Sunday, July 16, 2023

16 Jul 2023 - Clear Creek Canyon Loop

 

Our route through Clear Creek Canyon on US-6

This morning the skies here in the Aurora/Denver area were clearer than previous days where we could actually see the mountains in the distance from the FamCamp.  




We decided to take a "leisurely" drive west of Golden CO in an area called Clear Creek Canyon.  We departed the FamCamp and drove west to Golden on I-70 then further west into the canyon on US-6. The traffic through Denver was nuts-o, but I get the impression that is pretty normal.  

A few interesting factoids about US -6:  U.S. Route 6 is a transcontinental United States Numbered Highway, stretching from Bishop, California, in the west to Provincetown, Massachusetts, in the east. Most of the roadway and tunnels through Clear Creek Canyon were built between 1937 and 1941 or between 1945 and 1952, as most construction was halted during World War II. Prior to that, U.S. 6 and U.S. 40 shared the alignment via Mount Vernon between Idaho Springs and Golden.

Along US-6 there is a beautiful stream that parallels the highway pretty much the entire route.  We saw fisherman and rubber rafts full of thrill-seekers!  It was a great afternoon for this.  

Blue skies today!

Steep canyon walls.



Along our portion of the route today, we passed through three tunnels.  There were several pull-off's along the route but quite a few were closed for maintenance.  Traffic was not too bad and we did pull off to enjoy the scenery.

  




We decided beforehand to travel out US-6 until we got to the Two Bears Tap and Grill, stop for lunch and then head back.  Unfortunately the Two Bears is not dog friendly, even at their outdoors seating... That is pretty disappointing.  So we turned around and headed back to the base.

At the FamCamp we watched the Cubs-Red Sox baseball game and had a late lunch/early dinner.  Even though it warmed up to 87F this afternoon, there was a nice breeze so we ate outside with the game on.  The evening was quiet with a longer walk with Liberty and we enjoyed a beautiful sunset over the mountains.



Tomorrow is our last day here so we will do our normal routine plus visit the BX/Commissary to replenish the pantry and fridge.

That's it for tonight.  

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