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Just one of the many empty old buildings available for rent in Canon City. This one is so cool! Judging from the architecture, I think it must date from around 1920. I wish I could buy it, plop it down in Colorado Springs and live in it.

A road less traveled

Pat and I went for an impromptu drive in the mountains a few days ago, and as we were heading west on Highway 24 we decided to turn south at Lake George. It looked like an easy drive until the nice tarmac turned into a washboard, dirt road. We were in the Mini so maybe it wasn't the best idea to soldier on, but soldier on we did, and it was a long time before we hit actual pavement again. I'd say it was 25 to 30 miles, in fact. But it was worth all the dust and jolting, because we were practically the only people out there, and look at the view! We thoroughly enjoyed this drive, which put us in Guffey (population 98). I've never been to Guffey before, and it seems like every building there is an old log cabin. Envision an old-timey, frontier, mountain town -- basically that's Guffey. From there we made our way to Canon City before we headed home. It was fun to discover a new road and some new beautiful scenery.

Day trip to Salida (Part 2)

Backtracking a little from yesterday's post, we stopped in Cañon City for a quick pit stop halfway through our little road trip. I took this picture while Pat gassed up the car. I absolutely love that font. Everything about this sign makes me happy! And it's hard to see in this picture, but just above the door there's some small lettering that reads "Sinton Office." Sinton Dairy is in Colorado Springs, so there's a connection to my city in this cool old building.

Maximum security

Did you know that we have a large number of prisons in the area? Actually they're in Cañon City and Florence, two small towns that sit side by side in Fremont County, 50 miles from Colorado Springs. The prisons are a very large employer in Fremont County. Most notably among the penal facilities, in Florence we've got the infamous Supermax, "the Alcatraz of the Rockies", the only federal Supermax prison in the country and home to some very notorious criminals. Some of its current denizens include Zacarias Moussaoui and many other well known terrorists whose names I can't pronounce; Richard Reid, the "shoe bomber" -- thanks, Richard, it's your fault that I have to take my shoes off to go through airport security; Theodore Kaczynski, a.k.a. the Unabomber; Terry Nichols, who conspired with Timothy McVeigh to bomb the Federal Building in Oklahoma City; Eric Rudolph, convicted for bombing the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta; as well as numerous spies, mafiosi and notorious gang bosses. Yes, these guys are 50 miles from my house. Gulp! I'm glad they're locked up! I took the above photo of the Supermax as we whizzed past in our car on the way home from Bishop Castle. (It's not exactly advisable to stand in front of the Supermax with your camera and make like a tourist.) The photo below is the Centennial Correctional Facility (I think), a state maximum security penitentiary. Like the other photo it was taken from the car as we drove past, just outside of Cañon City on Highway 50.

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Taken in Cañon City yesterday, on the way home from a portrait shoot in the beautiful country between Cañon City and Westcliffe.

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One last image from my Cañon City series: a side entrance to a local elementary school.

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I'm back! Sorry faithful readers, I have not been blogging the last few days but I do have a good excuse: I was on vacation! I'll post a few more pics of my Cañon City series, and after that I'll share some of my favorite images from California, where I visited friends and family. Here's an image of Cañon City's Main Street at twilight.

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One last look at the St. Cloud. I couldn't help myself! It was like eye candy for photographers. Cañon City's entire downtown is like that.

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Another view of the vacant St. Cloud Hotel in downtown Cañon City. Can you imagine it back in its heyday?

The St. Cloud Hotel

Part of the facade of the St. Cloud Hotel in downtown Cañon City. The hotel is currently unoccupied, but since it's on the National Register of Historic Places it's not in danger of being razed. It's a beautiful building. I hope someday soon the right person or business finds a home there.

Holy Cross Abbey Winery

Did you know that Cañon City is Colorado wine country? The former Holy Cross Abbey transitioned into a full time winery a few years ago. I've yet to enjoy the fruits of their vines, but one of these days I'm planning on venturing back there for a tasting.

Here's a photo of the beautiful Abbey monastery, built around 1886. As far as I know, it no longer functions as a full-time abbey and school. I think it's a truly gorgeous building and property, and am grateful that it's found a second life as a thriving vineyard.

Jurassic Parking Lot

Pat and I came across this dinosaur in Cañon City the other day while in search of a bathroom. I had to stop and grab a picture! It turns out that the Cañon Park Fossil Area, just north of Cañon City, is a hotbed of fossil goodness, thus there are quite a few dinosaur statues like this one scattered around town. This particular Stegosaur was built by the inmates and staff of the Fremont Correctional Facility.

Cañon City, Colorado

Pat and I drove to Cañon City on Sunday because I wanted to take a few pictures of their photogenic downtown. Cañon is what you'd call a prison town -- it's home to about fifteen correctional facilities, including Colorado's notorious Supermax. Actually technically the Supermax is in nearby Florence, but I tend to lump the two towns together in my head since they're such close neighbors. Richard "The Shoe Bomber" Reid, John "American Taliban" Walker Lindh, Sammy "The Bull" Gravano, Theodore Kaczynski (a.k.a. the Unabomber), Terry Nichols, and many, many more criminals and terrorists call Supermax home. The medium and low security prisons in Cañon City and Florence also house a few well known felons, including Andrew Fastow, former CFO of Enron.

Here is the first prison we came across when entering Cañon City. I think this one's a medium security facility. But I'm sure the residents of Cañon City don't want to be 100% associated with the prisons there. Did you know that Cañon City is also the home of the world's highest suspension bridge, the Royal Gorge? I have been there several times and it will take your breath away! For those who are terrified of heights, probably not in a good way ;o) But I urge you to visit the Royal Gorge if you're ever in southern Colorado. It is simply amazing!

Penrose, Colorado

Yesterday Pat and I took a drive to Cañon City, and on the way there we stopped in Penrose to take a few pictures of this and that. Penrose is a little town with about 4,000 residents. It's pretty rural. There are a few oddities that I find picture-worthy in Penrose (including a giant rocking chair), but there is also a lot of small town prettiness to be found. This little road, for instance, leading westward into the sunset.