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Dan and Dawn's Colorado Adventures

Or, "Sure we can make it through here without getting stuck".

My husband Dan and I, Dawn, have made several trips to Colorado to see and photograph trains and fall color, and to explore back roads. Here are some of our adventures.

In 1996 we went to Colorado to photograph the 'Tennessee Pass' railroad line that runs from Denver to near Glenwood Springs. At that time there were rumors the line would be shut down (which happened in 1997-8), so we wanted to photograph it while we could. The scenery is very picturesque. The actual pass is near Pando, CO. where US army ski troops trained during World War II.

This is a freight train coming out of the tunnel at the summit of Tennessee Pass. It is at the end of a public road.	A view from the Eagle River highway bridge.
Due to the steepness of the area, there are many curves on the line.	A view of a freight train going under the Eagle River highway bridge.

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We were able to ride a special passenger excursion over the line in June 1997. The Union Pacific Railroad used one of its' operating steam locomotives, it's old-style diesel locomotives, and some of its' passenger excursion cars to make the run. We left from Denver Union Station.

We had to wait for First Lady Hillary Clinton's special excursion to leave first. The G8 economic summit just happened to be meeting that weekend in Denver, and Mrs. Clinton was taking the other First Ladies on the Ski Train to Winter Park, CO. for lunch. The police allowed people to view them from a distance, so I was able to photograph them. This photo has been cropped and enlarged; the police didn't allow people to get this close. Mrs. Clinton is in the light suit in the middle.

We had a wonderful three-day trip. Dan and I were glad we had photographed the line the previous fall; we knew our location during the trip. When we were there in the fall, we took the opportunity to travel some of the mountain passes in the area. The photos are arranged in no particular order. The photo in the upper right of the web page was taken at Tincup, CO. while we were exploring the mountain passes.

Our 1982 AMC Eagle at Tennessee Pass in 1996.	A view of Cumberland Pass in 1996.
Our 1982 AMC Eagle at Berthoud Pass in 1996.	A view of Cottonwood Pass in 1996.

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We visited Berthoud Pass again in 2002. By then we had replaced the 1982 AMC Eagle with a 1995 Jeep Grand Cherokee. It was a VERY rainy day. Denver even had tornado warnings. (Photo on the left.) On a better day we made it over Independance Pass, with the camper no less. We just fit within the length restrictions. (Photo on the right.)

We even made it most of the way over the Rollins Pass 'Jeep trail' in 2002. We had tried to do it in 1996, but there was too much snow to even get to the parking area. Most of the road is on the old abandoned right of way for the Denver, Northwestern and Pacific Railway. The road doesn't go all the way across the pass; it is blocked at the tunnel that is caving in. Today the railroad goes through Moffat Tunnel, one end of which comes out at Winter Park, CO.

A view of Rollins Pass road.	The abandoned trestle. It isn't part of the road, and it's falling apart.
A view of the wood from the abandoned buildings next to the road at Rollins Pass.	Dan hams it up for the camera on Rollins Pass road.

We had an interesting time exploring this road. I don't recommend traveling on it late in the day, or at night. Late in the day the sun is in your eyes when returning from the closed tunnel. At night it would be difficult to see the edge of the road, and it is very near the edge of the cliff at times. Otherwise, it's worth the trip.

Dan and I have had a lot of fun visiting Colorado. Please visit the other pages in this web site for some of our other adventures.

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