Another scenic drive goes through the Wet Mountains, a sub-range of the Sangre de Christo chain in south-central Colorado. Named by early Spanish explorers, the mountains at sunset were very red, thus were called "Blood of Christ". The Wet Mountains sub-range has granite nearly two billion years old and gets heavy snow each Winter. Most of the little towns in this range have never even been heard of outside the immediate area.
In doing research for this drive, I learned of a most interesting and bizarre structure known as Bishop's Castle, which proved to be extremely impressive. Jim Bishop bought a home site for $450 and started construction in 1969. Planned as a stone cottage, Jim just never stopped building and the result to date is simply amazing. While considered a one-man project, Jim's son eventually came on board and carried on the work. As far as I know, one or both still work on the "castle", despite many obstacles presented by federal and local government. Now a well known roadside attraction, visitors help fund construction.
Note the use of flying buttresses to provide support, an ancient technique employed in medieval cathedrals. Wrought iron rails and passageways provide access to all parts of the structure. The dragon's head is a real attention getter.
A massive "grand ballroom is the highlight of the building, along with colorful stained glass windows.
Continuing our drive, the mountain scenery was nothing short of spectacular.
Our tour included the town of Florence, where we enjoyed a fascinating outdoor model train exhibit. The remainder of the drive had a variety of ranches, wildlife, mountains and wildflowers, and ended with a nice sunset.
No comments:
Post a Comment