Took a drive up to Skaguay Reservoir State Wildlife Area yesterday with a client. We're going to be putting together some interpretive signs for this location, and once again I get to do a big panorama painting of a spectacular landscape.
We went via Phantom Canyon, some 25(?) miles of narrow, twisty, climbing, snow-packed, former narrow-gauge railroad bed. Gorgeous. But slow going, even in 4WD.
Although the drive to the reservoir from John's place in Penrose took an hour and 40 minutes, we were only lakeside long enough to take some reference photos and shake our heads at the guys trying to ice fish. Mostly it looked like they were chasing each other around. Fishing must have been slow.
From there we hopped on over to the little mining towns of Victor and Cripple Creek, still sporting active gold mines. The elevation here is about 10,000 feet... where we started in Penrose the elevation is about 5,300. (Told you it was a climb.)
We had lunch in Cripple Creek and checked out the interpretive exhibits at the new Pikes Peak Heritage Center, but not before we stopped to chat with the locals. Yellow highway caution signs at the edge of town proclaim: "Donkeys at Large." They're not kidding.
Sign says "Bronco Billy's Permit Parking Only."
This would, of course, be the obvious place to say something about getting my own arse back to work. So I guess I will. Get to work, that is.
I love the donkey shots. Why are there "donkeys at large"? It is fun to see snow photos, too. Don't have much of that, here in the desert!
ReplyDelete:-) Well... they CLAIM that they are the descendants of the original miners' donkeys of the gold rush days. There's a cute video on You Tube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qQME_p63mSM
ReplyDelete