Laser Eyes

Even Chipmunks have laser eyes!

Werewolves, Pyramids, Giants - Oh My!

I would be remiss if I didn't write about something a bit odd or unusual on this Friday the 13th. So, here goes....

Werewolves. Why does this person depicted in this painting have fangs?

This is part of a larger installation which can be found at the Pioneers Museum in Colorado Springs. The museum is actually the old county courthouse from 1903 to 1973. It is built from granite blocks. The building became the home of the museum in 1979.

But back to the painting. There are four sets of murals on the second floor of the museum. Two of which can be seen in each stairwell and then two panels flank the doorway into a display room. The panels depict the history of the Pikes Peak region beginning with the Louisiana Purchase and continuing on until the post WWII era. The mural was painted by Eric Bransby.

Now about the guy with the fangs. In case you didn't know, many famous people either lived in Colorado Springs or were born there. Among them are Cassandra Peterson (Elvira), Robert Heinlein, Lewis Black, and Lon Chaney to name but a few! And I mean only a few! 

Lon Chaney was born in Colorado Springs on April 1, 1883. Lon Chaney is reported as being the man depicted in this particular part of the mural. Lon Chaney made a lot of films and was famous as Quasimodo as well as the Phantom in Phantom of the Opera. Chaney was a master of make-up which enabled him to play a lot of roles. The museum brochure about the murals states that the last mural panel with the man with fangs is Lon Chaney. But in the research I did, Lon Chaney never portrayed a werewolf in films. His son, Lon Chaney Jr., was the one who became famous as The Wolfman.

So, we are back to the beginning...Who is the man with fangs in the mural????

Outside the museum is a pyramid. It is entitled , Follow the Setting Sun. It was designed by a local artist and depicts historical events of the Pikes Peak Region. The uprights are lit from within at night. Interesting to say the least.....a pyramid outside a granite building. Lots of energy there!

And lastly, the Giant. In a 1907 newspaper from the nearby town of Castle Rock, is this article - Workmen excavating for the lake to be used in connection with the shoot the chutes at the Zoo near Colorado Springs , have unearthed the skeleton of a . giant Indian and a horse at a depth of about ten feet . With the skeleton were found the remains of a bow and arrow and a half decayed fragment of a blanket . The supposition is that the Indian was a Cheyenne and was carried from the cliffs in a landslide .

A wealthy businessman from Colorado Springs, who was more loan shark and mob boss than entrepreneur, owned some property in the foothills to the southwest of town. Always looking for the next way to make a buck, this ambitious man decided to build a sort of amusement park complete with animals and various rides. There is some controversy as to the "Chute the Chutes" ride. Some say it was a roller coaster while other reports claim it was a water ride. I have a tendency to believe it was a water ride because there is an area adjacent to one of the local parks which bears the name "The Chutes". This area is in a very steep canyon with a stream running through it. Perfect location for a water ride.

Were there Giants once living in the Pikes Peak area? If the Indian was a Giant, then was his horse of large proportions as well?  Can't say for sure. But I do know that the area where The Chutes are located is currently off limits to the public. It is owned by Colorado Springs Utilities. What better way to keep people out of some place and 'accidentally' discovering a relic from the past.

These are but a few of the 'oddities' found in or near Colorado Springs. There's still Tesla, and NORAD, and the Garden of the Gods, and ....... so, you'll just have to wait till next time to see what is written about.

How we spent the weekend.....

Good company! Beautiful views! Life is good!

The Science of Sasquatch

Another great video from the Pikes Peak Historical Society

Be sure to subscribe to their YouTube channel!

Misc. Pikes Peak Photos

Santa's Workshop - This is a major source of revenue for Santa Claus. He has to fund that workshop he has at the North Pole somehow! I do believe a Santa clone is running this place while the real Santa takes the Summer off.

image source

While sitting in the snack bar eating our donuts, we were amazed at the quantity of gnats that were everywhere. A person couldn't walk outside without breathing in a few or having them fly into your mouth.

Gnats on window at snack bar - yes, they are on the inside of the window

Kinda hard to see, but the roof of the trusty roadtrip car was covered with gnasty gnats!

Ravens were a common sight on both the drive up and back. Pairs of them could be seen cavorting in the air around the Summit House. I imagine they were feasting on the gnats!

Glen Cove Inn - Back in the Day, there was a ski area located here, which consisted of two runs. It is now just a gift shop and picnic place. There is a checkpoint located here for the vehicles traveling downhill/ A Ranger will check the temperature of the vehicle's brake pads. If the temperature is over 300deg, then the car must be parked until the brake pads cool off. The road up Pikes Peak is uphill to the top and downhill to the bottom. Driving in low gears is a must!

Checkpoint for brake temperature

Not too far from the Summit is a place called the Devil's Playground. It is so named because of the way lightning jumps from rock to rock during a thunderstorm. There is no cover on the mountain at this elevation. Not a place a person would want to be in a thunderstorm!

It was interesting how the rocks along the ridges would stick up. They looked like the spines or plates along the back of dinosaurs. 

This is the burial marker of Carl Lotave. His ashes have been interred below the marker. Carl Lotave was a Swedish born painter who moved to Colorado Springs in 1899 to paint Native Americans for the Smithsonian. His burial place is in the granite boulder field to the southwest of the Summit House.

Another interesting marker is located waaayyyyyy out on a rock ledge to the west of the Summit House. It is a Masonic (?) plaque/time capsule.

And now for the views. It is said that on a clear day - which is so hard to come by any more, what with air pollution and smoke from wildfires - a person can see from Denver in the north, to the Continental Divide to the west, to New Mexico in the south, and Kansas to the East. The Arkansas River can also be seen to the southeast.

Looking north towards Denver & Denver's famous brown cloud of smog.
The mountains in the foreground is the Rampart Range which is mostly bare
now because of the Waldo Canyon fire which took place in 2012

Looking down and to the east towards Colorado Springs.
Garden of the Gods in in the center of the photo

Looking to the southeast towards the city of Pueblo and the Arkansas River

Looking to the west and the Continental Divide

Looking to the southwest at the gold mine at Cripple Creek

I highly recommend this trip to anyone who visits this area. The road is open year round - weather permitting. So much history. So much beauty.

And despite the sheer drop-offs along the road, it really is a nice road. Just don't look down!

Road Trip ~ Pikes Peak

To celebrate the coming of Autumn., Hubby & I took our annual roadtrip into the mountains to view the glorious Autumn colors. Unfortunately the aspen were plagued with a fungus this year that caused  a lot of their leaves to simply turn brown and fall off. But there were still some glorious sights.

This year, we drove to the top of Pikes Peak. 

It was a gorgeous day so we took the trusty roadtrip car and headed out. Going topless allows for better pictures.

The road to the top is a toll road and is paved all the way. A nice drive with expansive vistas.

We made stops as pull-offs allowed. This was a MUST! And even though we didn't see the elusive Man, we did get a pic of a statue.

Approaching Timberline

The original road was all dirt (and probably not as wide) and opened in 1888. This first road carried tourists in carriages up to the top. 

In 1915 the road was improved for automobile use. In 1916, the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb began. This road rally to the top of Pikes Peak has been held annually ever since. Racers in all manner of motorized vehicles & motorcycles will race to the top - one at a time - for the best time. The record is a little over 9 minutes!

Guard rail for road can be seen at top of ridge

Road to the Summit

The distance to the top from the starting line is 12.42 miles with 156 turns and grades of 7.2%. I have no idea how those racers can do that!

Nearing the Summit

Summit House

By 2011, the road was completely paved - all the way to the top. 

old weather station

At the top, is a building which houses a weather station and has a camera on top which transmits images approx. every 10 minutes. There is also a US Army Research Facility for Environmental Medicine. Also at the summit is a monument to the song, 'America the Beautiful'. this song was written about Pikes Peak.

The top of Pikes Peak is a boulder field of Pikes Peak granite. This granite is pink in color and is what this amazing mountain is made of. In fact, this granite stretches for miles both north and south.

A wall of the original Summit House can still be seen nearby the current Summit House. There are plans in the works to build a newer, nicer Summit House. 

Cog railway headed down the mountain

There are three ways to reach the top of Pikes Peak - drive, hike or take the Pikes Peak Cog Railway. The next time we decide to get that high, we will take the railway!

Man walking up on Barr Trail

Barr Trail is the way to get to the top on foot. This is the way the AdAmAn Club hikes to the top of Pikes Peak to set off the fireworks on New Year's Eve.

While we were at the summit, we had to have a world famous donut which is cooked right there on the spot. A little heavy but still quite tasty.

All in All, a very nice Sunday drive. Despite the white knuckles which appeared on a few sections. I'll post more photos tomorrow.