Southeast Colorado Antique Vehicle Club Cruise to Bishop's Castle
Description: Only a couple members brought their pony cars for the trip because our guides advised against bringing them down the dirt roads. A Cobra, IROC Camero, and rare 442 ragtop made the cruise.
The Southeast Colorado Antique Vehicle Club Cruise to Bishop's Castle
The trip was planned by Jim and Rethabel Huff and led the club through some twisty mountain roads. The following is from the Huff's Guide for the trip:
Mileage Marker 63: Hawley Store ON THE ROAD AGAIN
We might be luck to see migrating Tarantulas crossin the Hwy, They will be going south.
Mileage Marker 29: Cedar Crest elevation 5,489 ft. Pueblo county, once we stopped here when the store/cafe was open, the ice cream, was so old it was shrinking.
MM 3: Watch on your left as you go by the dairy we might see deer and turkey.
Interstate I 25 was opened, September 21, 1969 with the opening of the last 21 miles south of Walsenburg.
Walsenburg is the county seat for Huerfano county population 3,068 Named for Fred Walsen.
Going I 25 to Ex. 52 rest stop, inside bathroom(I hope are clean).
We will now travel State Hwy 69, watch for coal mining remains.
Picture stop, this valley is called the Wet Mountain valley. We are on the backside of the Spring Creek fire two years ago. The mountain range is the Sandia De Cristo Range one of the longest ranges on Earth. Consist of ten 14,000 peaks and two dozen 13,000 peaks.
Gardner is an unincorporated community has had a Post office since 1871 Elevation 6,969.
Wolf Spring Ranch sold in 2017 to the Navajo Nation, 18,800 Acres at about $49,000,000.
Turn right off of State Hwy 69 onto County road 358. Rosita was a mining town, In Custer County, Rosita is Spanish for little rose. Elevation 8,809 founded in 1874 by prospectors looking for silver. The town was composted of tents and log cabins, but soon had stores, carpenters, a hotel, saloon, blacksmith shop and assayer. By 1874 the town had more than a thousand residents and 400 buildings. In 1874 they began a weekly news paper the Index, growing they took the county seal away from Ula (now a ghost town) in 1878.
Rethabel came to Junkins Park in the spring of 1944, her father George Field bought what we called the lower ranch twelve thousand acres, $12,500.
The log cabin on the east side of the road, was a true red one room school house, Mrs Hobby taught 1st thru 8th , she was about the size of a first grader. To the North was a horse barn and two out houses. There was 8 or 9 students, I attended first and second grade before we moved, in 1949.
The next log house on your right was the upper ranch where my Uncle Red lived with his family. We ran cattle, forty head of miking cows, crops of mountain hay and tried potatoes one year. I remember rock picking the field. Hard work was learned from a hard working family.
The lower ranch where I lived we had no electricity, or indoor plumbing in the house. In the milking barn was a cold natural spring, mother keep her cream and butter, in it.
The Junkins fire was started by wind tearing off the barn roof, which then hitting a power poll. It burned over 15,000 acres. The owner of the lower ranch was not home, it burned the house and all but one garage.
Lunch will be on the county road due to all the private property.
County road 358 connects with State hwy. 96 at McKenzie Junction, turn right on too 96 then right on to 165.
Bishop's castle, 12 miles up 165 parking will be a problem, pick your spot.
(Photo Credit: Karen Menges)
(Photo Credit: Karen Menges)
(Photo Credit: Karen Menges)
(Photo Credit: Karen Menges)
(Photo Credit: Karen Menges)
You can keep going on 165 to San Isabel Lake and Rye, then home by way of I-25 into Pueblo. We will be going back to Hwy 96.
Headed home with Terry and Karen Menges in the rearview. Good travel is even better with good company. Look for more exciting road trips from The Southeast Colorado Antique Vehicle Club here on Seconews.org.
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