When we were caught in Texas (back in March) with COVID travel restrictions, we became unsettled about not having a place to get off the road and “go home to”. In June and July, while at Glen Eyrie, CO, we started talking with others and searching online (Zillow) for some mountain property we could park our RV on that was somewhat near our Colo. kids.
Since we were in the area, we spent hours driving and looking. We became very familiar with the Pikes Peak area from Woodland Park to Cripple Creek to Guffey and a lot in between! We had a dream that became clearer to us everyday: “Ahhh – to have a CABIN in the mountains!” This has been a recurring discussion and dream since we were high school sweethearts – is now the time? We prayed and looked and talked to friends and family – there was much adventure in the hunt!
We started out mapping the Zillow choices we wanted to go see and spent multiple days and lots of hours driving to various locations. It was a challenge to keep them sorted out in our notes – they all had very scenic views and ranged from 5-6 acres up to 40+ acres. Lord, where was “our place”?
Then we found a great realtor (Dan from Guffey’s local Saddle-up Realty) who really helped us understand mountain property. We learned about septic systems, road access, power lines, water wells and usage, solar systems, internet and cellular availability. Whew! – so much to learn and consider. Thank you Lord for providing someone to help us make wise decisions!
We learned that owning some land in Park County to park an RV on wasn’t a permanent option (can only “camp” on your own property for two weeks at a time, and no hookups!) . We began seriously looking for “that cabin” on already developed land. It would save a lot of time and money if there was a cabin or some out buildings and utilities already on it.
We toured several possibilities, even made a low–ball offer on one far off the beaten path with 10 acres that needed a HUGE amount of fix-up work (we were willing – but thankfully God “delivered” us from that one!) We kept looking and praying……
In the meantime…..
In addition to visits to our kids and grandkids in Colorado (see previous post), we “got away from it all” and spent a week in Cripple Creek. A perfect location for some sight seeing and close by to keep on property hunting!
We drove Phantom Canyon Road (part of the Gold Belt tour) from Canon City to Victor, CO What a road and what beautiful sights! No place for anything over 25 ft long and maybe 10 foot wide. Lots of narrow, dirt, winding roads. It is only 35 miles but takes two hours one way! It used to be a railroad connection to and from Victor and Florence during the gold mining boom. We got caught in a downpour that made the roads slick and somewhat treacherous – thankfully we were almost to Victor when that happened!
Cripple Creek! Now a location for casinos in Colorado (they say they “saved” the town), it wasn’t very bustling with crowds nor activity during these Covid-19 days, and we were OK with that! We learned that back in the day, there was a vote on which city in Colorado would be the Capitol of Colorado. Cripple Creek lost to Denver by only 4 votes. Can you imagine what differences there would be if Cripple Creek had won?
During the 1890’s gold rush / mining days Cripple creek boasted a population of over 10,000 (today about 1,300) – housing was spread out across the nearby hills and valleys. Hundreds of millions of dollars were mined out of the nearby mines – still happening today!
We rode the Cripple Creek Victor Narrow Gauge Railroad. Learned lots of bits of history from the conductor and really enjoyed the views.
It was fun trying to imagine what life was like over 130 years ago (Thankful for our modern day life now!)
We stayed at the Cripple Creek KOA for the week. It was great to see the sunsets and early morning Moon-sets over the mountains. Somewhere out there is a place for us to call home!
Still loving our adventures every day – especially when they include ice cream! More to come….Selah! (means to “pause and think about that”).