There's Gold In Them There Hills

Yesterday, the Leos took a Sunday drive to Cripple Creek, about 25 miles from Woodland Park. Cripple Creek lies on the west side of Pikes Peak. It is known as The World's Greatest Gold Camp.

Cripple Creek - The World's Greatest Gold Camp

The picture above was taken at an overlook above Cripple Creek. The location is on the edge of an ancient volcano which is laced with gold. Gold was discovered here in 1890 by a local cowboy, Bob Womack. In 1891 the Cripple Creek Gold Mining District was formed. At its peak around 1900, over 500 mines were in operation in the District. In the 71 years of operations, the District produced  about 21 million ounces of gold, worth over $33 billion in today's market. This is more gold than was retrieved in the California and Alaska gold rushes. After lying dormant from 1962 till 1995, gold is again flowing from mines in the District.

But today the main business of Cripple Creek is gambling. Several casinos make it a popular tourist destination. The Leos didn't try our luck this trip. It so happened that this weekend was a large motorcycle rally in Cripple Creek, so the downtown was blocked off to non-motorcycle traffic. The rally originated in Woodland Park on Saturday. It was a Salute to American Veterans Rally, that included an escorted ride (meaning streets in town were blocked for the bikes to travel as a group) from Woodland Park to Cripple Creek. I was in town doing laundry when the ride kicked off. The stream of of bikes passed for 45 minutes. It was an impressive gathering. If I had a bike, I'd love to have participated.

 Of note, I didn't see one bike with a dog on-board. Bummer.