Gilpin observer., 1912-04-25
ROCKY NTAIN SCENERY
ATTRACTS MOTORISTS FOR
ONE.DAY JAUNTS.
CANON AVENUES LURE
INTERESTING SUBJECT TREATED
BY ERWIN L. REGENNiTTER
IN "MoToR FIELD"

tants, lies on the western margin OF
the plain once known as the Great
American Desert. Surrounded by fine
irrigated agricultural land, with resi-.
those of any city its size in the United
States. Denver has the advantage OF
accessible and interesting parts OF tho
Colorado Rockies.
unsurpassed for beauty and grandeur,
and the available natural road ma
terial is excellent. The foundation of
the roadways is natural rock forma-
tion or broken stone placed from some
nearby "cut" The surface is earth
containing coarse sand and gravel.
Since ore is hauled in wagons con-
tanning six to seven tons, the art OF
building roads for heavy traffic has
long been practiced, and the suction
of the wide automobile tire does not
injure these roads as it does those OF
some localities.
The roads leading into the noun
tains Immediately west of Denver
have the advantage of covering. with
in a few hours driving. the greatest
possible variety of scenery.
There are hundreds Of garden tracts
and orchards. There are grassy noun
tain valleys, resplendent with pine,
spruce and cedar trees. Mount Yer
non Canon is such valley. There are
rocky cahons for the grandeur OF
which Colorado is famous. Clear
Creek canon is one of these. There
are the mining camps of Clear Creek
and Gilpin counties where placer and
lode mining has been carried on since
SO. There are many attractive lakes
and sparkling streams in the noun
tains stocked with trout. There are
great mountain parks. Middle Park,
with an altitude of $500 feet. is one
of these large gardens. There are
small mountain cities, most desirable
suburbs of Denver Idaho Springs,
whose temperature never reaches ss
degrees Fahrenheit in daytime nor 60
degrees at night, is such place.
All these and many more are the
attractions of trips a few hours out OF
Denver by automobile. with no grade
greater than per cent. except the
climb to Brotherhood Pass which is
10 per cent.
The most direct. and in some re-
spects, the most delightful trip out OF
Denver into the mountains is by a
boulevard called the South Golden
road, leaving Denver by the way OF
West Colfax avenue. passing through
the city of Golden. which has the dis
tinction of having been the first CAPT
tai of Colorado, and which now is
widely known because of the location
OF the State School of Mines. an insti
tuition of international prominence.
Passing through Golden. one rises
gradually by zig-zag road on the
eastern slope of Lookout mountain,
and in the ascent. he has wonderful
view of Denver and the surrounding
country with its lakes. of which
iuh -txnn hn
beautiful farms. Going over the top
of this mountain. 1850 feet high. ona
has q view of Clear Greek canon. one
OF the most rugged rocky cahons IN
the world, well known to millions Of
people who have made what is known
as The Georgetown Loop trip over the
Colorado & Southern railway.
A little farther to the westward one
has view of Mount Vernon cai1on.
which is so surprisingly different, con.
tanning many substantial mountain
homes on its verdant hill sides, that
one can hardly believe 1t to be but a
few miles distant from Clear Creek
canon.
Next one travels over the Idaho
Springs Way" road constructed by
the people of Clear Creek county,
principally Idaho Springs. by popular
subscription. This road has maxi.
mum grade Of per cent and wends
its way along the mountain side, TAX
ing the place of the old Floyd Hill
road which had maximum grade OF
22 per cent. From this Way" can be
seen the snow-capped peaks of the
main range, as well as the tops OF
some of the mountains surrounding
Idaho Springs.
This road drops into Clear Creek
canon as 1t widens, and in few miles
one reaches Idaho Springs. twenty
nine miles from Denver. This little