Castle Rock with Royal Gorge Railroad

For an outing on Sunday August 16th when visiting Dan we took two cars and traveled southward about 90 miles to ride the Royal Gorge Railroad in Canyon City, beyond Colorado Springs. Carrie drove one car with Lillian, William, and Irene. Dan drove his truck with Frank, Vivian, and me. Vivian had her choice to ride with the old folks or with her siblings. She chose to come with her dad's vehicle and grandparents because "it would be quieter so she could read". The time in the car was about 1½ hours. 

Once at our destination, Frank and Dan checked in early at the train station to pick up our tickets. They made arrangements that when we returned closer to departure time, we would have assistive transportation down to the train boarding site. I waited near a black caboose at the far end of the parking lot while they completed the transactions. The caboose was a cafe/restaurant with the cute title Happy Endings and the subliminal tongue-in-cheek subtitle of "come again".

Carrie and three of the kids went on to secure our seating at a different nearby restaurant. All eight of us had enough time to lunch at a Whitewater Rooftop Social. This eating place was close. To return for the train ride we just had to cross the tracks and head down a bit, passing that black Happy Endings Caboose on a corner along the way. 

Per the restaurant's website and brochure, Whitewater Rooftop Social was "Built from the Ground Up":

We wanted a place that feels like Canon City: easygoing, outdoors-forward, and a little elevated. So we built a modern rooftop where you can toast the view, eat a great sandwich, and celebrate wins big and small. In January 2021, a semi-truck accident destroyed the Royal Gorge Rafting and Zipline Tours office at Fourth Street and U.S. 50. The driver of the semi-truck was cited for careless driving after police determined they were not paying attention to the road. Though the building sustained catastrophic damage, all employees working inside miraculously escaped entirely unscathed, with the truck stopping just a few feet away from a worker. Rather than repair the damage, we saw an opportunity to create something new. Construction on our brand new 4,000 square-foot building began in September 2022, and Whitewater Rooftop Social opened its doors in 2024.

Dan had arranged for us to have limousine service from the ticket station to our specific car to board the train. I was impressed with the length of the train. That would have been a long haul on foot over pebbly turf for Frank with his rollator and me. The "limo" was an extra length golf cart, so happily all eight of us could ride—a neat, extra treat for the kiddos. The limo passed the long length of train cars en route.

Reaching the open air car, next to the car for our seating, we could look back along the length of cars and see how far we'd come.

Our tickets on the train were rated Deluxe Class and the wood paneled cars were indeed luxurious. The wood on the walls and ceiling was highly polished and spoke of great craftsmanship. Our car's position among the train cars was great. Since our assigned seats were in a car that was adjacent to the open air car, we could go back and forth quite easily. We had chairs at two tables, so there was a place to put our food, drinks, and to browse our information brochures. The kids had a resting place for books they were reading or for the card games they were playing.

Route Details

• Starting Point: Departs from and returns to the historic Cañon City Santa Fe Depot at 401 Water Street in Cañon City, CO. (lower right corner of image)
• Path: Travels west alongside the rushing Arkansas River directly through the narrow gorge, with granite cliffs towering over 1,000 feet above the tracks. 
• Key Landmarks: Crosses the famous Hanging Bridge (built in 1879) suspended over the river and passes through local tunnels and historic railroad sites. 
• Mid Point : Reverses direction at Parkdale, an unincorporated community resting at an elevation of 5,732 feet (upper left image of image)
• Duration: The 24 mile round-trip excursion takes approximately 2 hours. 

Looking out the windows we noticed the water running very close to the tracks. We even saw some rafters flow by along the Arkansas River. I wondered why it is the Arkansa River in Colorado. My geography ignorance was showing. I have since learned that the Arkansas River is a major 1,469-mile-long tributary of the Mississippi River that flows east and southeast through Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas. It is the sixth-longest river in the United States.

On a long train going around a bend it is fun to take pictures of the later cars on the train. Dan actually walked the entire length of the train with some of the kids. There was a dome car, but being outdoors gives the best gorge experience.

At the very bottom of the gorge, slightly above the water surface, is wedged the Hanging Bridge at a point where the gorge narrows to 30 feet.This unique railroad bridge was built in 1879 where the canyon was too narrow for standard tracks. An engineer suspended an iron bridge directly from the smooth rock walls above the water. It carries the tracks for the Royal Gorge Route Railroad. The next two images show this span between the very close vertical walls of the gorge. The tracks run orthogonal to the span, not parallel along it, as is typical.

When you look up, directly over the Hanging Bridge, located high above the canyon stretching across, is the Royal Gorge Suspension Bridge about 956 feet above the Arkansas River. The famous pedestrian and tourist suspension bridge was built in 1929, featuring a wooden plank deck. It was once the highest bridge in the world. My guess is that all those black trusses with lighting on them are for twilight rides on the train. Those night-time journeys must also be very impressive.

The sights outside the train were awesome but being indoors in that pleasant atmosphere was also enjoyable. Vivian got pretty engaged in her book but not without taking periodic breaks to gaze out at the scenery passing by the windows. Lillian and William, interspersed with roaming among, in between, and outside the cars, would play rousing rounds of the card game of Thirty-One.

A favorite among all, not just the kids, were the desserts made as part of exquisitely prepared cuisine. Chocolate cake was the dominant choice. Gooey as it was, Frank ate his Cinnamon Roll outdoors in the open air car, so reluctant was he to miss any of the striking landscape.

At the completion of our round trip, we made quick stop in the gift shop to both look around and use the facilities before the drive home. I could not resist taking a few photos of the tiles in the bathroom. They read from left to right:

• Eight-Wheeled American Locomotive
• Double-Truck Narrow Gauge Tank Locomotive
• Double-End Tank Locomotive

All I bought was a tote bag and an embroidered patch as mementoes. 

Once home we just enjoyed domestic activities. I had ordered a train for the kids that chugs along and places dominoes in a row, setting up a line for chain reactions in a domino cascades. They had a blast. Even Irene got into loading it.

The kids chilled and had some recharge time (pun intended) on their electronic devices. Lillian and William played some co-op games together on their iPads. 

 

I asked for a bit of musical concerts and they obliged. I knew the performances had to be brief. It had been a full day and the next day was a school day. Vivian played the clarinet for us. She was picked for a solo at one of her elementary schools concerts. She is in middle school now.

Lillian played the violin and the guitar to our delight. She was the opening number at one of her teacher's student concerts, playing the national anthem on her guitar.

I asked Lillian (10) and William (8) to show me their rooms. I had seen Irene's (5) and Vivian's (12) in the earlier part of the visit but have no pictures. Lillian is horse crazy and it showed in her decor and dresser display. The mirror reflecting her smiling face once belong to my daughter Robin (Dan's sister, Lillian's aunt) in her young girl horse-focused childhood. Lillian was thrilled to have it mailed out to her from Oklahoma. It is heart-warming to see how such an inanimate object can still delight a little girl decades later.

There is a music corner in Lillian's room where she practices. It sure appears that brother William is an eager audience. We were given a demo before moving on to William's room.

William is Minecraft crazy. Notice the wall decor and the shirt he is wearing.  Once prompted he was willing to show off his trophies. I have very few pictures of William to show in this blog. He is always moving and either I am not quick enough with the camera, or else the photo is blurred. He does not play an instrument yet but he got a drum set with earphones for Christmas. In the third photo I am playing and dancing to the beat which is inaudible to the rest of the room. I guess you could say I am literally dancing to the beat of a different drummer.

 

Lillian and William were already PJ'd up for bed when we took our traditional goodbye photo commemorating the visit. Frank and I were flying back to California on Monday. We made sure we got up early enough distribute hugs and say goodbye to the kids before they left for school.

Monday morning, I misread, or rather misremembered, our flight's departure time. To my horror, we had one hour less for the trip to the airport than I had originally had budgeted. To compound the problem, our new-to -the-area Uber driver wanted to drop us at the wrong terminal. I insisted he follow the signs and not his "map". After a second airport go-around, we did get dropped at the Southwest terminal. The Uber driver got no tip from us and I avoided reviewing him rather than giving him a bad score. Frank and I flung our luggage at the curbside skycap, along with a generous tip. The manager of the wheel chair service himself, briskly whisked both Frank and me to our gate just as the pre-boarding was beginning. We made our flight by the skin of our teeth. 

This was a fantastic visit. Our two excursions to the Harry Potter  Exhibit and the Royal Gorge Railroad were both well suited to a mixed age crowd and created many many awesome memories for us. The downtime at home with the grandkids was great too, helping Frank and me, even at a California to Colorado distance, learn a bit more about their personalities, talents, and likes.

I think this photo captures one of the many high peaks and happy memories for me. Frank is in his glory, enjoying the weather, the breeze, the gentle sun, the towering canyon walls, the babbling water, and the motions and sounds of a ride on the rails, while indulging in his most favorite infatuation... trains. Note the shirt he is wearing.

OKC 5 of 5: Bricktown & Departure May 13-14

On Wednesday, May 13th, while Robin and Jeremy were at work, and Autumn and Isaiah were at school, Frank and I decided to spend some time in the revitalized former warehouse district of section of Oklahoma City called Bricktown.  A favorite feature of this entertainment area is a canal boat ride called the Bricktown Water Taxi. We took an Uber from the hotel to browse the Bricktown area about 10 miles north and were dropped off at the entrance to the canal boat tour. 

The boat moves along at a rate slower than a walk and takes 40-45 minutes for a round trip from the upper northwest corner of the following map down southeastward to the lower edge and back up again.

The first piece of artwork we encounter on our journey was the 1150-square-foot mural As Long as the Waters Flow, a 2007 mosaic by Mary Ann Moore, installed at the northwest corner of the Bricktown Canal. "As Long as the Waters Flow" refers to President Andrew Jackson's vow to Native Americans that they shall posses their land "as long as the grass grows and the rivers run." Devon Energy funded the mosaic as part of the state's centennial celebrations. Devon Energy Corporation is an American company engaged in hydrocarbon exploration. Peeking up behind this mosaic is the tall Devon Tower (officially, the Devon Energy Center) which is a 50-story corporate skyscraper in downtown Oklahoma City. The Devon Tower is the tallest building in the state.

The next piece of art we viewed along the canal was a mural by Bob Palmer created from images of vintage postcards and aptly titled Postcard Mural. The challenges presented while painting this mural — such as resolution, night time painting, narrow ledge restrictions — are discussed in this three minute Postcard Mural YouTube video. Bob Palmer has painted numerous other murals in Oklahoma (as well as throughout the country) and perhaps Frank and I can see many more of them on our next visit to Robin and Jeremy.

For me, the highlight of the canal tour is the Centennial Land Rush Monument commemorating the Oklahoma Land Rush of 1889. Per Wikipedia and a Sage Journal publication

The sculpture was erected in 2019 and features 45 bronze statues, each one being "one-and-a-half times life-size". It took Sculptor Paul Moore over twenty years to complete this powerful work, which is one of the largest monuments in the world. The work depicts horsemen and wagons racing over the Oklahoma landscape, with a total area slightly larger than a football field. The sculpture contains masterful images of straining horses and frantic individuals caught in a vital effort to succeed in this race to claim valuable homesteads and pastureland.

Here are some images starting with the cannon shot that signaled the start of the rush to grab landsites. There are horses with riders and horses pulling wagons and various other poses from flat out runs to leaps over obstacles. 

Per the research of the Oklahoma dramaturgical team from the Ball State University College of Fine Arts, there were approximately 10 land rushes between 1889 and 1906. This multi-statued monument commemorates the first land rush in 1889 that started it all.  These land rushed occurred after President Andrew Jackson's two terms from 1829 to 1837 and his "as long as the grass grows and the rivers run" promise. All that was left of Indian Territory after 1906 is represented in grey on the map to the right. This map raises the definition of the "unclaimed" territory. The grandeur of The Centennial Land Rush Monument and its representation of an historic moment in time cannot be denied, regardless of the opinion of the legitimacy of the act it commemorates. The art impact of the sculptures themselves is magnificent.

This blog is intended to be a lighthearted account of our wandering and pondering and not a political platform. Sometimes though, as I go down the rabbit hole of internet research, I find an article that sparks thought. Such was this essay by a Massachusetts College professor who was raised in Oklahoma, commenting on the Oklahoma Land Rush entitled History is Written by the Victors, but it’s Victims Who Write the Memoirs.

Was it a momentous day for American Manifest Destiny, a victory of rugged individualism and the indomitable pioneer spirit over the untamed wilderness, an enormous transfer of wealth and an opportunity for everyone, including women and African Americans, to become landowners? Or just another treaty-breaking, land-grabbing swindle by a colonizing federal government that had already nearly eradicated many Native American tribes and forced survivors onto inhospitable parcels of “Indian Territory?”

The  recurring question is the conflict between preserving history with its flaws and mistakes versus eradicating it. I am pleased to see how Oklahoma acknowledges and emphasizes its Native American heritage without sweeping it under a rug. Similar when I went to Georgia in 2019, it was encouraging to see how that state acknowledged its treatment of slaves rather than burying it. The previous quoted essay about victors and victims cites approaches in other states; it is well worth reading.

As our canal boat tours draws to a close at our origin dock Frank and I contemplate a stroll around the more compact commercial/entertainment area of Bricktown, taking in local flavor. For the second photo of Frank, my iPhone was mistakenly set on portrait mode. I got a repeat image of Frank when my goal was a focus on the bison in the background behind him as a symbolic idiosyncrasy of the area.

We walked by an outdoor themed miniature golf feature with the publicity, 

Brickopolis Miniature Golf on the Bricktown Canal offers the ultimate miniature golf experience in Downtown Oklahoma City! Putt your way through 18 holes of obstacles, bridges, and cascading waterfalls.

What particularly caught my eye were more bison plus a wolf and deer. For other pictures of the course, check out A Couple of Putts. The weather was warm, and had the course been a bit more shaded, we might have given it a try. But we strolled on, keeping in the shade of the buildings.

The cartoon charters on the Brickopolis sign fascinated me. I learned they are not random but represent state symbols of Oklahoma.

Then we had the idea of seeing much more of Bricktown and downtown OKC in the comfort of an air-conditioned trolley. We caught one not far down from the baseball stadium and rode the full round trip route as shown in pink in the following map. There is a lower loop that runs counter clockwise and transitions to a clockwise direction for the upper loop. We essentially started in the lower loop at the Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark, located on the lowest stretch of the map. Frank and Robin attended a game there when she first moved to Oklahoma and bought her first house.

The ballpark is named in honor of the Chickasaw Nation. The Chickasaw Nation in Oklahoma is the 13th-largest federally recognized tribe in the United States. Most of their descendants remain as residents of what is now Oklahoma.They traditionally followed a kinship system of matrilineal descent, in which inheritance and descent are traced through the maternal line. Children are considered born into the mother's family and clan, and gain their social status from her. Women controlled most property and hereditary leadership in the tribe passed through the maternal line. I did find it ironic that even with a maternal line of history, the great seal is still that of a man.

The next notable area on the trolley route was Scissortail Park which contains the Skydance Bridge, a pedestrian bridge to cross Interstate 40, also known as Scissortail Bridge.

Architects Hans and Torrey Butzer conceived of the bridge as being inspired by the mating dance of the scissor-tailed flycatcher, Oklahoma's state bird. The double-winged structure would be a sculptural landmark and provide support to a pedestrian deck that connects two portions of Oklahoma City's Scissortail Park. ... The location of the bridge was chosen as part of the "Core to Shore" initiative, which was intended to connect the core of downtown Oklahoma City to the shore of the Oklahoma River.

Had we gotten off at this stop, we may have walked across the bridge just for the experience. Perhaps we will do this on another visit, in cooler weather. The bridge is also famous enough that a quilt replicating it was made by the Oklahoma City Modern Quilt Guild as a fund raising community quilt and selected to be exhibited at the Modern Quilt Guild’s national QuiltCon.

The next stop on the trolley route was Myriad Gardens. Here is an overview of the 15-acre landscaped area in the heart of OKC metropolitan area. Featured in the center is the crystal bridge. Robin told us it is beautiful and we should walk across it. We looked deep into the park as the trolley rolled by and it did look tempting. Next time. This is yet another attraction to add to our list of things to do on our next visit.

Just north of Myriad Gardens, we passed next to Devon Tower, which we had viewed from our canal boat ride. Exiting our counterclockwise course of the lower trolley loop, we entered the northern loop in a clockwise direction. The northern loop passed through the metropolitan area of OKC, taking us past the library and law school, without much worthy of note other that the overall ambiance of a city's downtown. On the way back south though, we could gaze into the lawn area of the Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum with its 168 chairs for the victims of the 1995 bombing of the federal building. This was one of the first places Frank and I visited on our first trip to OKC. It is still a sobering moment to see, even without venturing inside the museum building. The chairs are arranged in nine distinct rows to symbolize the nine floors of the building with nineteen of the chairs being smaller to represent the children who lost their brief lives. This Wikipedia article gives more information.

In exploring the internet for this blog post, I saw many articles about the survivors and the victims since it is now 30 years later. This one about PJ Allen, the youngest survivor of the blast, 18 months old at the time, I found particularly worthy of note.

When the trolley re-entered the Bricktown District, Frank and I got off, just before the Mickey Mantle stop. We browsed briefly in The Painted Door, a gift boutique with many eclectic wares to amuse and corresponding prices that did not amuse. This store was still a fun place to look even if it was not a fun place to buy.

Next door was the  The Old Spaghetti Factory; they restaurant and the store even shared elegant bathroom facilities. We decoded to have lunch at The Old Spaghetti Factory.  The ambience was kinda neat but we only ate a portion of our meal and took the remainder of it with us to go. 

Apparently the roof top is reputed to have a good view, but we decided to forgo it during the heat of the day. Maybe one evening on our next trip out to OKC ...? The proximity of the Painted Door to the restaurant is visible in the following photo.

After eating we took an Uber back to Robin and Jeremy's house. That evening we managed to fit in some games — adults only, kids opted out. We enjoyed a few rounds of SkyJo but called it an early evening. Frank and I had to pack and get some rest before our flight(s) back to California the next day. Robin and Jeremy drove us back to our hotel and came up to the comfort our suite, visiting for a bit longer. This bonus time was an enjoyable closure to our excellent, even if a bit hectic, visit.

On Thursday, May 14th we flew back home to California. We had two flights, connecting in Denver. In flight, we learned to our surprise that even though we had two flight numbers with two board passes for each of us, it was the same plane. We did not have to get off and make a mad dash (in wheelchairs) to another gate. We did have to change seats, however, but that was no big deal. Once in San Jose we observed the following rotating sculpture. Curious, I looked up its story.

It is titled Space Observer, created in 2010 by artist Björn Schülke. Other views and background of this mesmerizing, motorized sculpture can be found in this digiart link. Per the San Jose facility directory of public art collections and this San Jose Government public document

Space Observer is a landmark artwork located on the airport's highly trafficked meeting, greeting, and circulation mezzanine. In an airport, one of the most highly secured and surveilled public facilities of our modern time, the sculpture's whimsical, yet high tech aesthetic and use of surveillance technology, reinforce the San Jose Airport's Art + Technology Program theme. Reminiscent of a space craft, this glossy white 26' tall sculpture, perched on a tripod of 8' tall legs, explores the interactivity between humans and modern technology. When a passer-by engages with this elaborate yet delicate object it quietly rotates following him or her with the aid of two propeller-tipped arms. Its eye reveals images picked up from embedded cameras. As stated by the artist, "it can recognize you and detect your movement setting off a trigger of kinetic responses like a conversation or a dance". The placement of the sculpture was designed to reinforce passenger way finding towards either security (north) or baggage claim (south)

This was the final item we observed during what was, in retrospect, an art-centric visit. Between the visual art of a stage production with Autumn, the historical art within the Cowboy Museum, the mosaic and painted murals along the Bricktown canal boat ride, and the bronze statues both at the Cowboy Museum and in Bricktown, we have been culturally enhanced. Plus all of this enrichment is plunked right in the middle of the laughter, hugs, and interactions with family! What a great trip!

For links to the previous four posts about this visit see:

• OKC 1 of 5: May 8-10    Arrival and Legally Blonde Jr
• OKC 2 of 5: May 10       Post show and Mother's Day
• OKC 3 of 5: May 11       Cowboy Museum
• OKC 4 of 5: May 12       Chilling at home with kids
• OKC 5 of 5: May 13-14  Bricktown and departure (this post)