MOFFAT ROAD/TUNNEL LAST OF 3 PARTS

Decided to try out the Moffat Road at the East Tunnel Entrance before closing out the season here. Over the pass on 40 and down to the new highway to the back road. This is an old mining shaft on the way to Central City.

Central City-- used to be a great old mining/tourist town. Then they legalized gambling in just this town in Colorado and this is about the only street that looks like the old town.Beautiful old gabled house.



Assay office in Rollinsville



Three large freight trains were stopped on the tracks as we made our way through the tiny valley. We ask a Union Pacific worker what was going on and they had a 3 hour work window on the west side of the tunnel. They were just waiting for it to end and then they were going to rush the trains through every 15 minutes. That's how long it takes to get a train through and blow the smoke out with the huge fans in the tunnel. This is Boulder Creek running along side the road. In the space of 4 miles we saw 6 police/sheriff/security vehicles. And they looked like they were there all the timeEast Entrance to the Moffat Tunnel. I like the West Entrance best.



Original 1921 houses for workers

This was a wagon road and stagecoach road before it was a railbed.

Keep in mind we're in a Honda Accord but we have taken it really terrible places so we

have faith we can get up to the top.

We were hugging the side of the hill to get around some bad spots when we came past

some bushes and all of the sudden this little guy was sitting about 5 feet from me. He had parked his 4W drive at the bottom of the hill and walked up to watch the trains. We ask him how bad the road got up ahead and he said "this is actually pretty good". We knew then we

wouldn't make it much further.

Beautiful forest along side the road. After we turned around and came down we found out that they grade the road the week before the 4th of July so torrents of people can get up to Yankee Doodle Lake. So perhaps we'll try that next year.

What could be better than an Ice Cream Store and a Book Store together.

Up the road a ways-- an old abandoned church in a seriously scarry town. Don't ask-I really don't want to go into it.

Another 45 minutes up the road a church to take your breath away. Called the Church on the Rock or St. Catherine of Siena Chapel. It is near Allenpark. Belongs to the Archdiocese of Denver and has a new retreat/convention

center up against the hill.

White Plaster Medallions on either side of wall once were in the Denver home chapel of Evalyn Walsh McLean of Hope Diamond fame.Longs Peak from Allenspark. This one's for you Mike

Adams Tunnel was dug in the 30's by the CCC's . Named the "Big Thompson Water Project" it was designated to take water from the West side of the Divide to the East side for the farms and ranches. The West intake is at the East end of Grand Lake and this is where it ends , Mary's Lake in Estes Park. From here it's piped down the canyon and onto the front range.

It was a fun day and somewhere along the way DH turned 71.
Happy Birthday