Breathless! I've been to hell and back!

It's funny how hard it is to catch the top (and your breath) when you're 2 miles high!
But I went to Cripple Creek, Colorado (elevation almost 10,000) to celebrate last week's DOW 10,000 top.

CPC looks toppy here. It's EMA is the lowest it's been in months.
Add the Magic T, and I'm holding my shorts (one order I had to put in before the market open Wednesday, as we were in flight.)
We could see a broad top here as a few of the past ones have been.
And could go a bit higher here, but the powers that be will have to make me sweat before I'll give it up.
http://stockcharts.com/c-sc/sc?s=$CPC&p=D&yr=0&mn=6&dy=0&i=p77199334841&a=31062200&are=722.png



Cripple Creek

Cripple Creek, Colorado, Elevetion 9494 ft. (Gold mine seen on mountain top in background, to the right of the weird cloud floating by.)
This is the main business street. Most of the businesses are casinos, just like the good old days!)
On October 20, 1890, Robert Miller "Bob" Womack discovered a rich ore and the last great Colorado gold rush was on. Thousands of prospectors flocked to the region, and before long W. S. Stratton located the famous Independence lode, one of the largest gold strikes in history.

In 1900, Stratton sold the Independence Mine to the Venture Corporation of London for $10 million. The Venture Corporation incorporated the property as Stratton's Independence Ltd. and sold shares on the London stock exchange. The ore reserves were discovered to be less than previously thought in late 1900, and the share price crashed. Venture Corporation later sued the Stratton estate, claiming that the mine had been salted, but lost in the U. S. courts.
Womack died penniless, Stratton, a multimillionaire.

Nothing new under the sun, eh?

Clothes
Victorian Club Friday night at the Butte Opera House
(Don't miss the melodrama! Professional actors, sponsored by the casinos.)

Houses
Very few are this nice.
There are lots of old abandoned mines around.
It seems that not all rocks have gold in them.
Often those who sell the shovels do better than those who do the digging.

Helen Back Falls
Hell & Back?
There is an area North of Cripple Creek called 7 Falls and another called Helen Back Falls.
The old joke is that an announcement is made over the PA system (or newspaper notices) saying:
"A purse full of cash has been found. If it's yours, you can go to Helen Back to look for it!"
I couldn't believe that the park ranger had never heard that one.
They don't get out much.

Helen Back Falls 2
I swear I could see gold on top of the gravel! (Gold colored mica?)

Royal Gorge

Tallest suspension bridge in the world, an hour south of CC.
There is a sign on the bridge which says: "NO FISHING!"
How long would your line have to be? 1,200+ feet! Facts

(My apologies to real photographers AND to the Cripple Creek area as the photos do not do it justice.)

In that rugged country, I could feel the ghosts of Dagny Taggart, Francisco d'Anconia, Hank Rearden, and see Wyatt's torch in the distance.
But Denver might better suit the likes of James Taggart, Wesley Mouch, Dr. Floyd Ferris, Philip & Lillian Rearden, et al.
Atlas Shrugged

PS: I couldn't resist Southwest's $59 airfare to Denver. Aren't depressions great?

Is Sachs in the middle of everything?

Abandoned gold mine, since reopened.

Edited by Rogerdodger, 18 October 2009 - 11:00 PM.

Love the pics RD, thanks and yes, some of the flights are===== GR8. I fly to Tuscon to visit my step daughter every couple months, hard not to at these rates.

PSPS: The double dip ice cream is $4. The pint of Guinness is $3. Guess which I chose? The $12 seafood buffet Friday Night at the Double Eagle Hotel/Casino was great. I love my crab legs, topped off with delicious prime rib. And then crab legs for dessert.

Edited by Rogerdodger, 18 October 2009 - 04:03 PM.

My G@d....I think I was in cripple creek at about age 16 on a family vacation. That was an eternity ago. I remember Royal Gorge too, there was a train down there going along the river and it looked like a little toy from that high up. I can still see it in my mind, decades ago.

Edited by Sentient Being, 18 October 2009 - 03:47 PM.

My G@d....I think I was in cripple creek at about age 16 on a family vacation. That was an eternity ago. I remember Royal Gorge too, there was a train down there going along the river and it looked like a little toy from that high up. I can still see it in my mind, decades ago.

Could you breathe?

I thought that thin mountain air was tough when I used to ski the summit.
Now I have to rest just walking to the buffet!

It is rough & rugged country.
The road into CC is called a shelf as a 2 lane road is carved into the mountain with dramatic drop-offs on one side and overhanging boulders above.

WATCH FOR FALLING ROCKS!
Sprint VP killed by falling boulder:
Aug. 16) - A 45-year-old Missouri man died Friday afternoon when a boulder fell off a Colorado mountain and landed on his car, according to the Aspen Daily News.

Edited by Rogerdodger, 18 October 2009 - 04:01 PM.

Laugh, are you kidding? At age 16 I was running up mountains out there. I'm not nearly that good of shape today. I'm trying to remember what I kept hearing on the radio back then. I think the "Kodachrome" song was hot then. If I'm not mistaken, some John Denver song was hot too....Rocky Mountain High I think. Uh oh, I think that means you can figure my age now. Ahh the 70's in Colorado.

My G@d....I think I was in cripple creek at about age 16 on a family vacation. That was an eternity ago. I remember Royal Gorge too, there was a train down there going along the river and it looked like a little toy from that high up. I can still see it in my mind, decades ago.

Could you breathe?

I thought that thin mountain air was tough when I used to ski the summit.
Now I have to rest just walking to the buffet!

It is rough & rugged country.
The road into CC is called a shelf as a 2 lane road is carved into the mountain with dramatic drop-offs on one side and overhanging boulders above.

WATCH FOR FALLING ROCKS!
Sprint VP killed by falling boulder:
Aug. 16) - A 45-year-old Missouri man died Friday afternoon when a boulder fell off a Colorado mountain and landed on his car, according to the Aspen Daily News.

Sounds like a great value added vacation Roger. The best kind there is. Nice pics, history, and your choice of food and drinks sounds just right.. Yeah, time to open up them there gold mines..

Video of a "Shelf road"
Do not text while driving!
LINK