We had plans for the upcoming weekend but they weren’t going to physically demanding so we head out for another hike in the area. Brown’s Creek Trail starts southeast of camp along some dusty forest service roads. It’s a 6.2 mile out and back hike with 940 feet elevation gain. The goal was to make it to the waterfall at the end of the trail. We will top out at just over 9,800 feet so it won't be a super easy hike but it did sound like a nice one. There were several cars at the trailhead along with a rather large horse trailer. It appeared that most of the cars had just arrived and the occupants were getting ready to go for a horseback ride. We looked to have a bit of a head start but realized we would likely be overtaken at some point along the hike.
Brown's Creek Trailhead
It’s a dusty and rocky trail and clearly used by horses based on all the fertilizer left along the trail. Some of the trail heads thru woods but there were many spots along the way with openings allowing for some stunning mountain views.
Looking Back Down Trail
Mountain Views Ahead
Entering an Opening Along Brown's Creek Trail
There were still wildflowers in bloom and we found more of the gentian that we like. We were about a quarter mile from the falls when the procession of riders caught up to us. Fortunately it was at a creek crossing and the footbridge for us was separated from the crossing for the horses so we were able to be out of the way as they continued on. There were probably 8 horses and riders. One of the riders saw me taking pictures and hammed it up a bit as he went by.
Gentian
Hamming It Up
Foot Bridge
We continued towards the falls and had to work our way through the horses and riders as they were dismounting just before reaching the falls. There was a geocache hidden a few hundred feet from the falls, so we went for this first. It took us some time to spot the container but eventually signed in and went to the falls. It was rather crowded there. Beside all the riders, there were several other groups. We found a spot out of the way and had our lunch in this nice area.
Brown's Creek Falls
We stalled long enough that the riders left and a few of the other groups moved on as well so there were only 6 of us and that felt much less crowded and permitted me better viewing opportunities of the falls. There are a series of smaller falls in the 8 to 12 foot range but it was still pretty. It was a much easier hike back downhill. There were a surprising number of hikers heading up but many of them had backpacks so they were likely heading out on a longer thru hike for the upcoming weekend. All in all a rather nice hike albeit a bit dusty from all the horse traffic.
Heading Back
We had been watching the weather forecast to pick a nice day for a train ride out of Leadville. Normally we might avoid this type of activity on a weekend, but the weather looked to be great and by going on the morning ride, we could avoid the likely afternoon shower that seems to be rather consistent in this part of Colorado. We arrived with plenty of time to spare to check in and get our tickets. We wandered around the old depot building and checked out some of the outdoor displays before we were allowed to board.
Old Depot Building
Old Locomotive on Display
Covered Train Car
Our Locomotive for the Ride
They have several different classes of service but since we picked a nice day and I want an unobstructed view during the ride, the “cheap” seats worked out and we grabbed some seats on the fully open car. A word to the wise, pick a spot on the west side of the train (towards town) since the track heads up the east side of the valley, the better views tend to be on that side of the train.
Our Chosen Car
Covered Train Car
Our train consisted of maybe a dozen cars and it was somewhat full but not crowded. We had seen a large tour bus in the parking lot and all the people had on name tags and where they were from. I noticed one guy from near our former hometown in western New York and asked him how he ended up out here. Turned out he is a big train buff and the trip he was on was a weeklong excursion thru Colorado going to train museums and multiple train rides. It’s sounded like they had a rather full itinerary but was likely a trip of a lifetime for train aficionados. Once we made it out of town, the views were rather stunning. The tracks were placed a few hundred feet up the eastern side of the valley instead of down by the road and the Arkansas River, so there were many views of the mountains to the west and the valley below.
Track Repair Equipment
Overlooking Valley
The conductor was also our tour guide and quite the character. I suppose if someone has a job like this, they become a good story teller. We found out all sorts of facts about the history of the rail line we were on as well as all the locomotives, mountains and other lore of the area. One train ride years ago got stranded near the turnaround point when a wildfire in the surrounding forest got too close for comfort. I bet that was an exciting train ride!
One of the sites along the way is a relatively new one. A zip line course has been installed and part of the lines go right over the tracks. One of the package options is a train ride and zip line combo.
Zip Lines Overhead
Zip Line Platform
The train travels about 9.5 miles north of Leadville and passes by an old water tower and caboose. I knew we were to stop there so I assumed that was our turn around point as well, but we continue another mile or two before stopping at a point overlooking the valley below. We pause for several minutes while we are told more train stories by the conductor.
Passing by Old Caboose
View from Turning Point
Our Conductor/Storyteller
We start heading back downhill and stop by the water tower. We all get off the train and have 20 minutes or so to explore the area. The tower itself has a tea kettle look to it. It is from the steam locomotive days to fill the water holding tank. The brightly painted red caboose is also open to tour. I was excited to be able to actually walk thru the locomotive. It wasn’t all that high tech looking but I suppose there isn’t the need for complicated controls. The ride back down was nice too but it did look like the afternoon clouds were forming and might possibly rain on the afternoon ride. Our ride for the two of us was $100 and worth the price. Below is a short video of some of the sights from the train ride.
Old Water Tower
Heading to Locomotive Tour
Video of Train Ride
We headed into downtown Leadville and found a restaurant for lunch. Town was very busy. Leadville is a rather popular tourist destination because not all these people were on our train ride. We found a few geocaches in the area before heading back home.
A few days ago, we had read about a burro race that had been held earlier in our stay up in Leadville. We were disappointed we hadn’t discovered this fact before the event. But the article went on to say that the “third leg of the triple crown” of burro racing would be in BV on Sunday. We looked into the race details and made our plans for watching at least some of the race. The starting and finish lines would be in town but the majority of the race would be run on some of the trails in the hills just west of town. This leg was a half marathon in length (~13 miles) and having hiked some of the trails earlier in our stay, we knew it would be a challenging race.
We head downtown well before the start of the race and find a large empty lot full of trucks and horse trailers. Each race team consists of one human and one burro. For the most part, the human racers looked like one might expect for a long trail run. The burros were either tied off to a trailer or free to wander small fenced in areas. We spoke with one participant (the human half) and discovered that these people come from all over this part of Colorado and beyond for the race. Each burro is saddled with gear reminiscent of gold rush pioneers - shovels, pick axe and similar items. Burros (or donkeys) seem to come in three distinct sizes - miniature, standard and mammoth. The little ones are rather cute and it hardly seems fair that they must compete against burros that are as big as a horse.
Cute Miniature Burro
Standard Burro
Our Friendly Burro Guide
As the starting time approached, we head over road where they start. It was lined on both sides by orange plastic construction fencing. The man in charge warned all the spectators that by standing next to the fence, we are assuming the responsibility for injury should a burro veer off course. We were a few hundred feet down from the starting line and had a decent spot to watch the action. There was a huge rush of man and beast as the racers passed us by. Each person was holding the lead to their burro. In some cases, the burro was in the lead almost pulling the person, while in other pairings the opposite was true. As luck would have it, one of the miniature burros was angling right towards the fence near our spot. I instinctively took a step back but the human racer managed to apply the correction and no people were trampled by a miniature burro!
Out of Control Burro Heads Our Way
We had a rough idea of the course and headed over to the park by the river along a section of the Bridge to Bridge Trail we had hike a few days earlier. By the time we got there, the majority of the racing teams had passed and we could spot the lead pack on the opposite side of the river starting into the Midland Hill area of the race. There were a few stragglers still passing us by. The old guy that was last off the starting line was just coming by and we assumed he was bringing up the rear. But as it turned out, there was one other team that was going even slower. The woman half of the team looked to be much faster than her burro, but the beast didn’t seem into a race this morning so she had to more or less pull her partner past us.
Slow Burro, Fast Runner
We knew the trail section of the race would take some time and we weren’t familiar enough with the route to head out and watch the teams on the challenging part of the course. So we went into town since this weekend was also the Gold Rush Days event with lots of vendors and other events setup in the large town park.
A Woolly Mammoth
Old Depot in BV
There were a few rows of vendors but after giving them a look, we decided we would need to find lunch elsewhere. In one corner of the park was Civil War encampment. There were a dozen or so people dressed in period garb with a few cannons and tents. We were able to talk with some of the participants and we definitely get a feel that these people are really into this part of their life. We head over to a produce stand to check out the parrots on display before finding a food truck with some good Mexican food for lunch.
Row of Vendors
Canons
Ginger the Parrot
We had spent enough time wandering the festival that it was time to catch the tail end of the race. In talking with some locals, it sounded like watching the racers come across the bridge over the Arkansas River would be a better viewing point that at the actual finish line. There was a large crowd of people gathered here. We had arrived about 10 minutes before the lead racers were expected based on reports from the race course so our timing couldn’t have been much better. There were 4 teams in the lead pack. Regulars said that they would all stay with one another until they are on the final stretch for the finish line and then have a mad dash to see who wins.
Race Leaders
More Contenders
The teams were quite spread out in time by this point in the race but it seemed that there would be small packs of 2 to 4 teams all bunched together with several minutes between these groupings. Maybe it’s the herd mentality of pack burros? One team that was the exception was a guy and his burro. They were moving right along the trail on the far side of the river, but as they approached the bridge, the burro slammed on its brakes. The guy tried everything to get his partner to cross the bridge but wasn’t making any progress. Four and a half minutes later, another group of racers were approaching and this provided the impetus for the stubborn burro to proceed. I definitely felt sorry for the guy but he was greeted with lots of cheers as he finally made it over.
Miniature in the Lead
Burro at Beginning of 4.5 Minutes of Stubbornness
We stuck around for almost an hour as the teams continued to pass by. We knew there were likely more teams to come but we were a bit warn out by standing in the bright afternoon sun. This was a really fun and unusual event to experience and we’re glad we heard about it beforehand.
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