Once again, taking advantage of clear skies, we headed out for some sightseeing. The destination for today was the town of Canon City and the nearby gorge cut by the Arkansas river.
Canon City is a small, well organized, prosperous town in the foothills of the Rockies where the Arkansas river exits a deep canyon. In the 1920s, someone build a suspension bridge over the deepest point along the canyon. With a drop of over 1,000 feet from the bridge roadway to the bottom of the canyon, this is the highest suspension bridge in the country. For a $20 fee you can drive or walk across the bridge. On the far side was a bungee jumping tower that swings jumpers out over the rim of the gorge. We decided to to pass up both of these great opportunities. However, the railway along the bottom of the canyon piqued our interest.
Returning to Canon City, we bought tickets for a train ride along the bottom of the canyon. Shortly after lunch we made the 12 mile trip through the Arkansas river gorge, and then made the 12 mile return trip. It was very relaxing watching the spectacular scenery pass by in air conditioned comfort. Well, it was air conditioned for most of the ride anyway. What a nice way to spend an afternoon.
One final note about Canon City, we saw at least six prisons located there and there are 13 correctional facilities in the general area. Obviously, law enforcement is the major industry. I doubt if they have much of a crime problem among the local population.