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Sunday, July 3, 2022

The Georgetown Loop Railroad


 

Whenever we see this view driving west on Interstate 70 we know we are going to have an exciting day ahead somewhere in the Rocky Mountains! 



We love the views of some of the Rocky Mountains we see as we travel west.



One of our summer traditions since 2015 is driving to Georgetown, Colorado to take a ride on the historic Georgetown Loop Railroad.

See my first post about the railroad, which includes some historic photos, here.  

The train ride is a very scenic ride through an area of Clear Creek Canyon and over Clear Creek.  Clear Creek brings down melting snow from the Continental Divide in the Rocky Mountains for sixty-six miles, where eventually it joins the South Platte River.






As you can see in the video above, Clear Creek was running fairly high as we had a late snowfall this spring.




An informational placard for Clear Creek.





The Georgetown Loop Railroad is a narrow gauge of 3 ft (914 mm) in order to traverse certain points in a narrow mountain canyon.  It was built by the Georgetown, Breckenridge, and Leadville Railway, and completed in 1884.  




It was considered an engineering marvel for its time! The then-thriving mining towns of Georgetown and Silver Plume lie 2 miles (3.2 km) apart in the steep, narrow, Clear Creek Canyon, and engineers had to design a corkscrew route that traveled nearly twice that distance to connect them, slowly gaining more than 600 feet (183 m) in elevation. 





The route included horseshoe curves, grades of up to 4%, and four bridges that cross Clear Creek, including the massive 95-foot (29 m) high Devil's Gate High Bridge, that is seen in the photo above.

The successor Colorado & Southern Railway abandoned the railroad loop and the depot in 1939, but both were restored and reopened in 1984 by the Colorado Historical Society.






Our granddaughters enjoyed the ride very much! They were very brave when the train crossed over the high bridge, as you can see in this video that is on my millefiorifavoriti Instagram page--be sure to turn on the sound on the video to hear the train whistle!





There is an optional stop on the train to visit a Mine Tour and Gold Panning, but we have not as yet done this with our grandchildren as we are waiting for them to be a bit older to take the tour. While the train was stopped to let passengers on and off we saw this cute chipmunk along the side of the canyon wall. I think he was hoping we'd toss him something to eat, but we know not to feed the wildlife!




After the train ride, we drove into the cute little town of Georgetown to have lunch and ice cream. 

All in all, we had a wonderful time!





I have to congratulate the Colorado Avalance Hockey Team for winning the 2022 Stanley Cup! There was an estimated half million people at the parade and celebration held for them in Denver.  I took these photos from our TV.




The deer doe that gave birth to twin fawns in my backyard a few weeks ago--click here--to see that post and video--has been re-visiting us from time to time. The fawns are adorable and getting bigger every day. They are a joy to see!


Have a Happy and Safe Fourth of July!


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40 comments:

  1. Hello,
    Happy 4th of July! What a beautiful post, the scenery is gorgeous. I love the mountain and creek views. The train ride looks fun. Love the cute chipmunk and your sweet deer. Take care and enjoy your day, have a great new week!!

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  2. The Rocky Mountains is very beautiful as I see it in your photos.
    We also have family living in the Rocky Mountain.

    Thank you for sharing.

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  3. I would love to take that train ride! Thank you for sharing it.

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  4. A most enjoyable trip with you all into the Rockies! I'd love the ride, as long as I didn't look down! Great to see a crowd gathered in celebration of your Stanley Cup Win. Happy Independence Day.

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  5. Beautiful views!! Happy 4th of July to you!

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  6. ...it's wonderful to see those snow capped mountains on this hot summer day!

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  7. S many amazing sights out your way! So glad that you drop by and share your captures with us at http://image-in-ing.blogspot.com/2022/07/happy-independence-day-usa.html

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  8. You do share such beautiful scenery in your travels, thank you!

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  9. That train ride sounds wonderful and the scenery is spectacular . Somehow mountains and trains just go together in my mind.

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  10. Fab photos I want a ride on that railweay Georgetown is so quaint

    Happy 4th July to you 👍

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  11. Such a lovely post, I did enjoy seeing your beautiful photographs.

    Happy 4th July wishes, and have a great week too.

    All the best Jan

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  12. Looks like a fun train ride!

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  13. What a great outing with some of your grandchildren. I bet they really enjoyed it, even the scary crossing.
    I keep hoping a Canadian team will once again win the Stanley Cup!

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  14. Colorado is a beautiful state. I've visited many times.

    Awww on the fawns. So precious.


    Have a fabulous day and week. ♥

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  15. Oh my goodness, what a gorgeous drive that is Pat and your scenic shots are fabulous. On road trips we have usually headed out that way and I have always been in awe of those mountains. The train ride would have been fun. A lovely memory for you all. Very cute photos of the animals too. I will make a note of that next time we go and bookmark your post. Thank you!

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  16. Whenever I see that view in your first photo my heart lifts because I know I'm going home. We went on the Railroad several times when the grandchildren were young. One year, I had college friends visiting, and we did the mine tour. Never again! I'm slightly claustrophobic and was VERY glad to get out of the mine. Great photos,Pat - the granddaughters are sure growing!

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  17. That high bridge looks a bit precarious but the views of the mountains are fantastic.

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  18. I don't like to drive through the mountains but I sure do appreciate seeing them.

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  19. The mountain and creek views are incredible!
    I would most certainly enjoy that train ride.

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  20. So nice to have these opportunities for adventure close by! Love the twin fawns, too. So special. Hope the rest of your week and weekend are good!

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  21. Beautiful landscapes.

    Quite different from the Georgetown near where I grew up.

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  22. Absolutely stunning scenery. Great captures!

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  23. What ana amazing railroad! The chipmunks are so cute!

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  24. Oh my goodness; the height of that train bridge would make me so nervous! It looks like you had a beautiful day for the train ride though.

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  25. Great photos, I have never been on this railroad but have been on the narrow gauge at Durango several times.

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  26. I enjoyed the cyber tour of Georgetown. Would love to have ice cream there and take that train ride. Twin fawns are getting sooooo BIG. Adorable!

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  27. Wow, that sure takes you through some beautiful country. Gorgeous photos, and thanks for taking us along!

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  28. Stunning photos, I truly appreciate you sharing. I loved hearing about your trip and the history of the railroad.
    Visiting today from Little Things Thursday #26

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  29. Colorado is so beautiful! I would love to take this train ride someday!

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  30. A beautiful trip. thanks for all these pictures which reveals the beuties of rocky mountains

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  31. Hi Pat! ☺ I just love seeing the photos of the deer that visit you! And the Rockies are just so breathtaking! By the way, I meant to leave you a comment. On June 27th, you left me a comment saying you wished you were an artist so you could join in on the art date...well my dear, you ARE an artist! Your photography is beautiful, the food you share on IG is divine...please join in any time! As of next week it's now Thursday Art and Dinner Date! Art and food combined, what could be better? ♥♥

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  32. I remember your past trips on this train and I can see why you would do it every year. It looks like so much fun and history. I'm sure the girls loved it.

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  33. Hello Pat,
    Wonderful post on your train ride with the family. The views are just gorgeous. I love the cute chipmunk and your backyard deer family, they are sweet. Fun times and happy memories. Thank you for linking up and sharing your post. Take care, have a great day and happy new week. PS, thank you for leaving me a comment.

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  34. Your posts always make me want to travel and go on road trips. Such a great outing and your images are lovely.

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  35. Your posts always make me want to travel and go on road trips. Such a great outing and really great images.

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  36. That was a fabulous outing to take with your 'littles" -- making wonderful memories! I love it. (And the beautiful ride itself of course, just for it's own sake, is amazing.)

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