Welcome to our new segment where we will provide a female
and male opinion on places we encounter during our adventures. Jess will
provide her perspective, and I will provide the testosterone driven side.
First up today is the Royal Gorge Bridge and Park in Canon
City, CO. www.royalgorgebridge.com
Without further ado...
A Girl's Take
After our morning workouts Nick and I packed a picnic lunch and undertook an adventure to the Royal Gorge Bridge and Park. In a word our experience there was GORGE-EOUS ;o) Entering the park, I felt as though we were taking a step back in time; the park is rich in history and full of attractions for the explorer in all of us. My favorite part, however, was simply taking in the awe-inspiring panoramic views.
The bridge itself towers over 950 ft above the Arkansas River and is among the world's highest suspension bridges. Our quarter mile stroll across the bridge's wooden plank walkway offered beautiful views of unique rock formations, the river and it's whitewater rafters, and surrounding mountains. As someone a little scared of heights, I could help but be aware of bridge's gentle swaying in the summer breeze and visions of the rope bridge encountered by Indiana Jones in the Temple of Doom movie popped into my mind. Of course, I know the Royal Gorge bridge is much wider, stronger, and structurally sound. Some of the best views can also be found while riding the aerial tram, which carried us 2,200 ft across the gorge, at a height of 1178 feet above the Arkansas River.
I'm not much of a history buff (Nick can vouch for this one), but I found the story of the Gorge quite interesting. Boasting to be the "Original Jurassic Park", some of earliest and largest dinosaurs were found to have roamed the gorge region and in recent years paleontologists have discovered some of the most complete dino remains dating from 100 to 200 million years ago. Pretty cool huh? The gorge itself was created as a trickle of water began caring a canyon, slowly but surely, into the solid granite bedrock. 3 million years later that trickle has grown into the raging Arkansas river and continues to carve at the rock. I guess it just goes to show you that if you chip away at something long enough, work a little at it every day, you can create something huge :o)
After our morning workouts Nick and I packed a picnic lunch and undertook an adventure to the Royal Gorge Bridge and Park. In a word our experience there was GORGE-EOUS ;o) Entering the park, I felt as though we were taking a step back in time; the park is rich in history and full of attractions for the explorer in all of us. My favorite part, however, was simply taking in the awe-inspiring panoramic views.
The bridge itself towers over 950 ft above the Arkansas River and is among the world's highest suspension bridges. Our quarter mile stroll across the bridge's wooden plank walkway offered beautiful views of unique rock formations, the river and it's whitewater rafters, and surrounding mountains. As someone a little scared of heights, I could help but be aware of bridge's gentle swaying in the summer breeze and visions of the rope bridge encountered by Indiana Jones in the Temple of Doom movie popped into my mind. Of course, I know the Royal Gorge bridge is much wider, stronger, and structurally sound. Some of the best views can also be found while riding the aerial tram, which carried us 2,200 ft across the gorge, at a height of 1178 feet above the Arkansas River. I'm not much of a history buff (Nick can vouch for this one), but I found the story of the Gorge quite interesting. Boasting to be the "Original Jurassic Park", some of earliest and largest dinosaurs were found to have roamed the gorge region and in recent years paleontologists have discovered some of the most complete dino remains dating from 100 to 200 million years ago. Pretty cool huh? The gorge itself was created as a trickle of water began caring a canyon, slowly but surely, into the solid granite bedrock. 3 million years later that trickle has grown into the raging Arkansas river and continues to carve at the rock. I guess it just goes to show you that if you chip away at something long enough, work a little at it every day, you can create something huge :o)
My goal at the Royal Gorge was to fly high on the SkyCoaster over the ridge and take to the zip-line rated as the highest zip-line in the world. Sadly we arrived later in the afternoon about 2 hours from close and they were no longer selling tickets to the rides due to the high wait times, bummer! Luckily we got to tour the bridge itself which involves some rickety boards that can be driven across. During our visit a hot rod procession occurred across the bridge which was an awesome show of American craftsmanship and also the amount of weight the bridge could hold! Additionally, the ride across the gorge on the tram was entertaining as you swung in the breeze a thousand feet up in the air. If you like some one of kind views and high flying rides this is the place for you. Don't forget in between the rides to visit the old western town on the far side of the gorge. This park segment allows you to take Ole Time Photos and throw hatchets to test your woodsman skills. Man up and see if you can get a blade to stick in the bulls-eye. As a whole, this is an outdoor adventure and those who enjoy the outdoors will be the happiest to make the drive to this secluded part of Colorado. This is a place where you can spend a full day if you'd like to ride the train through the bottom of gorge, taking a mule ride on the trails, and venturing all of the rides. I'd recommend it for couples and groups of friends. Make sure you bring ones who aren't scared of heights and taking a plunge to get the full experience!
