Cañon City & Peek @ Royal Gorge

Another gorgeous winter day … blue skies and sunshine and warm temps ... about 10 degrees warmer than it should be this time of the year. Got to take advantage of it. So we headed up to Cañon City … a home rule municipality in Fremont County that has its roots back during the Pike’s Peak gold rush of 1858. The area has a lot to offer — especially for the adventurous. We’ll go back another time to take advantage of some of those opportunities. Today, we took it easy and just looked around.

We left the house a little after 10:00a for the 1½-hour drive. Our first stop was the Holy Cross Abbey, right off US50 on the outskirts of Cañon City. Unfortunately, it was closed. So, we moved on. Following the signs into the historic part of the city, we were disappointed to find it all but dead! On a Sunday? On such a beautiful day? So, we moved on.

One of the popular sights in the area is the Royal Gorge Park. Heading in that direction, we made a detour to check out a campground — East Ridge. Peaceful and quiet — at least during this time of the year. We liked what we saw … free boondocking sites for 72-hours. We plan to return for a short stay.

From the campground, we continued up the dirt road to where it dead ends at the Royal Gorge Park. Admission is $25pp — which gives access to the pedestrian bridge that spans the gorge, a ride on the gondola that criss-crosses the gap high above the Arkansas River, and a theater. There are some adrenaline-junky rides here as well … additional cost … but I doubt we would ever take advantage of them. We’ll return to check out the park ... and the nearby trails. Today we were satisfied with a view of the gorge from an overlook. Alas the light was bad, so I limited my photos to a few memory shots.

Retracing our drive, we headed back to historic Cañon City ... hoping to get some lunch somewhere. Turns out the town had come alive. It was plenty warm in the sun … perfect for an al fresco meal on a winter day. Spying the outdoor seating at World’s End Brewing Company, we decided to go there. A good choice. A couple who was about the leave told us we could have their table as soon as they paid their bill. We had a short wait, but it was worth it.

I thoroughly enjoyed my glass of “Fairy Dust” … a beer described as being based on a blond ale recipe … with a surprising peach influence. Mom and Mui ordered the Double BLT. The waitress was right … they don’t stint on the bacon. I ordered the Adult Grilled Cheese … made with a blend of Colby, Mozzarella, and Provolone … plus sliced avocado and hardwood smoked bacon. They normally add red pepper flakes, but I abstained. We were stuffed by the time we finished our meal … no room for dessert.

We’ve got snow in the forecast, so this will be our last outing for at least a few days. We need some rest anyway after being out and about for three days in a row … and we have some projects to complete at home, too.En savoir plus