# a few more colorado before i head home in the morning



## rangerjohn (May 15, 2006)

the 1st four are from the rocky mountain national park/ estes park area


the last 2 are IR versions i am playing with of the HOLY CROSS ABBEY and winery in canon city colorado. we went there to take the royal gorge route with santa for the 5 yr old so we had to head to the wine tasting room after for the adults


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## sandybottom (Jun 1, 2005)

Wow, these are great. Look at that Elk! I would've freaked seeing something that big!


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## madf1man (Jan 28, 2005)

That first one is a goodun! Single tree in the rocks is nice also.


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## Fisher Lou (May 16, 2005)

I like all the pictures but the church photos are my favorites. I wonder if the red sign next to the moose says, " Do Not Feed The Moose". Great captures. What kind of roof is that on the house?


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## Ibeafireman (Jul 24, 2006)

I really like that first shot. If it were me I would frame it. All of them are nice shots.


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## bzrk180 (Jan 7, 2008)

*OMG*

Rangerjohn,

Man, those are some really amazing pictures, they gave me chills!! You wont believe this man...

First of all, the pics in Estes, well those are so very familiar...My Mom and Dad are retired now and "work camp" and run an RV park just outside the National Park.

Now onto the Abbey...Let me tell you a story...

When I was 14, I was caught stealing a car and was a pretty troubled Kid. As a result of the car (the straw that broke the camels back) I was shipped off to the Abbey in 1982. At that time it was an all boys Catholic boarding school run by Benadictine Monks. I have MANY fond memories of my time there! I learned ALOT!!

Think about a school basically filled with troubled kids and no real parental supervision...We lived in the dorms, the Monks lived in the Monestary...We had free reighn alot of the time...We got a multitude of education and I was eventually kicked out of that school (got caught drinking).

It was a strange deal to see the Monks walk around and teaching class in their habits...I went to school with kids from Japan, from Saudi, from all over the world. Sadly, many of those kids had extremely wealthy parents who used the school to ship their kids too as they didnt have the time for them. Many weekends and holidays were spent with kids whose families couldnt (or wouldnt) get them home for the holidays.

I was turned onto horses there as they had a horse program for troubled kids there and I really think this program was one of the things that started me back to a "reasonable" life and not such a detremental one. The Monk who ran that Program was Brother David and I had not heard from him in 25 years until last December...I was able to contact him at another Monestary in Oklahoma but found he was terminally ill.

I was able to connect with him and let him know how much my life had changed and how instrumental he was in affecting that change and two weeks later he passed away...But, he passed away knowing he had truly made a difference in my life. I was blessed for that time with him when I was a child and for the short time I was with him last year.

I am going to have to go get my old yearbook and roll down memory lane!! So many GREAT experiences there! Thanks!!

Peace...Brad


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## The Machine (Jun 4, 2007)

incredible first pic


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## rangerjohn (May 15, 2006)

bzrk180

you know the abbey is still a school of some sort as they have a football field and the dorms are obviously still in use. 

my grandfather was born and lived in canon city until he enlisted in the us army for ww2 at the age of 25. his father owned a grain mill in the area and at the age of 12 he dropped out of school to drive a grain truck for his father to and from both denver and pueblo. (pueblo mostly). we tried to find the house he grew up in, i know it is still there, but i could not remember where exactly. (the last time i saw it was about 25-28 yrs ago). 

all of these images where taken in IR except the 2 elk. 

i apreciate the C&C and the story you told brad fits the subject in my images PERECTLY. 

i dont know how often you have been back but maybe a trip up there is in order.


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## bzrk180 (Jan 7, 2008)

It has been a while since I went back...Probably 10-12 years I bet...I get pretty emotional when I go back. I really loved my time there! I will make sure to visit the next time I am there.

I dont want to hijack the thread but the picture you have with the horse in it standing on the fenceline???

Well, that pasture and the one north of that one used to be filled with skunks... They were a real problem there. 

Well, there was an old Monk there and the only name I knew him by was "Ding-How". He was an older Monk who served in WWII and he said that "Ding-How" meant something like "Good" in Japanese, so everytime something good happened he would say "DING-HOW".

Well, he took a few of us under his wing and he was the first person to introduce me to guns and hunting...He would take us out in those pastures in the evening and spotlight skunks and have us shoot them with .22's to minimize the skunk problem. I remember he would stand behind us with the spotlight as we laid on the ground and once we spotted one, he would tell one of us to take a shot. Everytime one of us hit one he would yell out "DING-HOW"

He was a great old guy, would tell us stories of him parachuting into the battlefields and how the "japs" were so crazy and harsh warriors....He was GREAT.

One thing you might not know about the Abbey is that there is an undergound tunnel system under the Monestary that were used as bomb shelters. They lead to different buildings on the property.

There is also an old dumb waiter in the Monestary we used to get into and go to the basement and up to the living floors of the Monestary...Its a VERY cool place!

Did you notice the gargoyle rain drains on the corners of the Monestary?

Next time you make it out, go out and see the barn...Man, that is a cool old barn.

In the Spring, we had to "buck hay" and load the bails onto trucks then store themm in the barn. We would make little cubby's in the stacks of hay and then sneak out later in the night and drink up in the hay barn...

Man, I guess I will stop now...So many good memories of that old place...Thanks for sharing the pics!


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## bzrk180 (Jan 7, 2008)

here are a few from my trip to Estes in Sept... Its a very cool place huh?


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## rangerjohn (May 15, 2006)

brad, by all means hyjack, i dont mind. the stories are intersting to me. 

here are some of the royal gorge route, and one last one of the abbey. 

yeah i noticed the gargoyles. the barn i believe is now where the winery is located. (behind the pasture with the horse on the fence, which i was wondering if anyone noticed him standing there)


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## bzrk180 (Jan 7, 2008)

I never made the trip on the train...I bet that was very cool! Always loved going to the bridge...Didnt like it when it would sway in the wind though!

The old barn is the winery now huh? I bet the ole Monks love that!! There was one Monk named Father John...He was something else man...He drank like a fish and was one of the dorm masters. He would get tanked and come to our dorm rooms and hang out telling us old stories...Or sit and drink at the bowling alley across the street and watch us bowl...Sometimes he would bowl with us.

He also carried an old barber strap at lights out and slap it on his hand yelling "LIGHTS OUT" and if we ever did something deserving, that belt was a doozie to get smacked with. I remember getting caught coming in from sneaking out to the swimming pool. He got us right as we got into the room...We each got three licks from that old strap...Wet butts and all!!


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## bzrk180 (Jan 7, 2008)

Oh...since its kind of a memory lane deal and ytu brought up the football field...

As Freshmen, we were hazed for our first month or two while there. We were at the mercy of the seniors at all times. If we were seen going to class or lunch or even in town, if a senior saw us and stopped us we had to do their bidding...push ups, sit ups, grass drills, carry their books, etc... It was really miserable if we got caught in town because the "townies" didnt like us Abbey students so it was even more humiliating!

We had to wear 3 piece suits to every football game as well as our beanies (wish I could remember where my old Abbey beanie is)... This is the last of August and early Sept.. The seniors would haze us in front of the crowd in the stands (what hurt the most was it was usually in front of the girls from the girls school in town St. Scholastica). We had to do grass drills and push ups and walk like chickens while clucking...It was hilarious!

To end the hazing, we had Hell Night where the seniors came into the freshman dorm while we were sleeping and kidnapped us and blindfolded us. We had to run through various ostacle courses in our underwear and blindfolded out in the "quad" area of the grounds, through muddy ditches, etc... We had eggs crushed on our heads, maple syrup poured on us, coffee grounds... they made us "bob for apples" which were onions, rotten oranges, lemons... But the idea was to bring us all together, make us feel unified and it really kinda worked. We all grew alot closer through the hazing process...That was LONG before these things were made illegal.


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## Koru (Sep 25, 2006)

i'm absolutely loving the photos and the stories. post more y'all. and Brad, i hope you're printing these off to keep to show your family (future generations). what cool reading! thank you so much for sharing your stories and to rangerjohn for sharing the photos. 

rosesm


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## rangerjohn (May 15, 2006)

here is a bit of their product

brad i have completely enjoyed your insite and memories thanks


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## bzrk180 (Jan 7, 2008)

Ranger,

Wow, those pictures of the wine bottles and box gave me chills when I saw it...Can a box of wine be beautiful?? I am definately going to have to make a trip and visit again.

I will have to share another story here... I am glad you are enjoying them, I am enjoying sharing them.


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## bzrk180 (Jan 7, 2008)

Koru said:


> Brad, i hope you're printing these off to keep to show your family (future generations). rosesm


You know, I have not written these down. I have been told that it is something I should do but I always seem to find something more "important" to do I guess. I really should do a "memoirs" type of thing huh?

I am so glad you are enjoying the stories.


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## bzrk180 (Jan 7, 2008)

Funny how much this thread has spurred old memories... I had such a wonderful experience at that school.

You know, I was sent there when I was 14 years old. The idea of me being "shipped off" was very hard for me to understand and accept. I was not the only one that dealt with this issue either. The Brothers had such a great grip on this and did so much to ease us into this type of living arrangement.

When we first got to the school and after our initiation from the seniors, we were assigned to a senior as a kind of big brother. It was October I think because I remember the aspens were changing... All of the freshmen and all of the seniors were all taken to some kind of a retreat in the mountains where the horses that belonged to the Abbey were kept during the summer months on pasture.

The school had a fairly large herd...It was probably about 60-70 horses and the job was for us to go up and round the horses up, and trailer them back to the Abbey. The seniors cooked for us and there was time made for us to spend with our seniors. The guys who were just recently hazing us where now in service to us.

We had daily prayer meetings in a grove of aspens and I would take time each day to go and fish in the various ponds with my senior. As I look back, I now know this was the way that the kids were eased into their new environment and living arrangements. A bunch of scared and homesick kids trying to adjust...It was tough!

We spent a long weekend up at this retreat, gathered all the horses up and took them back to the Abbey. I remember sitting on the fences as the horses were corraled up and loaded on the trailers. All the monks now in cowboy attire and all of us working together to get the horses home safely. It was such a well thought out process and once we got back to the school, we really did feel like we were part of the Abbey family.

Once we got the horses back, those of us who wanted to be involved with the horses were assigned one and from that point on, it was our job to care for the horse we picked...Mine was named June...A sweet bay mare who was a little headshy and skittish because she had been abused by some past owners... When I first got her, you couldnt hardly get a halter on her head..She was so scared!

I remember going out of the barn to talk to Brother David about what I could do with her to help her and remember (I can see the image in my head now) seeing this horse fully reared up standing what looked like 20 feet tall. The horse had a halter on it and on the halter was a rope...On the end of the rope was Brother David who had the rope under his butt and was trying to sit down on the rope and was talking to this horse...He looked like a giant to me then (still is now in my mind I guess).

This horse was nickerng at him and was rearing up and coming down, rearing up and coming down...Remember, I am just a city boy raised in an upper middle class family..I had never seen anything like this before... Brother david, within about 5 minutes and 3-4 rear ups from the horse, had this horse calmed down and was able to walk up and pet the horse on his head...I was in awe!!

From that point on, Brother David was my new hero and I went everywhere with him. He taught me everything about horses, how to ride, how to pick a saddle, how to choose a bit and why to choose that one, how to get the animals to trust me and so on...Within two weeks, with his guidence, I was able to get June to lean her head into me to put on her halter and was able to kiss her on the nose (man, I can almost smell her now).

The Abbey would host what was called a Gymkana on every Saturday which was a playday for kids basically and their horses. June and I competed every weekend...We never won the gymkana but we always placed in the individual games...It was so much fun.

I remember one night (maybe 6 months after the retreat) I was in the barn and was doing barn duties and Brother David called me to his office. He closed the door and I was sure he had found out about our little hiding place in the barn where we would drink. I was scared to death. When he closed the door and came to sit next to me. I knew something else was wrong.

Brother David started to talk to me about how June was sick. He told me she had what was called ringbone and sidebone and she was going to have to be put to sleep. I was DEVISTATED and in total denial. I asked him if we could just keep her on pasture and I would take care of her. He explained to me how she was in pain and even took me out to lunge her and showed me how she was limping. 

I cried so hard (holy ****..I am tearing up now) and Brother David, that huge giant of a Monk, he cried with me. He was good enough to take her off while I was in class even though I was mad about it (I know his intentions were nothing but good) but I was able to spend alot of time with her the day before. 

He tried to get me another horse but I was just too hurt...Couldnt find another one... I think thats when I turned back to the "troubled kid" and it wasnt long after that when I was kicked out. 

Brother David is the Monk that I was able to contact last year at the Monestary in Oklahoma that I wrote about earlier. He was a truly wonderful man for sure.

Man, I guess I have gone on and on again...I really am so happy that this thread was started and you guys have allowed me to share in here. So many fond memories of that place...


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## rangerjohn (May 15, 2006)

you know brad, when i posted the images i captured, they where more for show, never really intended to inspire any emotion (although that is the entire point of photography, and what all "photographers" aspire to do with an image). while my images did inspire emotion, it is not exactly wat i expected. 

i have to say i am pleased with the reaction to them, and i hope they will inspire you (and anyone else, but more you then others) to explore this place once more. the holy cross abbey is an amazing place, not only in its physical beauty, but in the memories it can/has envoked with in you. 

i have completely enjoyed the stories, both vivid and emotional. i can see in my minds eye what you speak of, your "story telling" is exceptional. they say a picture is worth a thousand words, in this case your mear hundred or so words have been worth a thousand pictures and i for one thank you for placing them on my images. it truely give more value to my images in my mind. 

if/ when you make it back to the abbey, please let me know before hand, i MIGHT be interested in accompanying you on your journey. 

and thank you for the kind words about my art work.


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## bzrk180 (Jan 7, 2008)

> rangerjohn said:
> 
> 
> > while my images did inspire emotion, it is not exactly wat i expected.
> ...


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## bzrk180 (Jan 7, 2008)

Got me seacrhing the web.. Some old shots... Seems my old classmates had a reunion...This is from my (supposed to have been ) graduating class.

http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/1430728314044738381BmOnHP?vhost=good-times (Brother David in 2005)

http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/1430730305044738381sVvenA?vhost=good-times (Still drinking in the barn I guess!)

http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/1430767524044738381SkfrDo (The basement, just around by the tunnels)


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