Epic Road Trip - Day 3: Hornbek Homestead, Cripple Creek, and Victor, Colorado

Sunday, June 11, 2017

I was up around 6:00 a.m. again and had a repeat performance of Saturday morning: bathroom, coffee, go to the reservoir. As I sat there drinking my coffee I looked through some of my notes on things to do/see in the area. There was a scenic drive called the Gold Belt Tour that began in Florissant, Colorado. It sounded interesting, so that would be my plan for the day. I left the campground around 7:45 a.m. and made my way down Highway 24 to Florissant.

Once in Florissant, I took Teller County Road 1 south towards Cripple Creek, Colorado.

Along the road is the Hornbek Homestead Site. In the 1870's, Adeline Hornbek created a home here as a single mother with four children and created a successful life for herself. After her first husband died leaving her with three children, she married a second time and had her fourth child. Husband number two disappeared without a trace, but despite her hardships, Adeline persevered and became a prominent member of the community of Florissant.

On my trip, I had a voice recorder on which I would record details of my trip and observations. This is one of my observations as I drove. "As I'm driving, there is an expanse of land with massive mountains looming in the distance. Every time I'm out here I can't help but think of the people who first came here to settle, the hardships they encountered, and the loved ones they lost in this spectacular scenery. It took great fortitude to make a life out here. There were no grocery stores, no electricity, no running water, and yet they did it. They made a home here, they made a life here. Pretty impressive." I think Adeline Hornbek was a perfect example of the strength needed to create a home here.

Driving south from the Hornbek Homestead, I passed Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument. I considered stopping but chose to keep driving. By 9:10 a.m., I was coming into Cripple Creek, Colorado.

As I drove into Cripple Creek, the first thing that caught my attention was this sign:

I borrowed this photo from http://www.cripplecreekbuzz.com/unofficialguide.html 

as I didn't get a shot of my own. 

Cripple Creek, Colorado has a donkey herd with a great lineage. Their ancestors used to work the mines in the area. When the miners left the area, they left their donkeys behind. Although I didn't see any donkeys roaming the town during my time there, it is a common sight.

As I was driving around Cripple Creek, I came across the Cripple Creek & Victor Narrow Gauge Railroad. I took a ride on the 15 ton locomotive and spent about 45 minutes learning a little more about the area. There were a few times I got blasted (slightly) with a little coal dust, but it was still a lot of fun. The trip is only four miles round trip. You go up about two miles and then back up two miles. The conductor was very informative and we all learned a lot about the history of Cripple Creek.

This is the view from the train before you leave the station. I was happy to see the woman in blue riding alone. I was also riding alone. She and I were the only solo travelers. I probably should have been sociable and talked to her. But I'm a little shy at first, hard to believe, I know, but I truly am. Besides, maybe she just needed some alone time. 

A view of the train station in Cripple Creek. 

They have a cute little gift shop inside where you can buy all sorts of train related souvenirs. 

The Cripple Creek District Museum is right next to the train station.

As the train pulls out, you get a better view of the Cripple Creek District Museum.

Leaving the station

A view of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains

Another train leaving the station

After the train trip, I was getting hungry for lunch. The small, historic downtown of Cripple Creek was really busy. There was a rodeo in town and some of the downtown was blocked off for an event. I decided to keep driving. I still had my Arby's Roast Beef sandwiches in the cooler and a bag of Jalapeno chips.

I headed south out of Cripple Creek towards Victor then looped back up onto Highway 67 north. Full of old, abandoned places this drive has a great deal of history. The following are some of the photos I took on the drive.

South of Cripple Creek, CO

The Sangre de Cristo Mountains are in the distance. This is where I stopped to eat my lunch. 

 

Historic Fire Station Goldfield, CO

 Mine north of Victor, CO

Near Victor, CO 

Old railroad car north of Goldfield, CO

Old railroad car north of Goldfield, CO

This was near the old railroad car north of Goldfield, CO

North of Goldfield, CO 

Victor, CO

Victor, CO

Victor, CO

Eventually I made it back to the campground at Eleven Mile State Park. There was a gorgeous sunset that evening so I went out with my camera to try to capture it. 

Later that evening, as I was in my tent, the winds were howling. When I was researching my campgrounds, one of the things I read on the website was, "Ideal wind conditions make Eleven Mile a popular, but not overly crowded destination for sailing, windsurfing and winter ice boating on this wide-open reservoir." That should have been my first clue that it might get a little windy.

The next day the winds were supposed to get even worse. I'm from Oklahoma. I'm used to the wind. It's NOT what I wanted to experience on my trip. Besides, I was worried that my tent would blow away and that would put a damper on the beginning of my trip. The wind howled all night long. Needless to say, I didn't sleep well.

Day One: http://agnestakesaroadtrip.blogspot.com/2017/07/epic-road-trip-day-1-eleven-mile-state.html
Day Two: http://agnestakesaroadtrip.blogspot.com/2017/07/epic-road-trip-day-2-eleven-mile-state.html
Day Four: http://agnestakesaroadtrip.blogspot.com/2017/07/epic-road-trip-day-4-eleven-mile-canyon.html
Day Five: http://agnestakesaroadtrip.blogspot.com/2017/07/epic-road-trip-day-5-manitou-cliff.html
Day Six: http://agnestakesaroadtrip.blogspot.com/2017/07/epic-road-trip-day-6-steamboat-lake.html
Day Seven: http://agnestakesaroadtrip.blogspot.com/2017/07/epic-road-trip-day-7-steamboat-lake.html