Audio Excerpt

Ok, everyone except the driver.. close your eyes.. I know I know what can I say sucks to be you driver.. I have a kleenex if you need one..  Alright, now, imagine it’s the year 1861 and you’re Edward L. berthoud, chief surveyor of the Colorado Central Railroad. You’re all dressed up in your racoon hat, beaver pelt shoes, bear fur coat and wool underwear trudging up and down these hills in the dead of winter… why? Well you’re trying to a find a mountain pass so the train can get through these annoying mountains of course!  After weeks of searching you turn to your friend Jim and declare, “this pass will never work for a railroad, but by golly will it make one heck of a wagon route”!. And just like that, the berthoud Pass, the one we just happen to be on right now... was born! 

 

The berthoud Pass actually traverses the continental divide… wait… soooo if we go to the very tippy top of the divide and have a water balloon fight, which way will the water run?? Hmmm.. only one way to find out folks, someone grab my water balloon trebuchet!!!!

 

Well folks, unfortunately life ain't all water balloons and trebuchets around these parts as lot’s of avalanches have wiped out sections of the pass!  It’s pretty steep too! Anyone care to take a guess how steep it is!? Is it,

 

A - 6%, B - 10%, or C -15%?

 

If you guessed A, 6%.. You must come from a long line of land surveyors.. Oh Edward berthoud would be so proud of you!