Tuesday, Day 24, June 5, 2012

Good evening from Canon, Colorado which is several miles from Colorado Springs. I know I confused some of you who thought I missed posting the other night. What happened I either used the wrong post day or date and then tried to correct it. There. I'm sorry. I also forgot to tell you and interesting experience I had in trying to get from Rapid City, South Dakota to Cheyenne, Wyoming or at least close. Since I deviated from what AAA had planned for me I started relying on GPS and the routing was over all sorts of roads miles from anywhere and all of a sudden I looked at the GPS and it had lost contact with the satellite and a major fork in the road was coming up soon. I tried to remember the last directions it had for that fork in the road and I guess wrong. By the time GPS contacted the satellite again I had seen a lot of beautiful ranch land and was way off course. But it all worked out.

Today I drove through beautiful ranch land with herds of beef cattle and horses to just north of Colorado Springs where I toured the Air Force Academy. I saw a number of antelope as I was driving. Very Impressive. The most impressive building is the Cadet Chapel.

Beautiful Antelope

Entrance to  Air Force Academy Visitor Center

Cadet Chapel

Entrance to Main Protestant Chapel

Inside chapel looking from entry to pulpit/altar

Ceiling of Main Chapel

Side Wall of Main Chapel

Looking from Front to 2nd Floor Over

Entry Way at Pipe Organ

Typical Classroom Building and Parade Ground

I would love to hear the big pipe organ in the main chapel. The building serves all faiths with separate chapels for Catholic, Protestant and Jewish- plus a Buddhist chapel plus an all faiths meeting room. Each chapel has its own entry and services can be held in all at the same time without  interfering with another faith. The Catholic chapel has a very large pipe organ of its own.

After the Air Force Academy I drove several miles to Canon, Colorado which is near the Royal Gorge. I stoped in town and found a motel and checked in. Then I went to the Train Depot and bought my coach ticket for the train trip through the Royal Gorge. I am on the 9:30 trip and it takes about 3 hours. Next I drove several more miles and went up to the Royal Gorge. Very commercialized. Lots of eats, ice cream, gifts and other attractions. It normally costs $ 26.00  to get in to see the bridge. The buildings and tall fences block your view from outside. Since I was there later in the day I got in for $16.00. They have  2 zip lines and a cable car you can ride. You can walk or drive across the bridge which is billed as the longest suspension bridge. Now I want to tell you as I drove up there I kept talking to myself something like this. Self you are not going to walk across that bridge. Well when self got to the bridge self said well lets just walk out a ways to get a good picture. So the rest is history. The wind was extremely strong, the flags were standing straight out and it just about blew you off your feet. You could feel the bridge swaying under your feet. 

Cable Car Crossing Royal Gorge

Royal Gorge Suspension Bridge

Train Track is on The Left of the River

Looking Down Into Royal Gorge

Looking Across The Royal Gorge Bridge

On Bridge. See How Stiff The Flag is

Tomorrow I take the train ride through the gorge and then off to find Pikes peak. I may try to hit the Garden of the Gods also. Will be a another motel tomorrow night so until then good night and I love you all. Grandpa Bill.