Rainbow Falls in Manitou Springs

April 27, 2012January 8, 2016 ~ Wanderlets ~ 3 Comments

is just 1.1 miles from our house and would you believe we had never been there until last week? First of all, it’s not well known and I had never heard of it until I saw an old time picture of it in a Manitou history book in town. I showed the shop owner the picture to ask where it was and even she had never heard of it.

So we set off walking west along Fountain Creek which runs through town. I’ve been reading Erin and Mui’s travels to Smokey Mountain NP and Erin takes such beautiful water pictures that I asked her how she gets the silky affect. She said I needed a tripod, a slow shutter speed, and a neutral density filter. Thank you Erin! I had the first two requirements and learned that if the water is shaded then the picture will be sort of okay without the filter.

There’s a small parking lot for the falls which now has a sign saying the county is going to develop this as a recreation area. We could see why the falls are not advertised in any lists of tourist things to do because the short climb was rather difficult. We had to walk in the water at one point and the informal trail is pretty rough in spots. The upside is that we were the only people at Rainbow Falls once we reached it.

This is a series of three lower falls that we didn’t get close to because the descent was very steep and not doable for me. There might have been another way down that we didn’t see and hopefully we’ll find it next time. There’s a picnic table by the falls that would be perfect for a lunch break.

This tree was growing bent to make a tunnel which I’m sure children like.

A lower falls

Rainbow Falls. This picture absolutely doesn’t convey the setting the falls is in but my pictures were so bad I deleted every single one except this. Since the sun was shining on the falls I found out why the neutral density filter is imperative for the silky look.

Also, another name (informal) for Rainbow Falls is “Graffiti Falls”. Almost every inch of rock wall and every rock laying in the area was covered with graffiti. It was sickening. Go to Google Images and put in Rainbow Falls Manitou Springs and you will see. On the other hand, there are some stunning pictures of the falls in winter and also some when the water is running stronger. This wasn’t a good year for snow in the mountains so there isn’t as much runoff in the spring as usual.

I’m sure the water is clean enough to drink. Manitou Springs water supply gets a 100% government rating as far as purity. One of the main things I miss when we travel is having our great water to drink that even bottled water can’t come close to.

Through the trees, we noticed a big house with a tower above the creek on our walk home. Manitou Springs is full of places to explore!

And P.S. I ordered a neutral density filter kit which arrived yesterday. We have in mind to hopefully visit some other very beautiful falls before Steve goes back to work mid-May. Seven years ago we tried to make the climb up to them and I wasn’t physically able to. I believe I can now.

If Your Slide-Out Gets Stuck

April 19, 2012 ~ Wanderlets ~ 1 Comment

A reader asked me to write a post on trouble shooting a stuck slide. Ours got stuck in the out position while at Bryce National Park about a month ago. Our slide has malfunctioned twice – the first time it was a broken shear pin and this last time a broken shaft. Steve carries a “just in case” supply of spare shear pins which he obtained from Barker Company in Battle Creek Michigan. Their phone number is (269) 965-2371. He also ordered the drive shaft assembly (about $12) from Barker.
These instructions only address getting your slide back in so you can drive the motor home and not how to replace the shear pin or repair the shaft. Also, these instructions only pertain to the two problems we have had on a 2006 Winnebago View and what Steve did to get the slide to go back in until he repaired the actual problem.

First take out the screws (there are 11 in the 2006 Winnebago View) and remove this panel from the slide.

This picture shows the brake that is on the motor in the locked position.

Lift the lever to disengage the brake.

Use a ratchet wrench with a 7/16” socket on the motor’s gear shaft to manually crank the slide in. If the shear pin or shaft is broken this procedure will NOT move the slide.

In that case, use a 3/4” open end wrench on the square rod that runs from one side of the slide to the other, and manually turn in an upwards direction to crank the slide in. If there is any resistance, stop turning because it means that there is something else broken besides the shaft or the shear pin.

Until Steve repaired the slide (which he did yesterday), put a tension rod inside the motorhome’s slide (one at each end) to prevent it from accidentally sliding out.
If you believe you have a broken shaft or shear pin and wish to make the repair yourself, feel free to email Steve at www.evesteve@gmail.com and he will gladly advise you.

Bishops Castle,Colorado

April 14, 2012 ~ Wanderlets ~ 5 Comments

Yesterday we took a little day trip to revisit Bishops Castle, about 80 miles southwest of here in the Wet Mountains. Steve and I had been there about 17 years ago and a lot of progress has been made in the ongoing construction of the castle since then. It’s a pretty drive since part of it is on the Frontier Pathways Scenic Byway and also goes into the San Isabel National Forest.
Jim Bishop began building the castle by himself in 1969. He works without plans, blueprints, or permits. According to Jim, he says that if you work without blueprints and make a mistake then you can call it art. For the past 8-9 years Jim has been working on a gatehouse with drawbridge, and a moat that will surround the castle. He gathers all the rocks himself from the land in the area.
As you might guess, he has been at odds with government officials over the years. But I believe they pretty much leave him alone now because he gets on very vehement anti-government rants and will talk a person to tears. We know that firsthand. He is very knowledgeable though and could probably recite the constitution word for word.

Jim made the dragon from stainless steel warming plates that came from a hospital in Pueblo and were headed for the dump. The dragon can shoot fire with the aid of a burner from a hot air balloon.

The ballroom

The castle has not been subject to building and safety inspections. There are several places that have no railings or walls where a person could fall to the ground from way up high. We carefully climbed several of the narrow circular inside stairways plus walked the ramps circling the castle on the outside.

Here is a view from the back of the castle. The large window was filled with colorful stained glass panes. The tallest tower is 160 feet. One of the towers has church bells that rang several times while we were there.
The elevation at Bishops Castle is 9000 feet and spring has not yet arrived to melt all the snow.

Jim Bishop has a welding shop in Pueblo which explains his talent making the wrought iron detail work.

This father took his very little daughter up all the stairs twice and wisely he hung onto her every minute.

There are no entrance fees to see Bishops Castle, however there is a box with a suggested donation of $5-10.

Jim Bishop and his dog. He claims he is not king of the castle.

Thereby, I anoint Stephen, King of the castle.

Small herd of elk

There is only one Super Max in the US Federal Prison system and it is in Florence, Colorado, along the route we took to Bishops Castle. This prison is huge, huge, huge. This is just a small portion of it. The worst of the worst criminals who pose a threat to national and international security are here, including the Shoe Bomber, the Unabomber, and one of the Oklahoma City bombers.

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