Friday 14 December 2012

HIgh Living - Colorado

Well hello again - it's MEEE! No correspondent, just me. Himself actually remembered me as off we went to Colorado.

First stop was Denver, speaking of which he was humming and singing to himself - it quite put me off - something about Rocky Mountain High. (Sorry bear, I couldn't help it, good old John D.) I survived the experience, snuggled down in the camera bag as is my right. Manchester to London at crack of dawn was followed by a leisurely 9 hours to Denver, where we stayed out in the middle of nowhere near the airport.

We did that strange un-American thing of going for a walk next morning. On the edge of the hotel area there were some fields and so first I sat on a pole and then a much more comfortable wooden fence to have my photies taken.  Can you see the mountains in the second picture? They're the Rockies and we were going to the top of one Rocky a few days later.
















Soon we were picked up by a nice lady and man. They were Sue and Andy and they took us everywhere in the car they'd hired.  Andy thought I was funny - not very nice of him, and even funnier when he heard I had a blog - that's even less nice. He thought that Alan was writing a children's book involving me and came up with all sorts of scenarios, so I'm just going to steal a few of them for my blog. So are you going to turn me into a book Alan? (No I don't think so, not yet anyway. I have to finish my photobook on India first.) 
We drove and drove for quite a while until we reached Pueblo. The land round there is very flat and very dry so there wasn't much to see, though on the way we saw the mountings a lot, and they were very high.  We were quite high up all the time 'cos Denver is the Mile High City and Pueblo is even higher.

 Three days later
The next few days were pretty boring really. I sat in our hotel room while he went to meetings and dinners and stuff. Finally the right day dawned and off we set for our adventures.

We were aiming for Colorado Springs, but on the way we went west to a place called Royal Gorge. On the way we spotted a winery - as you do - and nothing would do but we should visit it.  I thought, "Boring!!" but then I met this chap. He looks quite severe, but I liked his santa hat. He told me that Colorado is bear country.  I like that, a whole country owned by bears. I think it's only right. We looked and looked and looked for a real live bear, but all we could see were wooden ones. (They're all hibernating so if we want to see one we'll have to go back again.  I'm up for that if you are.) You betcha, I'm up for it.


So the wine was tasted and a bottle bought for another time, plus some peach and lavender jam for Ann.  She get nice apricot and lavender in France but it's all done so we thought, "Just the thing."

Royal Gorge is a great big deep valley with the Arkansas river running through it. It's very deep indeed and it has a bridge to nowhere going over it.  We walked across the bridge and the space below is 1053ft. That makes it the highest suspension bridge anywhere.  You can see it behind me in the photo above and in this one I'm perching on the fence. Coo, it was a LOOOONNGG way down. Just behind me you can see the river and just beside it is a railway track, though we didn't see any trains.

In the Rockies there are some very old and gnarly trees, and I thought I be like Sebastian and sit in one. The bark is very rough, but I'm a big (?) brave bear and I found it really quite comfortable.
There were some animals in pens for us to see and I really liked this fellow. He's a Bighorn Sheep, he's certainly got big horns.  There were some beefalos there too, but they seemed to be sleeping so they didn't even say' "Hello," so they aren't getting their photos on here.
Next I perched on another fence while we waited for the cable car to come and collect us.  That's it in the background.  It was a long way down behind me, so wasn't I brave?  (Well, it was a few feet that's for sure, but you weren't in danger of falling down the gorge, I made sure of that.) That's what YOU say, but I wasn't so sure and it was a very long way down to the bottom for a small bear. (Aren't you a "Big brave bear"?) Of course I am, just reduced in stature, stupid. (Ah, OK just so long as I know which one of you I'm talking to.)
I was really quite worried about getting into a red box and swinging over a HUGE drop, but I tomembered that I was a brave bear and on I got. Despite the height I sat there nonchalantly whistling and kicking my heels as we went about 2000ft across the gorge.
 He ran about and kanga'd and stuff to get as many photos as he could, but I just sat and enjoyed the view. This is what you see from the cable car. It might be a bit scary for some of you, so if you don't like heights, I suggest you shut you're eyes when you're reading this.
 Oh my that was quite an adventure, though it was quite cold.  When we'd had enough oohing and aahing over the gorge we got back into the snuggly car and went all the way to Colorado Springs.

To-day was just the start of it. In my next two posts I'll tell you about a super high mounting and cliff dwellings and gardens and cakes.

Bye for now,
Jock

3 comments:

  1. Hi Jock,

    I'm worried - are you going to be home for Christmas? Will you have your very own tree?

    Hugs,
    Prudence

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  2. Hi Jock,

    Yep, you were definitely in John Denver/bear country! And look at you in all those photos - you really get around don't you (when they don't forget!).

    Thank you for showing us what you've been up to - up to. Get it? Mountains, cable cars, fences.

    Oh and trees! Yes, I think you have the knack for sitting in strange trees - just like me. We could form a club you know. Maybe I'll do that. Hm-m-m-m.

    Anyway, looking forward to your next installment.

    Hugs,
    Sebastian

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  3. Good to see you're going up in the world too. There's lots of big holes in the ground round that ware aren't there?

    Jack

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