starbucks

I didn’t do much driving today which I’m ok with. Still having nightmares about that trip through Kansas. Once I got to stirring I grabbed some breakfast and hit up a Starbucks for the free WiFi. Updating my blog this morning from there so I wouldn’t have to use up data on my Verizon MiFi.

From Starbucks I jumped on highway 24 towards Woodland Park, ending up at my next stop in Cripple Creek, Colorado. It wasn’t a very far drive and the scenery was spectacular like most of Colorado. I first hit the KOA that I had planned on staying at and well guess what….. IT WAS BOOKED UP!!! Ugg… I’m starting to think these KOA’s really hate me. With the help of Google I found a handful of other RV Park/Campgrounds in Cripple Creek. I drove by a couple and they looked so sketchy I didn’t even bother pulling in to them.

Next on the list was Cripple Creek Hospitality House & Travel Park. The name sounds a little odd but a quick Google search gave me some neat details on the history. Per their website: “To accommodate the booming mining population in the early 20th century, the Cripple Creek Hospitality House & Travel Park was constructed in 1901 as the original Teller County Hospital. The hospital closed and was renovated as a hotel in the early 1960’s to accommodate travelers desiring to experience Cripple Creek’s vast charm and rich history.” The history alone behind the place made me want to camp here. Wonder if I’ll hear any ghosts tonight? Oh and did I mention that I’m sitting right at 10,000 feet above sea level right now? This is certainly the highest I’ve ever camped.

After getting a campsite and setting up the tent I headed out to explore this little town that got put on the map because of the gold rush that took place here. From 1890 to 1910, more than 22,400,000 ounces of gold were extracted from 500 mines in the Cripple Creek Mining District. My first stop was the Heritage Center to learn about this little town. Aside from the tons of information on the town they had a donation box made of clear acrylic with all of the states on it. So you could donate to the Heritage Center by putting your money in your state. Looks like I wasn’t the first person from Kentucky to stop in at the Heritage Center. Shucks!

My next stop was the Mollie Kathleen Gold Mine. It’s no longer being mined but they perform tours of the mine. To get in the mine you are shuttled down a 1,000 ft mine shaft. Our tour guide was a local gentleman that was born/raised here in Cripple Creek. He actually worked in the Mollie Kathleen Gold Mine when it was active. I would write an entire blog entry with all of the information he shared. I won’t bore you with all those details but it was cool seeing shafts that he had dug himself with his father. Oh and the best part…. FREE GOLD ORE!!!

Our guide told us about an active open pit mine about 2 miles away so I had to drive by it too. Obviously I couldn’t get close to it but I did take some pictures of the operation. The guide said they process $1,000,000 worth of gold everyday from it.

Once my sightseeing ended I headed back to camp. I fixed a Mountain House dehydrated meal and relaxed while watching the sunset.