Planned today to drive to Yankee Doodle Lake on the old Denver and Rio Grande Northwestern right of way over Rollins/Corona Pass. It was snowing but no problem; that is why we have 4x4. The pinhole leak in a coolant hose made a good case for not pushing on. Any evidence of common sense on my part is shocking to my family members, relatives, and friends but there you are. In the 1950's, when you could still drive the entire pass (before a tunnel collapsed), my father broke down near the summit and had to hike down ten miles in cowboy boots. As much as I admired him, that is one of his experiences I don't care to duplicate.
The pass was abandoned after the Moffat Tunnel was completed. In the early 1950's my father was the section foreman responsible for the tracks in the Moffat Tunnel. His father and an uncle traveled over Rollins Pass by train on their way to Northwest Colorado to homestead land. My sister's first home was at East Portal. I caught my first fish in Yankee Doodle Lake.
The area is popular with the ORV enthusiasts which is why I avoid the area on weekends. Colorado can be an aggravating, high maintenance place to work and live. For me, the mountains make it worth the effort.
7 comments:
You show common sense. I don't believe it.
Mary
Sad that we have lost that section of access... of course the econazi type are happy, as that area "will go back to nature" to hell with the historical aspects... sigh...
Snow already? But...but we have globull warming... :-)
I have drove in a lot of states and i have never seen more roads being worked on that have no workers working on them then in colorado.
I drove up to glenwood springs today and im spending the night here until the morning then i will go to grand jun. I spent most of the time in the snow. I thought it was funny because last friday i was complaining about how hot it was and 3 days later i was driving in the snow.
The pictures you took were really good. Great job!
wow snow and here I am down here sweating....
TGR Next week we may be in the 80's. Very changeable weather. I've seen snow over the years in every month of the year.
I am so bewildered that my brother showed common sense TWICE in such a short period of time. We used to drive over this road in a passenger car (not 4x4) up to the 70's when the Needles Eye Tunnel collapsed. There is a private effort underway to rebuild the tunnel so that people can drive over the road again. Most folks consider it a 4x4 road only. They just don't know how to drive. Our grandfather used to drive a wagon & team over the road to Denver & bring back supplies to NW Colorado. There is a lot of our family on that road and the tunnel underneath.
Dear Sis,
Not everyone had the benefit of growing up in a clan of driving fools. We received a full measure of those genes and have added to the clan's legacy. For instance, driving down a road the Forest Service bulldozed closed in several places (they thought), a dog jumping ship, and our late father nearly crashing the Puddy 4 as he happened to fly over us while we were making our way along a really good road, less obstacles.
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