The Penn's Grove record., 1910-06-17
Colorado Letter
Arvada, Colo, June 8, 1911

ATVdud, SOtOs, 0uIC ", IN
DEAR Mr.. SUMMERILL:
In my last letter l promised to write
about my next trip up in the mountains.
Business has been exceptionally good i'll
Denver since last December and 1t has
been almost all impossibility to take a
vacation OF a couple of days. On Monday,
however, I took advantage OF a lull n
business and went up the famous Moffat
Road, one of the most delightful trips in
all Colorado.
A journey over the Moffat road gives
one an ever-changing panorama OF the
past, present and future, of the frontier
as it was and is, and a glimpse Of the pos
sibilities Of an ever encroaching Industrial
era. 1t gives one inspiring views OF fer
tile valleys, lakes and rivers, it carries us
to the towering SUBMITS of the high
mountains, to the land Of perpetual snow
and into the very heart OF some OF the
large peaks, Game is still abundant all
through the range from II slope to the
other, and M can see mountain sheep
with a field glass from the railroad. Only
last week two cinnamon bears run within
| a hundred yards of the railroad at Yampa.
Blue grouse and wild ducks are flying
n~eryously around, seeming not to under.
| stand why the haunts they have traversed
80 often have been mOnopollzed by the
ponderous, s~creeching iron horses, which
pull their freight Of humanity up the
mountains daily. Even the laughing but
startled streams seem to ask why dis
turb us?' In a few years these will only
be things to talk about.
We left Denver at 8 a. m. on a modern
Axo:. &c tLo hoof oorinpaont Qnd the ride
| along the valley to the foothills feels like
hammock transportation. BY . O'Clock
we are up in the clouds. There was q
storm brewing, and it was the first lint 1
had ever been above the lightning.
They tell me there had been spent over
$500, 900 for powder before construction
! work had reached the foot OF the range
We ride ON until we get above the timber
line., At one time as l looked back the
| smoke of our engine was rolling out OF
three tunnels through which we had
passed.. When we were only 80 miles out
Of Denver, we reached the twenty-third
tunnel. After riding through passes and
over mountains, giving us scenery beyond
| description, for a distance of thirty miles,
we reach beautiful Boulder Park, in which
is located the station of TOlland, AZ miles
from Denver.
Here is that astonishing piece of engi-
neering, which makes it possible to cross
| the continental divide after a three-hour
| ride from Denver. Leaving Tolland, the
| climb to the continental divide begins.
! The train glides along the canyon the
grade growing higher and higher, then it
swings back along the valley, making a
loop over a mile in length, then returns,
| still climbing higher along the side OF the
mountain, until looking down you see
three railway tracks and the pretty little
town in the valley, gradually becoming
smaller and at last fading from view.
From there on it is a steady climb to a
| giant palisade about a mile east OF Corona.
Just before we reach the tunnel through
/ this the line ruiz nearer to the top of the
mountain range, carrying us to a heighth
which givesa view OF mountain and valley
| simply indiscribable. Just a short time
| ago a freight train was coming along here
and the government gauge showed the
wind blowing at "a miles an hour. The
wind lifted the roof from a B. & M. Car
and threw it down the mountain side a
| thousand feet from the track. Here are
found vast stretches of open mountain
landscape reaching to SUBMITS OF other
mountains wbcse deep banks OF snow
seem to bid defiance to sun and rain.N
We wonder what this panorama must
be when portrayed by moonlight. Some
Of the mountains were at times in the
clouds, then again the clouds would dis
appear as the sun would sudde My break
over the highest peak, glide down the
mountain side. steal softly across the val
ley, then gradually rise and flood the path
- - I---Is--- A. 49,
over the west range.
The picture here is one that can never
be effaced, and the effect causes the inn
agination to run riot. We breathe air
that creates in US ideas of abnormal power.