We're From Texas!

When we were taking these pictures, I was thinking of a a great Texas song by none other than the legendary Ray Wylie Hubbard...

Welcome to Canon City Colorado! We finally made it into Colorado, after thinking we'd never get out of Texas - we kept saying we can't stop for the day/night until we are out of Texas. In case you are not aware, Texas is a fairly large state - extending 801 miles from the NW corner of the Panhandle to the extreme Southern tip along the coast and extends 773 miles from the East at the Louisiana line all the way over to El Paso in the West. As we were getting to Canon City, we were getting tired and it was time to rest for the night. Unfortunately, a lot of other weary travelers decided Canon City was a good place to stop and rest - as most of the lodgings had no vacancies. We did secure a room at the Holiday Inn Express - at a premium price - but it was a clean room and a place to lay our heads. When in Canon City - you gotta pay attention to the service roads and getting in and out of businesses - no one has a driveway directly onto the roadway and it was somewhat frustrating to find the entrances - some optical illusions too - which would have sent us down an embankment into the Holiday Inn Express. Oh well, no harm done. Next time, the rule of thumb will be to stay down the road in Pueblo where the lodging should be much more plentiful and less expensive.

The next morning we headed out after a "free" breakfast at the hotel and onward to the Royal Gorge Bridge. WOW! http://www.royalgorgebridge.com/ We partook in the festivities at the Royal Gorge Bridge by paying our admission fee - fortunately the Holiday Inn Express had given us a nice discount ticket. Unfortunately, our time table really didn't allow for taking in all of the activities at the bridge - other than walking across. It's kind of disconcerting that they allow vehicles to cross the bridge while people are walking on it - kind of takes away from the experience. I also wondered about the "security" of it all in this post 9/11 world. Seems to me it would be a prime terrorist target to "take down the bridge" while driving across it. I really doubt that they screen the vehicles crossing. Oh well, not my concern. It was still standing when we left. Really amazing what a number 9/11 did on this country and our feeling of safety and security. 9/11 changed the paradigm of the way Americans view the world and our internal workings in a major way that will unfortunately last for a very long time.

Next time I'm up that way, I sure would like to ride the cable car across and also take in the incline railway and the skycoaster. A rafting trip down the river would also be well worth the time.

Here are a few pics from this stop along the highway. See you on down the road...

I can't figure out why someone would carry a huge BBQ pit with them on vacation. They do make smaller portable models. Even though we were in my black Avalanche, this is NOT my vehicle.