Landmarks and a Comet

The girls were off doing their thing in the Pueblo sector, and we were left to our own to do as we may. After removing the doors and then the top from our transport, wandering about discovering various oddities in the surrounding desert seemed the best course of action for the day.  

Just north of Penrose, we found things mostly abandoned and lacking any sort of road maintenance.  We came nearly full circle on the road without locating the lake my comrade felt certain should be there.  Referencing our map found we were decidedly in the wrong part of town.

We missed the turn for Brush Hollow.  There had only been one sign from the beginning, pointing in the general direction of the site, but no follow up instructions about accessing the lake. With a little help from the map, we got there, though found a lake mostly giving up on its only task.  Mud flats encircled most of it, a sign of the long-standing drought in the neighborhood.

Pressing west from there, we stumbled upon a gated landmark offering some insight into the past.  Alone at side Phantom Canyon Road, it pays respect to efforts by the Works Progress Administration.  While not entirely certain, it is likely the solitary monument is immediately related to the nearby roadway; that is, unless there is something special about the particular field in which stands.

A meandering straight line from there into Cañon City led us to consider pausing for reflection at the Abbey and deeper examination of why we were unable to turn off overhead lights.  They had been illuminating daylight for the entire morning and every instruction indicated we should have them off.  Going through every fuse, we finally discovered and interim solution, bidding nuns in attendance a fond farewell, leaving them to their TikTok antics.

While it is nearly impossible to visit this region and completely ignore the primary tourist attraction site, we have accomplished that task a few times.  It is interesting to return every few years and see what has changed.  The last time we were out to the Royal Gorge a few years ago, or on this visit, we noticed they no longer permitted traffic across the bridge.  We only wandered out to the middle and back on this occasion, walking and talking about whatever came to mind.

Our departure route found us doubling back, after not finding an overlook that we thought had been left at the campground.  We ended up skipping along the edge of another overlook closer to the entrance of the park but are not entirely certain that it was the intended location.

  

The view is amazing as any other, in all directions, and afforded us an opportunity to view the status of the ranch in the distance.  We could tell that the girls were on their way home, so decided we would begin to make our way back.

The travels of the day had been good and satisfying.  These times are some of the best. It never ceases to amaze me at how many oddities one can uncover, when there is no timetable or plan.

My chauffer for the day decided we needed to make one last stop on the way back.  Skyline Drive is another of those unique experiences on can never quite get enough of.  However, winding along that ridgeback, with no top or doors could make some change their mind.

Our day complete, catching up with the girls back at the ranch, we remembered that C/2023 A3 Tsuchinshan Atlas was scheduled to fall from the sky for the next several nights.  Turning our attention to Venus, we set about preparing to capture the phenomenon.  We enjoyed good conversation as clouds frustrated attempts early on.  A little patience paid off though, and the atmospheric disturbance eventually broke up enough to offer a relatively unobscured view this ancient Oort Cloud comet making its way through the solar system, never to be seen by anyone currently on the planet again.