hills, MI USA |
posted 01-01-2002 09:42 PM
Oh, yeah, Marc........ YOU may be driving over that bridge, but I wouldn't be!!! I've been to the bottom of that canyon and looked up at the bridge and saw the sunshine through it........uh, uh, no, no, no way, no how! I had a hard enough time walking across it........ This message has been edited by CJ on 04-03-2002 at 05:11 PM |
Marc-Colo-99 POA Site Supporter Prowler Junkie From:Aurora, Colorado |
posted 01-01-2002 10:08 PM
Chicken! Alright CJ you can be on the photo crew. ------------------ |
Larry Lord Prowler Junkie Personal ScrapBook From:Colton, CA |
posted 01-01-2002 10:10 PM
Here's a picture of our Royal Gorge Prowler Parade taken while we were on our way to "Crazy Horse 2001" This message has been edited by Larry Lord on 01-01-2002 at 10:22 PM |
CJ POA Lifetime Site Supporter Prowler Junkie Personal ScrapBook From:Rochester Hills, MI USA |
posted 01-01-2002 10:43 PM
Marc....... quote: ......meaning if I was there......I wouldn't be driving over that bridge! Call me whatever you want.....just not crazy! This message has been edited by CJ on 01-01-2002 at 10:44 PM |
ALLEY CAT POA Lifetime Site Supporter Prowler Junkie From:mesa, az, USA |
posted 01-01-2002 10:52 PM
CJ - Those wooden slats installed many decades ago are really safe. They have only lost two cars and six people walking over that bridge, due to wood breakage - what are the odds of you not making it? Besides, the fall to the bottom of the Gorge will not kill you,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,its that sudden stop that will |
Alex POA Site Supporter Prowler Junkie From:Westminster, CO USA |
posted 01-04-2002 10:44 AM
If anyone that is planning to come to the event has any questions or needs something checked out, I'm very close to the Weston Hotel. You can email or call 303 657-0717, I'd be glad to help you. Alex ------------------ |
ALLEY CAT POA Lifetime Site Supporter Prowler Junkie From:mesa, az, USA |
posted 01-04-2002 12:11 PM
Thanks Alex - I need to get back to them today on my reservation. I preferred the room next to the pool pump house, but was told that JohnS had it reserved. I'm now considering being up on the top floor just under the heliport landing site. If I have any problems, I'll contact you. Welcome back from the west coast.................. |
Alex POA Site Supporter Prowler Junkie From:Westminster, CO USA |
posted 01-04-2002 03:57 PM
Larry, I'm doing everything I can to get a room as close to the bar as possible seeing how Marc said he's leaving his Visa card with the bartender and buying everyones drinks. Alex ------------------ |
ALLEY CAT POA Lifetime Site Supporter Prowler Junkie From:mesa, az, USA |
posted 01-05-2002 09:10 AM
Alex - great idea! Better yet, get Marc's AmExp card down - it has a higher credit limit You know those paint contractors sell lots of water Did Marc and you get in touch with Rick Landers, Colo state director w/PPC, for assistance on matters? Also, the owner who had the red cat that went with us to Estes Park last June, could help you guys out also? What was his name? |
Alex POA Site Supporter Prowler Junkie From:Westminster, CO USA |
posted 01-05-2002 12:30 PM
Hi Larry, owner of the Red Kat was Tony Aron, don't know if he can help and duties have not been passed out completely from Marc (local chief muckety muck). I did speak with Marc yesterday and I am going to do a drive test of the Colorado Springs route that I believe Laddie is going to lead the group on. I will be timing the route, checking gas stops and the gas station distances apart, restaurants, and any points of interest that might need a mention Thats whats happening. I read your email, very cool! Thanks Alex ------------------ |
GPS John POA Site Supporter Prowler Junkie From:Illinois |
posted 01-05-2002 12:41 PM
I preferred the room next to the pool pump house, but was told that JohnS had it reserved. Sasquatch - GOOD NEWS !!! I called the hotel - guess where you are staying now! (You get the pump house room!!!) In exchange for this, the hotel will be putting me up in the penthouse suite and charging your credit card for the upgrade. (They also said something about a MR. Monahan staying in the room next door to the Pump House Room. You'll be near your ol' buddy afterall!) Are we there yet? ------------------ |
Marc-Colo-99 POA Site Supporter Prowler Junkie From:Aurora, Colorado |
posted 01-05-2002 12:49 PM
Alex I won't take this abuse much longer. Just for that lunch next Tuesday is on you. ------------------ |
Alex POA Site Supporter Prowler Junkie From:Westminster, CO USA |
posted 01-05-2002 10:02 PM
I'll get lunch.....hey wait a min. didn't I get the last burger.....????///// hummmmm Alex ------------------ |
ALLEY CAT POA Lifetime Site Supporter Prowler Junkie From:mesa, az, USA |
posted 04-03-2002 07:46 AM
Time to bring this back up. New owners, look at the pictures, plans, events, and fun you will be having attending the 2002 national Prowler gathering in Colorado this June. Read over the plans, then call the hotel for reservations. We want to meet you and join the good times!!! JohnS - my card is over the limit, try Ed's #'s. ------------------ AlleyCat Productions, Inc |
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