Despite very wet, cold and windy weather, we tried to do some sight seeing while in Colorado Springs. One of the “must do” places in the area is Royal Gorge, and the Royal Gorge Bridge that crosses the Arkansas River, near Canon City.
The bridge is part of a privately owned and operated park that offers many ways to see the Gorge, including zip-lining and the Sky Coaster, neither of which we opted to experience.
No, that’s neither Rick or Lenore up there on the zip-line |
We chose the gondola, which while not death defying, did offer some great views.
One of the most interesting things about this park is that it was completely destroyed by a wildfire in 2013. The fire actually jumped the gorge and burned everything on both sides, yet left the bridge intact. Only some of the wooden boards that form the road over the bridge were burned.
Since the fire, the company has rebuilt the Visitor’s Center and a few other buildings, the gondola, the zip-line and the Sky Coaster. The Grand Re-Opening was May 8, 2015. We were there just a few days before and there was lots of activity getting everything ready.