Hancock Pass & Alpine Tunnel

This edition of the blog is being published while riding on the Thalys at close to 300km/h. I've done this mostly for novelty value, but you have to admit that it is pretty cool. Below you can see my location and velocity.

Also, as you will see later, this is the first entry to include fully geotagged, gps-ified pictures. I picked up a GPS logger that allows me to tag all my pictures with their exact locations. I'm still working out the system (especially the ability to process the GPS from the road), but I'm hoping that it will be a valuable enhancement to the pictures.

Of course, neither of those are the reason for making an entry. The reason for the entry is trip over the weekend in Colorado. I went out with a friend and his new jeep to try it out on some 4wd roads. It was a great weekend to be out. The weather was perfect and the Aspens were at their peak. I've missed fall colors in europe, so I was really happy to see some spectacular colors over weekend.

From Hancock Pass & Alpine Tunnel

The trip started by driving to St. Elmo and then heading up through the national forest to Hancock Pass and down the other side. The route was rated as a strong medium in the guidebook, but more importantly it offered a great variety of scenery.

From Hancock Pass & Alpine Tunnel

Along the way there were old abandoned mines

From Hancock Pass & Alpine Tunnel

and probably the world's smallest ghost town. Only part of one building was left. Of course, there was lots of great views of the mountains.

From Hancock Pass & Alpine Tunnel

After passing Hancock Pass, we descended down the other side and drove over to Alpine Tunnel. The road there was a bit narrow in places.

From Hancock Pass & Alpine Tunnel

Alpine Tunnel is exactly what it sounds like, an old abanonded railroad tunnel high in the mountains. There was a small station near the tunnel with a few ruins of buildings and a few reconstructed buildings.

From Hancock Pass & Alpine Tunnel

From Hancock Pass & Alpine Tunnel

A nice, bit of beautiful desolation in the middle of nowhere. I really enjoy finding these old ruins and trying to learn a little about their history. After that, it was back to the main road for the long drive back to Colorado Springs.