Bishop Castle / Sunset At Blue Mesa Reservoir

 

Song:  Twin Peaks Theme

YouTube Channel:  Angelo Badalamenti (composer)

I started out Bandi and my journey at about 1:30 PM...

as I wanted to time my arrival at Blue Mesa Reservoir near sunset.

And so...

our first destination was to Bishop Castle (about a 2 hr. journey).

Our route is in dark blue on the map

(although I actually live several miles North of Cripple Creek up in the mountains...

I just use the town of Cripple Creek as a starting point...

as I don't wish to show my actual address on the internet).

I first filled up Bandi's water bottle for our trip...

from the sink in the first floor kitchenette.

We were headed to Bishop Castle here.

We arrived at Bishop Castle.

I took this photo to show how isolated this attraction is.

From what I can gather...

this was one man's mission to build a castle on his own over a period of 50 years.

It looks like something out of a Mad Max movie.

The attraction is free and open to the public...

and although dogs are allowed...

I kept Bandi in the car as the steps are very steep

(The air was cool and I kept all the windows partially open)...

and there are wild chickens roaming the grounds...

as well as other dogs.

I went up to the cathedral room on these 45 degree stone steps.

I didn't realize there were more gently angled stone steps at the rear of the structure.

I used them coming back down.

Chickens were just walking about freely.

The castle even had a draw bridge.

This castle is not for children beyond the cathedral room...

and only if they take the rear stairway.

There are many places where it would be too easy to fall to your death.

This is also NOT a place for anyone even slightly afraid of heights...

and the climb up to the top is very tough on anyone not used to fairly 

vigorous exercise at high altitude.

After taking my fill of photos at Bishop Castle...

Bandi and I then headed to Blue Mesa Reservoir...

a 3 hour journey.

We headed West to eventually cross the Continental Divide and on to the reservoir.

The mountains were beautiful...

but as we had very little snow in Winter...

much of the snow on the mountains had already melted.

I was crossing the Continental Divide here...

Monitor Pass.

We were headed down the West of the mountains.

I had stopped just in time for sunset at the tiny point in the very middle of this map...

just to the right of the middle body of water.

As the water level was low...

there is a spit of land not shown on the map just in front of me.

As the sun began to set...

I had chosen this spot for the reflection off the water...

of what I had hoped would be a very beautiful sunset.

That is why I had also picked a cloudy day for this trip.

The most interesting sunsets come only with clouds in the sky.

After a few minutes beyond when the sun had set...

a glow in the clouds partially filled the horizon.

Bandi was lying on the ground next to me as we watched the sky transform.

Bandi and I watched the beautiful sunset until it faded.

We then headed home on a different route once we left the mountains.

Just about where the time marker is on the dark blue route on this map...

I had a very close call with disaster.

I had just rounded a corner with an opposing car rounding the corner at the same time...

and so...

while the speed limit was 65 MPH...

the corner, and the fact that I had to reduce my brights...

 had me reduce my speed to about 40 MPH

(for safety...I never outdrive my headlights or speed around corners).

Just as I had rounded the corner...

I had seen this huge figure crossing the road in front of me.

It stood taller at the shoulder than the height of my car...

and it had a huge rack on its head.

By its size...

it could only have been a very large moose.

I immediately slowed and steered right.

By that time...

 I could see in the side glare from my headlights

that how it inexplicably began to go back across the road towards me...

as if to try to cross in front of my car once again...

but I had safely passed it.

Had I been traveling faster...

it could have been a disaster.

Actually...

the number one most dangerous animal in America is the deer.

So many car accidents involve hitting them on highways...

the result of which ultimately kills more people than by any other animal.

A moose is far...

far larger than any animal in the lower 48 states of the US.

A large male moose can weigh 1,600 pounds...

stand 7 feet at the shoulders...

and can be some 9 feet in length.

These are humongous creatures.

It would have completely demolished my car...

and Bandi and I with it.

That is why I always use my brights at night...

and I always scan what is in front of me and drive within stopping distance

of the extent of my headlights at night.

Bandi and I arrived at home near 11 PM...

and Bandi almost immediately lay down and began snoring...

with me not far behind.

-------------

There are many more country drives in our future...

but for a while...

we will just relax at home...

or just take shorter trips.

Although...

once my sisters arrive next month or so...

I have many more trips we will take.

On the agenda is Maroon Bells...

and the Aspen shops...

among many others.