the southern figure-8 tour
Looking back at the trips I've taken, I noticed something. I have gone north, west, and east of Colorado Springs, but I haven't headed south. I decided I needed to fix that. One eight-hour car trip later, I came back with a fistful of pictures. Here they are!
Into the mountains we go!
Heading west on SH 12, we've come across the Historic District of Cokedale, CO. There's a lot of ruins from the coal processing facilities here. We've already seen some of this on the previous page, now we'll continue our tour and head west again. Many of the pics on this page have been sized for a 1024x768 monitor. You have been warned!
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A shot of the large coal mountain that has filled the valley between this road and SH 12.
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Across SH 12 on the county road now. We've stopped to get a shot or two of the coke smelters--or what's left of them, that is.
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A close up of the ovens.
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Back on SH 12 again, we get these shots of the smelters. I like the curvature here.
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One last shot of the smelting ovens as we pass by Cokedale.
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A large rock cut as we leave the Cokedale valley.
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The hispanic influence is even felt in the towns along SH 12. Here we enter the town of Valdez.
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We've been following an abandoned rail line all along this stretch. Today, therer's a bunch of work along that stretch. Looks like it's going to be the new alignment of a new gas pipeline or buried electrical lines: I couldn't tell.
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Entering Segundo, which is spanish for Second. The picture quality will improve once SH 12 turns northagain. Right now we're shooting directly into the sun.
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An abandoned bridge structure les to the right of the road. I wonder what this was used for? The hill on the opposite side seems too steep for auto or train traffic. Maybe this bridge was higher?
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Another case of cementing over an eitire rock cut to prevent falls.
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A closer shot of the cemented rock cut.
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Rolling right along.
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Oops. That's all I can say about the sign. Tercio is Spanish for Third. There is a town called Primero (first), too. Bets which one came first?
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After Stonewall, which literally has a solid natural stone wall raising off the ground about 40 feet into the air, SH 12 turns north and prepares to ascend Cuchara pass. It looks like we're missing something here.
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Looks like the maintenance crews for this stretch of road aren't that good at tightening bolts. Second advisory sign in a row that's messed up.
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Curves tighten as we ascend Cuchara Pass.
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Here's an old cement bridge.
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Still rolling towards Cuchara and La Veta.
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A distance sign. This is the same one we see in the background of the previous shot.
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Rolling alongside Monument Lake, one of many man-made lakes in this area of the state. This whole section of SH 12 has some unbelieveable views.
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You can tell how much the wind is blowing up on the peaks by looking at all of the snow moving around up there.
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Approaching North Lake. SH 12 loops around the west, north, and east banks of this lake.
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Here's where SH 12 starts to curve around the lake.
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A propaganda sign at the boat ramp at the northern edge of the lake.
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On the boat ramp looking across the lake. These geese didn't move at all when I drove up. My guess is that the one goose you can barely see is chillin' on her nest and the male is ready to defend his territory. I wasn't willing to push it.
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More propaganda signs on the opposite side of the life vest sign. I like how the life vest sign is mounted.
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Back on SH 12 approaching the North Lake dam. The dam is open to the public as well.
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Just after the dam, 12 has a loop back to the north around a rock outcropping. Once you've straightened out, you're presented with this view.
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Really climbing towards Cuchara Pass. It's been snowing on me for about the last mile now. It's all being blown off of the higher peaks, and now we're about to drive into the worst of it.
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Climbing fast. While this looks steep, I'd say it's no more than a 6% grade here. (Matt Salek's site verifies this.)
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Now at the summit of Cuchara Pass, elevation 9,941 feet. The snow is blowing like mad up here, causing whiteout conditions at times.
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Since the winds are blowing northwest to southeast, once we start our descent, the blowing snow pretty much stops. That car in the background? A dad and his two daughters were up here sledding down the side of the pass. That's family bonding at its finest! :)
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Now that we're on the north side of the pass, the snow sticks around a little longer.
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For those of you who feel I don't get out of the car enough, here you go!
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We've just passed the defunct Cuchara Valley Ski Resort and are approaching the town of Cuchara.
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Another new MUTCD-standard reduced speed ahead sign! Two trips in a row!
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New pedestrian sign atop an old mileage sign.
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Restrictions on parking. Who'd want to get closer? Look at the size of that puddle!
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So I saw this from a distance and thought that it looked off. I took a snap then I realized that the crews simply taped over the right movement on this cross road sign. HA! At least they used reflective tape.
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Another roadgeek and scenic shot outside Cuchara, complete with red asphalt.
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Lots of eye candy here. First, the Seat Belts? sign was a normal thing for a while here in Colorado. When the sign is opened, I'll bet it says Icy Road. The best is the Cuchara(s) River sign in the background. It's quite obvious the s was an afterthought. One for the WTF page, if I'm not mistaken.
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Stonewall, CO had rock formations similar to these. These formations are no wider than 3 feet and step you right up...
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... to the summit of Culebra Peak. This is quite impressive in person.
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Another rock formation alongside the road.
- Where to next?
- Page 6
- This trip's Index
- Page 8
Disclaimer: I am in no way affiliated with any of the orginizations listed within this site. I'm just a bored roadgeek with way too much time on his hands. All of the picts in this page are mine and mine alone unless otherwise noted. Remember, kids: stealing is bad, mmmm-k? I get quite pissy if things are taken without telling me. I don't like to be pissy. You won't like it either. If you want to link to this page, that's fine. Please shoot me an email beforehand so I can link to your page as well. K? Thanks. --Ryan
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