Colorado Day 2: The Royal Gorge

I discovered that I came to the Royal Gorge one week prior to the start of the tourist season. I guess the good and the bad come with this timing. The good news is I didn't have to pay tourist season prices. The bad news is some of the sideshow features, like the Royal Gorge railroad, were not available this week.

Nonethess, after taking advantage of the hotel's continental breakfast, I drove into Canon City. I saw the RG railroad depot instantly and wondered why there was no activity--no tourists, no engineers, no conductors, no ticket takers, etc. It dawn on me that the railroad was not running. And with no one around to answer my questions, I made the decision to skip waiting around until somebody showed up and drive directly to the Gorge.

When I arrived there the parking lot was practically empty. Then it occurred to me: my watch was running on Central daylight time, not Mountain time. Ooops! Somebody was there to accept my money for admission and I spent the next four hours around the bridge and its peripheral attractions.

Admittedly, I was nervous when I first stepped foot on the bridge. I have trouble dealing with heights and the view from the edge of the Gorge was exhilerating. A stream of water and two lines representing railroad tracks run west-to-east at the bottom of the canyon. And the cliffs were sheer rock going down. No wonder the Canon City government outlawed rock climbing.

At first glance, the bridge itself looked like a masterful piece of engineering. And looking out on the bridge, people were strolling back and forth, side-to-side like they didn't have a care in the world. Nothing to worry about, right? Boy, was I wrong.

I decided on my first stroll to walk the bridge in its center. That way I could acclimate myself to the structure. I made it halfway when I heard a rumbling behind me. A three-ton backho piece of machinery was about to cross the bridge. Now vehicles are allow on the bridge. Patrons who want to drive have to pay extra. I had no idea that building equipment were also permitted.

So when I saw this bulldozer, I realized I had to give up my centerline position on the bridge. I walked to the eastern rail and there, oddly, was a sign saying "Joe Schmo bungee jumped here. His feats were recorded for TV to be broadcast on 'That's Incredibe'." When the machinery got closer, I heard the planks of wood groaning and popping in protest. And when the bulldozer passed, I felt like I was experiencing an earthquake. The bulldozer made it to the other side and was used for some digging on the other side.

I composed myself and declared to myself that this wasn't so bad. I still have my wits about me. I proceeded to the other side and put my acrophobia in abeyance and crossed the bridge five more times. I came across two other people who were not as bold.

I should mention that I did take the tram down to the gorge's bottom. And when I looked up at the bridge, all I saw was once strip of constructed something dancing across the sky. Going to the river bottom really put the construction of this bridge into perspective.