So, today we headed to the hills. Yeah, you're right..I don't like heights, and I especially don't like big dropoffs and twisty, windy roads, but we were told Bishop Castle was worth seeing. We packed a cooler full of water and Bailey's booties, and off we went. Into the wild blue yonder.
Closer and closer and the outcroppings got bigger and bigger.
Bailey did real well on the floor between my feet. Normally, she rides comfortably in the back seat, but when we get on a gravel road, the noise scares her, so she jumps into my lap and I help her down to the floor. She comforts me when I get scared, so the least I can do is comfort her, right?
I can't believe that people live out here - it's pretty isolated.
This was supposed to be perfect territory for bighorn sheep...
They even had a pull-out where these informational placards were posted. Did you know that bighorn sheep bed down, facing away from each other, and avoid eye contact? That's part of their pecking order and that social training starts early, when they're just baby lambs. Nope, we didn't see any this trip. Bummer.
This poster was all about Hardscrabble Canyon's history and significance to the area. Click on the photo so you can read it better - it really is interesting to see how many lives have been impacted, and even lost, by the goings on in these hills.
Around each bend, the rocks got bigger and we got higher. UP, higher UP. Yes, it's legal here, and we see dispensaries and advertisements all over the place for weed. And we see drivers that must be stoned all the time. How else can you explain their behavior?
There was no cell service for quite some time, obviously, and very little traffic. I was so relieved when we rounded a bend and came upon several cars parked on both sides of the road. Motorcycles too! Before we could enter the property, we were faced with this sign:
Yeah. We were given pause too. We knew we were in the right place, 'cuz the sign identified the place.
What an interesting philosophy we had come upon.
This was the entrance gate/drawbridge/moat. In further discussions with Mr. Bishop, I learned that vandals have destroyed the winch motors and much of the mechanical parts, so the gates no longer close and the bridge no longer lifts up. It was sad to hear how others have destroyed his life's work.
Can you see all the wrought iron work in the balconies?
I asked him what the base structure is, expecting him to tell me about the framework. I was mistaken. There is pretty much nothing there but cement and stones. Mr Bishop has been working on this castle for 51 years now, pretty much, singlehandedly. His "gal" (wife?) of 52 years, Phoebe, passed away from cancer a year ago this week. While Dick was up in the turrets exploring all the nooks and crannies, and taking pictures for me, I sat and talked with him. Well, to be more accurate, I sat and listened to him. He had some sage advice for me, "Be sure to tell those you love how much you love 'em. Tell 'em every day. Every day." I learned about how she could hunt and fish and gut an elk and weld and paint, and Lord, she was a looker. A real knockout. And dance, my gosh, could she dance. All kinds of dance. They even square danced for years, though he let her take the lead. They were even invited to be a part of an exhibition dance at The Broadmoor, one of the most prestigious hotels in all the country. I had never heard of it, so, yup, I asked my good friend Google to enlighten me. Oh.My.Gosh. Go ahead, click that link up there. I'll wait.
Jaw-dropping, no? Hehe, I clicked one of the "book now" buttons, just for fun. Rooms for 2 START at $619 for a weeknight. Yes, oh yes, they go up! Let's get back down to earth....
I asked Mr. Bishop, as did most everyone that took the time to talk to him, what started all this? And what was the significance of the dragon at the peak? Turns out, when he dropped out of high school, he went to work building houses for other people. One of his customers mentioned that his rock house was looking like a castle, and that inspired him to start thinking about building a castle of his own. The dragon was simply for publicity's sake. He put that up there strictly for the benefit of a reporter that had come out to do a story on him.
There was a tremendous amount of detailed iron work that was done several years ago. It is beginning to rust a bit and he's not planning to add any more creative or detailed work, due to the vandals that keep coming around. You could hear the sadness in his voice as he relayed his plans for the future.
Repairs are constant. His daughter-in-law plans to start helping him tomorrow, bringing an end to one era and a start to another. But, at least the work will keep on going now. As we chatted, his son was working on the new gift shop. The old one burnt to the ground in 2018.
His friends did all the stained glass work, but he did all the installation himself.
I asked if he was going after a greenhouse effect....he may have just been humoring me when he said he was thinking about it but hadn't quite got it all done yet.
Mr. Bishop, himself, and his chocolate Labradoodle. She was more energetic than he was...getting up only to shake off some of the dust and turn around before settling back into her spot in his shadow.
After leaving Bishop Castle, we came back down out of the hills, to the little town of Rye. Our campground host had suggested that we might enjoy the little town park, so we headed that way. We were disappointed to find the town's only cafe closed, but we went up on to the park anyway.
Want to see and hear it for yourself?
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After dinner, we could see the storms off in the distance, where we had originally been headed. We had been planning to go up to the hot springs in Penrose, but decided that we didn't need to tempt fate and be lightning rods. We'll save that for the morning. Only trouble is that Friday nights are designated family nights, which means bathing suits required. All other days and times, clothing is optional. Should we or shouldn't we??? We'll see.
Looks like an interesting place. We might have to check it out at some point.
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