Captain Drone bails out...

.and heads for home. No more fighting dreadful weather chasing elusive patches of Sun. No more having the drone banned by bureaucrats! Goodbye, Colorado!

To be realistic, there seems to be bad weather across huge sections of the country. What I struggled to get through only seemed personal to me.

Having decided to bail out, I drove west from Canon City, over the mountains and then through the Curecanti Recreation Area, flying the drone over the twenty-mile-long lake under bleak skies. I'd have killed for bright Sun! This first clip is toward the center of the largest lake in Colorado, Blue Lake:

 

And this section of the lake is found at the western end, right next to the Black Canyon of the Gunnison:

 

 

And wouldn't you know? I had patches of bright sunlight in areas East and West of Curecanti, but not at the lake!

 

 

 

Well, I'll never visit this state again, but at least I leave with a few colorful memories!

Overnighting back in Grand Junction, and will take the drive across Utah to Vegas tomorrow.

Yesterday began as badly as prior days--fog, drizzle, complete overcast. I was on the verge of canceling the rest of my trip, but stubbornness won out.

I drove West for forty miles along the Arkansas River. Highway 50 follows the river toward the Black Canyon of the Gunnison.

After ten miles, the clouds evaporated, the blue sky spread from horizon to horizon, and color erupted. everywhere. At pullouts which offered good landing areas, I put the Inspire drone up for forays up and down the river. Here are a couple of samples, but the day's clips are at my 'Most Recent' gallery at http://divexprt.phanfare.com/2015/

That is the Vallie Bridge, which I then viewed from the sky. First I sent the drone toward the East:

 

Then, of course, I had to bring in back toward the West and over the bridge:

 

 

Here's another flight over bucolic farmland. These are all I'll put here, but would-be drone pilots and masochists can visit the 'Most recent' gallery. Again, that is at http://divexprt.phanfare.com/2015/...

 

 

I suspect that yesterday was one of those perfect days between storms, because the forecasts have been uniformly lousy. We'll see when the Sun comes up this morning!

 

 

 

 

 

The Fearless Fossil outmaneuvers a lousy weather day...

When the weather early in the day is rainy with dense fog, what can you do?

Here in Canon City, you gain altitude and get above the weather by driving South to Bishop Castle.  http://www.bishopcastle.org/#

 It is astounding that this is one man's project, which has so far taken him more than thirty years.

The high towers were too tempting to miss, so here is a grand tour conducted by the Fearless Fossil--who, I am relieved to report, did not fall off the high balconies. At this age,  I consider that a good day.

The layout has us climbing stone stairs to the Memorial Hall, whose stained-glass panels remember people who have passed. Up another story is a huge hall which some local visitors told me is now used for weddings.

Then we begin the ascent to the towers using steel spiral staircases and forays out onto the metalwork balconies.

  Here we go! First the classic façade:

 

and another view from the side:

 

That dragon face is the chimney from the big fireplace:

Step out on a balcony and see the turrets soar into the sky:

 

Those ctwalks are very solid. Mr. Bishop was an iron worker:

 

The higher we climb, the more exotic the battlements:

 

From the towers, we begin to get fabulous Fall foliage views:

 

The interior halls are magnificent: this one is the rear of the ballroom.

 

These are the stained-glass panes in the Memorial Hall:

 

The dragon head is the main chimney!

 

Uh-oh. Time to climb to the to of the high tower...

 

Those spiral staircases are also very solidly built--than goodness...

 

Express your inner mountaineer! (young people only, please). 

 

 

What a view!

 

Uh-no, I didn't climb up there...

 

The view down the spiral stairs.

 

To the main wedding hall:

 

Here's the rear of that hall:

 

There is always another spiral staircase until you finally hit solid ground.

 

So--after a day above the clouds, I drove back down into the rain and fog...

 

Praying for better weather tomorrow--but the Bishop Castle surely saved today!

Looking for good weather in all the wrong places...

I did get one break today. When I went in the afternoon, the wind was howling at the Royal Gorge bridge. Flying the drone yesterday when it was windless was a happy decision. Today I did the walking bit:

The bridge is impressive from any angle! You can walk across and stare back at the span:

Or be lucky, as I was, and have a convenient train pass far below while you watched!

 

Woo-woo!!...

 

 

They have zip lines and cable cars strung across the gorge, but it is now off-season, so nobody was riding them. They also have a giant swing hanging from this frame. One shrieking female rode it a couple of days ago, but I've seen none since.

 

 

Earlier, I went back to the Garden of the Gods hoping for better sunlight. Good luck with that. Even at mid-morning the light wasn't much. This the first of the main formations we encounter, with the Kissing Camels atop it:

 

 

Actually, I came in early in the morning and put the drone up, but was almost immediately accosted by one of the Pothead State's employees.

 

 

Dropped by Balanced Rock:

 

 

and the Central Garden before getting out of town:

 

 

The weekend forecast is ugly, so I'm racing off to new targets today. Guardian angels under great pressure...