I too was drawn back to the Royal Gorge several years ago for the same reasons you were. I’ve retained vivid memories of the gorge and the bridge from the first time I saw it with my family on a car camping road trip in 1968. My visit a few years ago was a disappointment due to the over commercialization but I’m a bit jaded by spending a lot of time in Colorado’s back country. A big thanks for your message about the trash left behind by lazy, slob campers.
Thank you for sharing this awesome video. A bit disappointed that you didn't record the resident donkeys in Cripple Creek. I've been there several times and they are the highlight of our visit there.
We just spent a week in Denver and visited the Royal Gorge and Garden of the Gods. We did Pikes peak and Rocky Mountain N.P. A few years ago. We’re going back in Oct 2018 to see some more of the area around Denver. Just beautiful.
Very well done. We are new to the RV world and I have been following your Grand Adventure for a few weeks. I was pleased to see this video. I'm a native of Cripple Creek and love to pass on the history of one of the largest gold producing areas in the world. The District's boom came late in the 19th century so was developed with many of the more modern conveniences of the era. Three railroads brought up to 50 trains a day into town. My grandfather was Marshall there in the wild and wooly days when Cripple Creek housed nearly 35,000 people. I'd like to mention that your description of the Shelf Road might leave the impression that it is the only way into Cripple Creek and Victor. There is a paved highway that travels through some beautiful scenery that takes just under an hour from Colorado Springs. You were on that road when you detoured to go up Pike's Peak.
What a cool story, John -- thanks for sharing! Your grandfather surely had his hands full. We didn't mean to unintentionally mislead about the route to CC and Victor -- in fact, we took the paved route back to camp afterwards. Thanks for joining us, and thanks for commenting!
Never thought you meant to mislead. Guess I'm just being over protective of my old home town. Please, come back some time when there is no biker celebration. The middle of September to the middle of October is always special with the turning of the Aspen leaves.
It is sad what they have done to Cripple Creek with all the casinos. It is a perfect example of history not protected. It is also sad to see Victor selling the mountains to South Africa for gold leaving behind fake mountains full of piles of rubble.
@@Nature5640-j1q We don't necessarily disagree with you. However, we also understand the desire to keep an area economically viable, or make it so once again. And as for tailings piles, well...that's the case with mining anywhere and the exhibits we saw made a point to stress the company's desire to restore the land once the mining plays out. But we get your point, and it's a valid one for sure.
You are our hero. As a former boy scout leader, we’d go arm to arm in many directions to get every scrap of trash around our campsite. It is about the same when we camp host, some folks are neat as a pin, others are total pigs. Not everyone lasts as long as we have cleaning up for others voluntarily. People confuse camping with full maid service at a five-star hotel & I can't remember anyone ever leaving a meaningful tip to clean up their polluted campsite, lol.
Thanks David! In some places like this area it's shocking, really. In others, it's immaculate. In this case I suspect it has something to do with its proximity to the Front Range metro areas. Thanks so much for watching, and for commenting!
Just came across your vids and just WOW! You did a great job documenting the natural beauty, provided sound local intell, and honest impressions. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you so much for your review of Oil Well Flats! It was such a beautiful area and we had to all clean up the two sites we were at which is so sad but like you mentioned we left it better than we found it...even our young kids knew it was wrong! Thanks again for your review!
Thank you, too, for doing that! I was saddened by the rubbish, and wonder what gives rise to that in this location. I suspect that it may be its proximity to metro areas, but I'm still not sure. We have to all be good stewards of our public land to ensure that it remains accessible to us all.
There were some young kids that came through one of the weekend nights so I assume immaturity but getting awareness out there is the key!!! Thanks again! We will be checking out all of your Utah videos soon as we are gonna be heading that way around May timeframe!
Can’t wait to visit there sometime. Marked down another great spot. Really hard to believe that so many people leave trash. Nice editing, drone footage always great.
I am planning to take an extended drive through the west this summer and to document the trip with photos and video but my effort will be minimal because I will refer my friends to your videos should they want to really see where I will have been. I am absolutely impressed with the quality and content of your videos.
There is a homeless population in the area of Canon City and they leave garbage everywhere. The "banana belt" of Co draws them there. ( warmth) There are 70 degree days in December, even a couple in Jan. It can get very cold also to -10 degrees. My 35 acre Rach was 20 miles SW of there. As far as I last knew Garden of the Gods charges a fee now. The gorge is nice but a ridiculous price to get in!
Mark...I believe there are 58 14ers in Colorado...my brother summited them all during his lifetime. Really enjoy your videos. Keep them coming and maybe we'll cross paths out on the road some day.
Thank you! Check out the B4UFly app from the FAA for restricted flight areas. Generally speaking, BLM land (which this was) is OK, as long as there are no airports or similar facilities nearby).
Welcome to Colorado Springs !! I call this place home. They are going to rebuild cog railroad and reopen in 2021, it was in the news about a week ago. They are doing shuttles on Pikes Peak as they are rebuilding the summit house, limited parking at the top. The lake you passed on Pikes Peak hi-way, called Crystal Lake, is fun to kayak on, as well as two other catamount lakes near it. Hardly any traffic coming into the gate to pikes peak, normally its backed up quite a ways. The Garden of Gods was really green when you were there, it's not so green now and been dry, but then we been getting snow recently. Sorry about the trash at the campground, not sure why people do that. I camped at Sand Gulch Campground which is another BLM spot just north of where you were, I dont recall trash there. Enjoyed the drone shots, and video 👍
Thank you for watching, Eric! Trash in campgrounds, it happens anywhere at random. Hope folks can get that area cleaned up! That's great news about the Cog! Thanks for the kayak tips. As for Garden of the Gods, I still have to contact my auto insurance to get that hail damage fixed. ;)
Your channel has THE BEST information for us! I think this is where we are headed next. Would love to take the Pikes Peak drive but, that Ben😂 Anyway, we really appreciate all of your videos and info. You’ve made our travels out west much less stressful. You found all the great spots for us!
It’s a Wednesday and coffee and GA time love the towns of cripple creek and Victor feels like we are at the movies just need the popcorn , I’m sure the pikes peak has been the focus of a documentary by Guy Martin with motorcycles ( look him up ) he’s really great , thanks Marc G&Z
Yep, we were thrilled to find that there's a ton there. What a great part of Colorado! Although as we discovered, there's some hella hail around there.
Just discovered your channel and love it. I don't understand why you don't have more subs. I just picked up a gently used 7x14 Haulmark cargo trailer off the original owner that he customized and used it only for camping. I will be using it for the same with my Road King to travel with. I live and fish here in east Central Florida and see the same thing with trash around the Indian River Lagoon system. I just can't comprehend the ignorance of some people. I was taught to respect nature and if that makes me a tree hugger then I'm proud to be one...
Thank you so much, we'll check out your channel as well! Cool idea with the Haulmark conversion. And we're right there with you on taking care of public lands! We know the Indian River, and it's saddening to hear what you're observing there.
We need to preserve our public lands. If you see someone trashing public lands get their license plate number and pictures of them , their vehicles and the mess they left behind and turn them in to local law enforcement . We can not let slobs ruin it for the rest of us.
I never understood the mindset (mindless) of those that leave trash behind. Like you, I always try to leave the area better than I found it. However, sometimes it is more than we can handle.
So glad to see this area again. Thank you! I wanted to do Shelf Rd when we went out with the family but DW was spooked by someone's description. We ended up going down Phantom Canyon Rd instead. It gave me a chance to see the road although parts of PCRd are very similar. Are you going to Gunnison NP? I'd love to see some night shots of the sky.
Thank you Dave! Depending on temperatures we may venture through central New Mexico, or we could head up to the San Juans if NM gets too hot. Consider your star lapse on order!
@@GrandAdventure Thing are great. We're headed back to your neck of the woods, and looking for places to camp. We're using a semi and a 45 foot toyhauler now, so we have to be careful. What condition is that road? How long of a drive is it to Colorado Springs?
@@TrippinWithTheSmiths yep, I've seen your new HDV -- congrats! In all honesty that was 3 years ago, and at my age memory ain't what it used to be. I recall that it was definitely decent up to a large parking area where you'd fit no issue. Beyond that I recall a bumpy spot or two, but nothing particularly troublesome. I don't recall the exact drive time to the Springs but it was over an hour.
That is an area of Colorado that I know little about so your well done video was very informative for me. Pikes Peak was a gravel road when I first heard of it years ago. That made me curious and with the help of Google, pavement was completed n 2011. It came about because the dust was considered a source of pollution. I remember reading stories during the gravel days on how dangerous the road races were with the loose gravel. I suspect that was a nasty drive to the top back in the gravel days. ppihc.org/paving-pikes-peak-competitors/ That is too bad about the hail damage. I hope you can find a spot in a future video on how it all worked out. It is something I have thought about but have not come up with a solution to protect the vehicle if caught in a bad thunder storm. So far I have been lucky and have not had any truck damage but I do have some slight damage to the back side of my travel trailer after being caught in a bad summer storm in North Dakota some years ago. I suspect part of the problem with vehicles today is the metal is thinner to keep the weight down for better fuel economy. Most things are a trade-off. Thanks for the video!
And thanks as always for your comments, Bruce! You're probably right about the thin sheet metal. It got the roof, hood, and one door, fender and bedside panel. I'm hoping that paintless dent repair will work, for repairing that many body panels conventionally could actually total a truck.
Sorry to hear the taxpayers had to bail it out, Brian. That's not the way it should be. Either way, though, it's good to hear that it's up and running again.
I too was drawn back to the Royal Gorge several years ago for the same reasons you were. I’ve retained vivid memories of the gorge and the bridge from the first time I saw it with my family on a car camping road trip in 1968. My visit a few years ago was a disappointment due to the over commercialization but I’m a bit jaded by spending a lot of time in Colorado’s back country. A big thanks for your message about the trash left behind by lazy, slob campers.
Glad we're not the only ones. Thanks for sharing, John!
Loving all your Colorado tours!! Excellent!!
Thank you so much, Jim!
Great video of Pikes Peak and Garden of the Gods. We lived in Colorado Springs and Pueblo 1977 and 2008
Thank you Sandra!
Love Cripple Creek / Victor area. Did the narrow gauge train tour, very interesting history.
Yep, we've been there. It's a very nice area.
Thank you for sharing this awesome video. A bit disappointed that you didn't record the resident donkeys in Cripple Creek. I've been there several times and they are the highlight of our visit there.
We will have to go back then, because we never saw them! Thanks for watching Jeanne!
We just spent a week in Denver and visited the Royal Gorge and Garden of the Gods. We did Pikes peak and Rocky Mountain N.P. A few years ago. We’re going back in Oct 2018 to see some more of the area around Denver. Just beautiful.
It is indeed! Thanks for sharing your experience.
Loved Canon City also the bridge looked really high and the sign no fishing made us laugh. Thanks Juliet and Phil.
Glad you enjoyed J&P!
Very well done. We are new to the RV world and I have been following your Grand Adventure for a few weeks. I was pleased to see this video.
I'm a native of Cripple Creek and love to pass on the history of one of the largest gold producing areas in the world. The District's boom came late in the 19th century so was developed with many of the more modern conveniences of the era. Three railroads brought up to 50 trains a day into town. My grandfather was Marshall there in the wild and wooly days when Cripple Creek housed nearly 35,000 people.
I'd like to mention that your description of the Shelf Road might leave the impression that it is the only way into Cripple Creek and Victor. There is a paved highway that travels through some beautiful scenery that takes just under an hour from Colorado Springs. You were on that road when you detoured to go up Pike's Peak.
What a cool story, John -- thanks for sharing! Your grandfather surely had his hands full. We didn't mean to unintentionally mislead about the route to CC and Victor -- in fact, we took the paved route back to camp afterwards. Thanks for joining us, and thanks for commenting!
Never thought you meant to mislead. Guess I'm just being over protective of my old home town. Please, come back some time when there is no biker celebration. The middle of September to the middle of October is always special with the turning of the Aspen leaves.
@@johnsharpe501 no worries at all, we're all proud of our home towns! We'll definitely be back as we loved the area.
It is sad what they have done to Cripple Creek with all the casinos. It is a perfect example of history not protected. It is also sad to see Victor selling the mountains to South Africa for gold leaving behind fake mountains full of piles of rubble.
@@Nature5640-j1q We don't necessarily disagree with you. However, we also understand the desire to keep an area economically viable, or make it so once again. And as for tailings piles, well...that's the case with mining anywhere and the exhibits we saw made a point to stress the company's desire to restore the land once the mining plays out. But we get your point, and it's a valid one for sure.
You are our hero. As a former boy scout leader, we’d go arm to arm in many directions to get every scrap of trash around our campsite. It is about the same when we camp host, some folks are neat as a pin, others are total pigs. Not everyone lasts as long as we have cleaning up for others voluntarily. People confuse camping with full maid service at a five-star hotel & I can't remember anyone ever leaving a meaningful tip to clean up their polluted campsite, lol.
Thanks David! In some places like this area it's shocking, really. In others, it's immaculate. In this case I suspect it has something to do with its proximity to the Front Range metro areas. Thanks so much for watching, and for commenting!
Gotta visit beautiful Westcliffe along the Sangre De Cristo Mountains. Beautiful day visit.
Thanks for the tip!
Just came across your vids and just WOW! You did a great job documenting the natural beauty, provided sound local intell, and honest impressions. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you so much, Mike! Thrilled that you've found your way here.
Thank you so much for your review of Oil Well Flats! It was such a beautiful area and we had to all clean up the two sites we were at which is so sad but like you mentioned we left it better than we found it...even our young kids knew it was wrong! Thanks again for your review!
Thank you, too, for doing that! I was saddened by the rubbish, and wonder what gives rise to that in this location. I suspect that it may be its proximity to metro areas, but I'm still not sure. We have to all be good stewards of our public land to ensure that it remains accessible to us all.
There were some young kids that came through one of the weekend nights so I assume immaturity but getting awareness out there is the key!!! Thanks again! We will be checking out all of your Utah videos soon as we are gonna be heading that way around May timeframe!
Can’t wait to visit there sometime. Marked down another great spot. Really hard to believe that so many people leave trash. Nice editing, drone footage always great.
Thank you very much NonRev! It's definitely a fun area to visit.
I am planning to take an extended drive through the west this summer and to document the trip with photos and video but my effort will be minimal because I will refer my friends to your videos should they want to really see where I will have been. I am absolutely impressed with the quality and content of your videos.
You are much too kind, Ed! We sincerely appreciate your kind words.
There is a homeless population in the area of Canon City and they leave garbage everywhere. The "banana belt" of Co draws them there. ( warmth) There are 70 degree days in December, even a couple in Jan. It can get very cold also to -10 degrees. My 35 acre Rach was 20 miles SW of there. As far as I last knew Garden of the Gods charges a fee now. The gorge is nice but a ridiculous price to get in!
That would help to explain things. Thanks!
Mark...I believe there are 58 14ers in Colorado...my brother summited them all during his lifetime. Really enjoy your videos. Keep them coming and maybe we'll cross paths out on the road some day.
Hope so, Stewart! And it wouldn't be the first time that Google screwed me. 😉
I love the drone footage spectacular views, I never know where i can or can't fly . Great video
Thank you! Check out the B4UFly app from the FAA for restricted flight areas. Generally speaking, BLM land (which this was) is OK, as long as there are no airports or similar facilities nearby).
I DOWNLOADED THE APP AND I THANK YOU ....JUST WHAT I NEADED
Terrific! Happy to help.
Great video and information! Thank you
Thank you for watching and for your kind comment, Amy Jo!
Welcome to Colorado Springs !! I call this place home. They are going to rebuild cog railroad and reopen in 2021, it was in the news about a week ago. They are doing shuttles on Pikes Peak as they are rebuilding the summit house, limited parking at the top. The lake you passed on Pikes Peak hi-way, called Crystal Lake, is fun to kayak on, as well as two other catamount lakes near it. Hardly any traffic coming into the gate to pikes peak, normally its backed up quite a ways. The Garden of Gods was really green when you were there, it's not so green now and been dry, but then we been getting snow recently. Sorry about the trash at the campground, not sure why people do that. I camped at Sand Gulch Campground which is another BLM spot just north of where you were, I dont recall trash there. Enjoyed the drone shots, and video 👍
Thank you for watching, Eric! Trash in campgrounds, it happens anywhere at random. Hope folks can get that area cleaned up! That's great news about the Cog! Thanks for the kayak tips. As for Garden of the Gods, I still have to contact my auto insurance to get that hail damage fixed. ;)
Glad we are watching! At $108 for us to walk the RGB, I don't expect we need to go. Same for PP at $50. Thanks.
That pulse gondola at RGB is included with your ticket as well, just FYI.
Thank you for another delightful video!
And thank YOU for the delightful comment!
Colorado Springs is home. Hope you enjoyed your stay.
Aside from the hail damage to my truck that I'll have to address, we had a blast!
Your channel has THE BEST information for us! I think this is where we are headed next. Would love to take the Pikes Peak drive but, that Ben😂
Anyway, we really appreciate all of your videos and info. You’ve made our travels out west much less stressful. You found all the great spots for us!
Ben can rest easy, I am reasonably certain that the Pikes Peak road is snowed in for the winter.
Grand Adventure 🤣
We enjoy your vids and comments!
Thank you very much, Tom!
It’s a Wednesday and coffee and GA time love the towns of cripple creek and Victor feels like we are at the movies just need the popcorn , I’m sure the pikes peak has been the focus of a documentary by Guy Martin with motorcycles ( look him up ) he’s really great , thanks Marc G&Z
Thanks for the comment, G&Z, and I will look up Martin -- appreciate the reference!
Great tour. Thanks for sharing.
And thanks so much for watching!
I always enjoyed the desolate roads near Victor and Cripple Creek when I lived in Colorado Springs.
Yep, we were thrilled to find that there's a ton there. What a great part of Colorado! Although as we discovered, there's some hella hail around there.
Just discovered your channel and love it. I don't understand why you don't have more subs. I just picked up a gently used 7x14 Haulmark cargo trailer off the original owner that he customized and used it only for camping. I will be using it for the same with my Road King to travel with. I live and fish here in east Central Florida and see the same thing with trash around the Indian River Lagoon system. I just can't comprehend the ignorance of some people. I was taught to respect nature and if that makes me a tree hugger then I'm proud to be one...
Thank you so much, we'll check out your channel as well! Cool idea with the Haulmark conversion. And we're right there with you on taking care of public lands! We know the Indian River, and it's saddening to hear what you're observing there.
We need to preserve our public lands. If you see someone trashing public lands get their license plate number and pictures of them , their vehicles and the mess they left behind and turn them in to local law enforcement . We can not let slobs ruin it for the rest of us.
Hear, hear!
I never understood the mindset (mindless) of those that leave trash behind.
Like you, I always try to leave the area better than I found it.
However, sometimes it is more than we can handle.
As was the case here. We didn't even film the worst of it, which was one giant pile.
Love the music
Thank you Steven!
Great videos
Thank you so much, Jody!
So glad to see this area again. Thank you! I wanted to do Shelf Rd when we went out with the family but DW was spooked by someone's description. We ended up going down Phantom Canyon Rd instead. It gave me a chance to see the road although parts of PCRd are very similar. Are you going to Gunnison NP? I'd love to see some night shots of the sky.
Thank you Dave! Depending on temperatures we may venture through central New Mexico, or we could head up to the San Juans if NM gets too hot. Consider your star lapse on order!
With your camera work, it'll be awesome!
You're too kind, Dave.
That was an awesome tour thanks for sharing! >Merton
Thank you, and thanks for watching!
good stuff
Thank you!
Hey mark! Great information! We finally made it out here and wondering what is the road number? Love your videos!
Thanks Cindy! In this video we're camped on 5940: goo.gl/maps/ZGmYqtrrmF1xdSXh8
Thank you so much mark! You are our go to tour guide..great information and wonderful quality videos!! 😀
What are some of the free campsites called so I can GPS them?
We always put Google Maps pins to our campsites in our video descriptions, including this one. Hope that helps!
What is the longest rig you could fit in this camp area?
The sites vary widely in size. Some are quite large for anything, while others are not. Hope all is well with you two!
@@GrandAdventure Thing are great. We're headed back to your neck of the woods, and looking for places to camp. We're using a semi and a 45 foot toyhauler now, so we have to be careful. What condition is that road? How long of a drive is it to Colorado Springs?
@@TrippinWithTheSmiths yep, I've seen your new HDV -- congrats! In all honesty that was 3 years ago, and at my age memory ain't what it used to be. I recall that it was definitely decent up to a large parking area where you'd fit no issue. Beyond that I recall a bumpy spot or two, but nothing particularly troublesome. I don't recall the exact drive time to the Springs but it was over an hour.
@@GrandAdventure Man, time flies. I understand the whole memory thing! We have the Jeep to scope out spots before we get into trouble.
@@TrippinWithTheSmiths always a good thing. We will sometimes drop the trailer and do the same.
Great video , but the music was very annoying.
Sincerely appreciate the candor. So I understand, annoying in what way?
Too loud😳
Yeah, working to find the balance. Thank you for your feedback!
That is an area of Colorado that I know little about so your well done video was very informative for me.
Pikes Peak was a gravel road when I first heard of it years ago. That made me curious and with the help of Google, pavement was completed n 2011. It came about because the dust was considered a source of pollution. I remember reading stories during the gravel days on how dangerous the road races were with the loose gravel. I suspect that was a nasty drive to the top back in the gravel days.
ppihc.org/paving-pikes-peak-competitors/
That is too bad about the hail damage. I hope you can find a spot in a future video on how it all worked out. It is something I have thought about but have not come up with a solution to protect the vehicle if caught in a bad thunder storm. So far I have been lucky and have not had any truck damage but I do have some slight damage to the back side of my travel trailer after being caught in a bad summer storm in North Dakota some years ago. I suspect part of the problem with vehicles today is the metal is thinner to keep the weight down for better fuel economy. Most things are a trade-off.
Thanks for the video!
And thanks as always for your comments, Bruce! You're probably right about the thin sheet metal. It got the roof, hood, and one door, fender and bedside panel. I'm hoping that paintless dent repair will work, for repairing that many body panels conventionally could actually total a truck.
It's pronounced Ar-kansas River, it is not pronounced like the state...
Not the first time we've blown a local pronunciation, Rick, and it surely won't be the last. 😄
The cog railway is open after a100 million dollar upgrades. Colorado tax dollars help support this renovation even though the owners are billionaires.
Sorry to hear the taxpayers had to bail it out, Brian. That's not the way it should be. Either way, though, it's good to hear that it's up and running again.
Your selection of music is so annoying! Just a word of warning. 10 year from now the music is also going to date your channel.