Narrow Gauge Country
September 13-22, 2013
Monday, September 16 - Explore Day
Pitkin - Cumberland Pass
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Excitement was high as Day Four dawned. I was returning to Alpine Tunnel and taking my brother with me! Good times!
I rented a Jeep Wrangler with the hopes that it would provide a smoother ride than my truck did last time. I was wrong. The truck, while wider and slower, was far more comfortable.
Despite the pregnancy and the bumpy ride, Michele hung in there and had a good time. |
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The Denver, South Park & Pacific Depot in Pitkin, Colorado |
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Heading north from Pitkin. If you're familiar with "Rio Grande Glory Days" by Gil Lathrop, this is roughly the area where a Jourdan Spreader was used to move piles of logs from the ROW. |
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DISASTER! The road to Alpine was CLOSED! For several minutes I struggled with what to do, not wanting to concede defeat. We decided to head back to Pitkin to find a NFS Ranger to ask how bad the road was. It turned out to be a waste of time. We couldn't find him/her anywhere. So, we resorted to Plan B: Return to Gunnison via Cumberland Pass |
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Heading north from Pitkin again, I stopped to check out this string of old ties slowly rotting away |
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I wonder if these are original DSP&P ties |
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This is a real fixer-upper. But, it comes pre-furnished with a Christmas Tree. |
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Ben |
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Success: Cumberland Pass |
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Michele |
Ben |
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At the top we unloaded and had a picnic lunch |
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Michele started us on the trip down to Tin Cup and Jack's Cabin |
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Note the mine rails still in place |
Ben and I investigated a mine opening near the road |
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This is the first one I've seen that was open |
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Ben took over and we continued the trip down to Tin Cup |
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Church in Tin Cup |
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Ha! |
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Heading towards Taylor Reservoir |
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I'd never heard of Taylor Reservoir before this day. It's a heckuva pretty spot! |
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It had been a long day and by the afternoon we were getting a bit punchy. When we stopped at the damn for Taylor Reservoir, I went to get a shot of the Jeep. Here is a short video of Ben... well... it's hard to describe what he's doing... Ladies, as of this writing, he's single and available. |
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The dam at Taylor Reservoir |
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Michele |
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The down-stream side of the dam |
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A bit further down-stream we stopped for more photos. |
Ben |
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Photos from Ben |
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Last shots for the day... the Taylor River
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We didn't do what we set out to do, but it was still an absolutely fantastic day in the high country of the Colorado Rocky Mountains.
We joined Chris and Karen at Garlic Mike's in Gunnison that evening for dinner. The food is great. We'll definitely be going back. |
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