Good Water

[tamrock]

I headed out yesterday, which is somewhat of a bummer, being a Sunday afternoon, but the traffic is so much more quiet and peaceful a least. I stopped to fill my jug with some cool clear refreshing spring water on the Westside of monarch pass. I've often seen folks stopped here filling up those big jugs. During the spring run-off and early summer this spring is a little murky and flows much stronger, but this time of the year it's the best and will trickle out a flow like it is now all winter long. Hopefully I be home tomorrow, so I can start kicking back and enjoy the Thanksgiving holiday.

 

[cyzak]

I headed out yesterday, which is somewhat of a bummer, being a Sunday afternoon, but the traffic is so much more quiet and peaceful a least. I stopped to fill my jug with some cool clear refreshing spring water on the Westside of monarch pass. I've often seen folks stopped here filling up those big jugs. During the spring run-off and early summer this spring is a little murky and flows much stronger, but this time of the year it's the best and will trickle out a flow like it is now all winter long. Hopefully I be home tomorrow, so I can start kicking back and enjoy the Thanksgiving holiday.

Ain't nothin like good ole Rocky Mountain spring water.

 

[diggingthe1]

Spring water is the best. We have a heated debate over who owns the spring by Cripple Creek. I used to stop by the one on the east side of La Veta pass. Now it's being bottled up and sold. Happy Early Thanksgiving!!

 

[tamrock]

Spring water is the best. We have a heated debate over who owns the spring by Cripple Creek. I used to stop by the one on the east side of La Veta pass. Now it's being bottled up and sold. Happy Early Thanksgiving!!

One time I stayed at the Super 8 in Buena Vista and there were these older fellas there from Ohio at the breakfast bar talking about what gold they found in the Arkansas. I living at one time within walk distance to that very river joined in on the conversation, as I panned all up and down that river in the area. These guys were members of some gold prospectors club and paid to pan the claims staked by that club. One guy said with all travel expenses he had coming out was about a total of $1000. and he hadn't recovered 10 cents worth of gold. I don't know who that prospect club was, but I really didn't like that idea of staking claims in whats really piss poor producing areas, just to profit of the naive individuals with thought of finding gold. Sad thing was I used to just have fun sampling that river in the early 1980s and never thought of claiming it. Now it's off limits to anyone who pretty much wants to have a little fun outdoors practicing panning techniques. So sad the Rockies have been exploited in so many ways these days, like a Disneyland. But, I do thank God that I lived up in them Rocky Mountains at a time before all these now day over the top money grabbers got their hands all over it.

 

[Kray Gelder]

I have about three feet of old 6 inch steel pipe, bent down to the ground at 90 degrees, on one corner of my lot. We bought this place almost 3 years ago. One of my neighbors, who has lived in the neighborhood since the 50's ( my house was built in 1049, ( edit ) 1949, and it's on top of an old concrete slab, with old 1 ft. clay drainage pipes going into the ground, so there was some kind of activity here before that ) , says the pipe is what's left of an old artesian well, now sealed off. For you who don't know what that is, the water comes to the surface under pressure. No pump need, just a pressure control valve, and a spigot. Artesian water is as pure as it gets.

Maybe some day I'll look into what it would take to tap it again.

 

[Gold Maven]

I remember going over Monarch from the west in a heavy snow storm, it was chains only when we started, tuned into the radio freq. for the pass, and they closed the gates a few minutes after we went through.

It was me and Dad, we had been Elk hunting all week in deep snow, putting chains on and off the truck every day, and weren't scared of the pass.

we should have been.

The last mile or so, it was snowing so hard I couldn't see the road, afraid to stop, afraid to keep going, I just crawled along, remembering that there are places with no guard rail, where there should be.

Long, white knuckle, butt puckering story short, we made it to the top, and the sun was shining a few miles down the eastern side, although it was still black looking back on the pass.

 

[tamrock]

That sunshine below in the Arkansas Valley is known as the banana belt. A sight I've seen many times coming out of the darkness of the heavy winter storms of the higher elevations. Kinda wish at times the old RWD vehicles were still around, as everyone drove with more caution back then. With today's AWD you can really get a move on, but everyone coming to sudden stops is much more an issue with the speeds today's FWD and AWD vehicles can achieve.

 

[Kray Gelder]

I've seen a few 4X4's doing pirouettes down the road. Done it a few times myself. I hate the double-double axel, though.