Guest sfarson Posted January 27, 2012 Share Posted January 27, 2012 FWIW, something different. A ride report over many years. Then and now. Standing where the photographer stood many years ago. I didn't always get it right... rushed pics, different lens, and other excuses, but hey, there was always a bike pausing nearby or idling underneath! They do, or can, cause moments of reflection. The mining community of Apex in the late 1800's, having a 4th of July parade... Apex today, a semi-ghost town about five miles NW of Central City... Bonanza, as in "It's a bonanza boys!" flared when a rich gold vein was discovered nearby. President Ulysses S. Grant visited upon reports Bonanza could be the next Leadville... The gold was mined and fires swept through the close proximity structures (A common fate of many frontier towns... wood heat, wood structures, no 911)... Tracks were laid over the Boreas Pass summit to haul ores from Leadville to Denver... The tracks were pulled up in the 1930's, and in the 1950's a road was placed on the old rail bed. Riding friend Rick cheesily agreed to place himself where the train was... The Cathedral Spires along the North Fork of the South Platte... Two rails then, two wheels today... The pastoral Dedisse Ranch above Evergreen... That pastoral Bear Creek above would turn demonic when its raging waters would crash through towns below after heavy rains. The dam creating Evergreen Lake had me off to the side for the "now" pic... The Bradford Junction community in the late 1800's would gather at this ranch for all things social... dances, celebrations, etc. Perhaps this was a July 4th gathering. Bring your best attire was often the unstated rule... Today, busy U.S. 285 passes by the same place near the town of Conifer. Had the elevated highway not been present, could have relocation for a better comparison... Gold Hill is the location of one of Colorado's earliest gold strikes. An image from around 1890... In a way, not a lot has changed. Well, there are more trees... less need to cut down the nearby woods for structures and heat. Colorado's oldest continuously operating school is here. The massive Four Mile wildfire of September 2010 licked the edges of the town off to the left, but a valiant firefighting effort spared the historical buildings. If you have a BBQ sandwich at the general store, a pot bellied stove is a main source of the heat and the bathroom is about the size of your coat closet... A thrilling road just for owners of new fangled cars was built above Golden around 1920... Today the Lookout Mountain road thrills for owners of two wheeled transportation devices. The sun kindly obliged and a rider was caught just in time on the far left... Marshall Pass about 70 years ago... And today... Narrow gauge trains/rails were used 100 years ago because, well, they were narrow and could squeeze between canyon walls and rivers. Denver passengers often took weekend trips into the mountains on these trains. Not far from Buffalo Creek... The aptly named Peterhead Rock today. Could have climbed higher for a more accurate "now" image, but I risked life and limb just getting this high! An 1890's hacked out road just south of Ouray... Today's famed Million Dollar Highway... Cripple Creek and Victor pumped out so much gold, the amount was greater than the California and Alaska gold rushes combined. Back then Victor had a population of 5,000... Today about 400 call Victor home. Most downtown structures are empty... Looking west towards Westcliffe in 1900, towards the dramatic Sangre de Cristos Range... Well, someone has surely came along since then with some seeds or seedlings! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monk Posted January 27, 2012 Share Posted January 27, 2012 Wow. That's a nice historic picture thingy....... And of course nice camera work on your part......... Thx for posting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer MisterBill Posted January 27, 2012 Member Contributer Share Posted January 27, 2012 Wow! That is a neat concept. Great work. If you did not know any of the history, just think of everything you would be missing. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Rice Posted January 27, 2012 Member Contributer Share Posted January 27, 2012 Thanks for posting this. Very cool! And congrats on your 150th b-day Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer BonusVFR Posted January 27, 2012 Member Contributer Share Posted January 27, 2012 Sensational. THis is stuff that keeps me touring! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Burns Posted January 27, 2012 Member Contributer Share Posted January 27, 2012 THAT is the coolest thing I've seen all day. thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
voiceoffire Posted January 27, 2012 Share Posted January 27, 2012 Thoses pics are fantastic. Kudos for thinking that one up Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Duc2V4 Posted January 27, 2012 Member Contributer Share Posted January 27, 2012 This is really cool, I love stuff like this. Thanks for posting! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Magoo Posted January 27, 2012 Member Contributer Share Posted January 27, 2012 You kick ass! Well done, sir. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beck Posted January 27, 2012 Share Posted January 27, 2012 Funny how much of what was natural did not change too much after all that time. You can see the same boulders, rocks, cracks and crags in the pic hardly affected by time weather and man. Human beings are just passing along and eventually, I suspect will not be in future pictures of the same sites....... Thank you very much for posting the pics. They should all be in a book one day! Beck 95 VFR Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer YoshiHNS Posted January 27, 2012 Member Contributer Share Posted January 27, 2012 I shall give my thumbs up to this. Great idea. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Polarbear Posted January 27, 2012 Member Contributer Share Posted January 27, 2012 Great work and very interesting!! Thanks ! C Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer dr.toto Posted January 27, 2012 Member Contributer Share Posted January 27, 2012 Good post. I've been to many of those locations but without the history. I'll try to stay awake in history class. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SEBSPEED Posted January 28, 2012 Share Posted January 28, 2012 I wanna ride Lookout Mountain!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Vee-Ef-Ar Posted January 28, 2012 Member Contributer Share Posted January 28, 2012 Thanks heavens for real cameras and film. Love this stuff. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer mello dude Posted January 28, 2012 Member Contributer Share Posted January 28, 2012 Thank you - that is awesome! Great work! The lookout mountaint pic is very cool - I wanna go there! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VietHorse Posted January 28, 2012 Share Posted January 28, 2012 Really great stuff. What a amazing idea... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Veefer800Canuck Posted January 28, 2012 Share Posted January 28, 2012 Thanks for sharing Steve. Honestly, I didn't look at who the OP was when I first clicked on the thread, and after seeing it was you, the subject and content all made sense. :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer MaxSwell Posted January 28, 2012 Member Contributer Share Posted January 28, 2012 A great idea and very nicely executed. Are you going to be at SumSum? If so, I'd like to stick close to you. I might learn something, (or, more likely, lots of stuff). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer The mailman Posted January 28, 2012 Member Contributer Share Posted January 28, 2012 Love it. I have a few similar photos of new/old here in Colorado. John Fielder books are my favorites. I hope that doesn't tarnish my "high intellectual image" HA! Yes, photo books are my favorites and I love to compare new/old and am often surprised at the number of NEW trees that weren't in the old ones. Good work! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer intercept this Posted January 28, 2012 Member Contributer Share Posted January 28, 2012 That was really cool, thanks for sharing!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 28, 2012 Share Posted January 28, 2012 Funny how much of what was natural did not change too much after all that time. You can see the same boulders, rocks, cracks and crags in the pic hardly affected by time weather and man. Human beings are just passing along and eventually, I suspect will not be in future pictures of the same sites....... Thank you very much for posting the pics. They should all be in a book one day! Beck 95 VFR Kind and thoughtful thoughts everyone. There can be reflections from older images... what remains, where there is change, what vanishes. Photos of people from previous generations can cause a pause, at least with me, as if then was their time on the stage of life, and now we're up on the stage. May we say our lines well, and with gusto. A few more... In the late 1800's the townsite of Tarryall, on the magical Tarryall Road (County 77 - Park County) sprang to life with nearby gold and silver deposits... but it wasn't a long "sprang". The town also went by the unflattering name of "graball". Guess the merchants, tradesmen, middlemen, etc. charged or took whatever they could from the miners. The nearby county seat was named "Fairplay" because we "play fair" with the miners. The "garden spot" of Tarryall in the 1880's... A riding friend and I wandered all over the place trying to find the location of the above... Back when inmates were sentenced to "hard labor", the nearby residents at the Canon City State Prison constructed this amusement park like road called Skyline Drive. I found the photo above after taking the photo below. If ever in the Canon City area, ride this thing. The one way road with its blind rises will leave you with your stomach in your throat if you gas it a bit! Downtown Steamboat Springs 1945... Now if I could have climbed to the second floor of the store behind me I could have come a bit closer!... Berthoud Pass back in 1915... This rider's pass is gorgeous in more ways than one... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timmythecop Posted January 28, 2012 Share Posted January 28, 2012 That was good stuff. I tell you, the VFR attracts the most creative and original minds. It is no coincidence. Thanks for that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monk Posted January 28, 2012 Share Posted January 28, 2012 Looks like "FM light and Son's" is not only still there in Steamboat but has expanded....... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Dutchy Posted January 28, 2012 Member Contributer Share Posted January 28, 2012 Fan Tas Tic !!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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