Small Town Mom, Wife, Teacher: Colorado Day 5

Tuesday, July 29, 2009: The alarm went off at 6:45 this morning. Ugh! We were out of the hotel by 7:50 and today we headed to McDonald’s for breakfast. The continental breakfast at the hotel didn’t look too great so we decided to splurge! Ha ha! Then we were on the road for about 3.5 hours on our way to Canon City and the Royal Gorge. We passed back through Salida on the way. The Royal Gorge has changed since I was last there 11 years ago. It was rather expensive to get in but once inside, you are able to take advantage of all of the attractions. We first rode the incline railway down to the bottom of the gorge. We took several pictures while down there and saw people white water rafting too. Once we were back on top, we opted to ride the aerial tram across the gorge. B1 wasn’t real sure about this at first but then once we got on (and across!), she was OK. On the other side, we could tell the weather was getting worse and rain was going to start falling any minute. Therefore, we hurried to get to a lunch spot under cover. We had hamburgers, chicken strips, etc. for lunch but it wasn’t until about 2:30pm. Next, we rode a trolley back across the bridge, looked in the gift shop for a little while, and ended our time there with a short train ride. We had a good time. Then we began driving to Cripple Creek, which is an old mining town turned gambling town. When I was here last (also 11 years ago), my dad took a very windy, narrow, scary road to get here and I was afraid that our GPS system might take us the same way this time, but it didn’t, thank God! All the roads we took to get here were paved! Whew! We are staying at the Gold King Mountain Inn and this has been the nicest hotel so far. The room is huge and we have 2 queen size beds but I seriously think we could fit another bed in here (either single or double size), or definitely a couch. We also have a microwave and fridge and the beds feel great! We are just up the hill from the biggest casino in Cripple Creek, the Wildwood. This is the only hotel in town with a pool, which is why I chose it. Once we got here, we checked in to the room and then drove uptown to check things out. Bruce and I took turns walking around with the girls and gambling. We found a bar & grill that had some pool tables, video games, and a slide bowling game. It was right in the heart of some of the casinos so one of us stayed there with the girls while the other gambled. We ended up eating dinner there and then headed back to our hotel area. Bruce dropped me off at the Wildwood about 8:30 and then came back to the hotel to let the girls swim. I came back to the room about 10:15 and now he is out gambling. We don’t have to get up too early tomorrow so it will be nice to sleep in!

I am using some of B1's pictures to post here because my camera is in the car and Bruce is still out on the town!

B1 and B2 on the way down the incline railway

Turn your head to the left to see this one! It was taken on the bottom of the royal gorge. That's me in green and B2 in pink going down the steps and Bruce at the far end of the walkway in a red sweatshirt. Train tracks are to the left and the Arkansas River to the right. I had trouble with her camera card, getting the picture turned the right way!