VAGABOND

[Music] whoever you are wherever you may be this is a story for you for all those endowed with the spirit of a vagabond [Music] the land is rich not only an oar but lots more in fish in streams in blue skies and towering mountains it's got a great history too when towns like central city became the showplace of the old west today this state this great sanctuary for wildlife its colorful people and countryside is still the showplace of the new west hi everybody bill bird saying welcome to our program you recall the the words of a song that went something like uh when it's springtime in the rockies when i was a youngster i used to sing that song and actually we're going to go to the rockies on our particular story and we're not going in the springtime we're actually going in the summer time to show you all the fun there is to see in places like rocky mountain national park see the continental divide truly a colorful state not just for the people who live there but for the people who come there from all over the world we know you're going to enjoy our story as we take you to colorado [Music] it was the cry of gold and the lust for wealth which brought people to the state of colorado here 40 miles east of denver in the vicinity of central city is where the first important discovery was made by john h gregory in 1859 just three miles from central city is nevadaville once a thriving community now it's truly a ghost town the surrounding towns were all part of one continuous settlement nearby is the old glory hole a large opening on the top of quartz hill which contains rich deposits of gold silver lead zinc copper and other valuable metals the deep cavern was caused by years of digging and dynamiting although the rich gold strike days of early colorado are over many of the old timers such as the harrington brothers d and john remain behind dee is a former engineer with the denver south park and pacific railroad and the first engine he ever had old number 71 is still standing as a memorial to the railroad men who did so much to develop central city back in the late eighteen hundreds this is what central city looks like in the twentieth century once called the richest square mile on the face of the earth then almost forgotten central city had too much of a heritage to collapse completely it's not outlaws but tourists that keep the city of marshall on his toes today the most famous legend of central city is the face upon the bar room floor which can still be seen and heard at the teller house say boys if you give me just another whiskey i'll be glad and i'll draw right here a picture of the face that drove me mad give me that piece of chalk with which you mark the baseball score and you shall see the lovely madeline upon the bar room floor if you walk the streets of central city you can also still see the stately opera house dedicated in 1878 now owned by the university of denver the exquisite interior has played host to the most distinguished names in the operatic and show business world another notable landmark the williams stables the williams family is well known as live for generations in central city oscar williams himself pictured here in his 80s was the town sheriff for many years his dad richard or dick williams was also a former sheriff he was ambushed on april 18 1896 by three bands and murdered here at the mines hotel little wonder then that his son wanted to follow in his footsteps became sheriff of central city too [Music] high in the hills overlooking the countryside is the city cemetery where dick williams and many other early pioneers are buried while its people inevitably pass away central city lives on this colorful past attract a half million tourists every year after leaving central city we're traveling northward through big thompson canyon here is throughout all of colorado you can find some of the best fishing in the world the streams paralleling the highway are usually lined with fishermen the outdoor life in colorado is incomparable hooking on to a good-sized trout smelling the fresh aroma of the aspen and the pine taking in the bright sky above you and the cool rushing stream at your feet these are experiences you never forget indeed all this land is ideal to visit inspiring to see a pleasure to absorb with all your senses colorful colorado the highest state in the nation which many impartial observers believe is the most beautiful in the 48th surrounded by the lofty peaks of rocky mountain national park is crystal clear lake estes in fact the water is so calm that looking into it it's difficult to distinguish between the real scenery and the image reflected in the water easily accessible from every part of the united states the town of estes park is the main gateway to rocky mountain national park which approximately one million people visit every year [Music] with frank williams at the controls we're all set now for a thrilling ride and a view of besties park [Music] this is the famous skyway to the stars takes you to the top of the rockies [Applause] from the top you can get an eagle's eye view of estes park the plains of eastern colorado and a range of peaks topped by long's peak 14 [Music] 255 feet misty's parked with its high peaks beautiful valleys rugged canyons alpine lakes flowered meadows deep forests plunging trout streams is truly a happy hunting ground for the present day americans as well as for the ancient indian tribes but these braves are actually a group of asthmatic children who are patients at the jewish national home for asthmatic children in denver colorado without regard for race color or creed the home is conducted for those children who have not responded to ordinary medical treatment for asthma you know it's hard to believe watching them prance around doing the ancient rope dance that they are afflicted with this disease this natural environment offers them a chance to give their lungs and bodies the exercise they need [Music] you know you can imagine the sensation of someone traveling from the eastern part of the united states across the great plains states they've never seen tall mountains back there and then all of a sudden boom they hit the rocky mountains they are tremendous as we've seen and we'll see more of them on the second half of our program as we continue our tour of colorful colorado we're heading for a little bit of africa right here in the heart of the american rockies located at the eastern entrance to rocky mountain national park is the amani mengi wanda which simply means harmony guest ranch in african swahili the exterior and interior follow an african motif with cape buffalo elephant tusks and a leopard decorating the massive fireplace the trophies aren't just for scaring little girls they're a part of the collection for mr scott hayes the man who along with dick turner started the harmony guest ranch in 1953. the african theme was selected to harmonize with the natural duty of the environment for those who want to cool off a bit and enjoy a refreshment an arctic atmosphere is provided also another of the daily treats enjoyed by guests is the matter in which the hummingbirds are fed they migrate here every spring will only come up and eat from cups which are painted red barry myers who works here as a waiter during the summer season is pouring a syrupy liquid for the beautifully colored birds the birds are best seen from the dining [Music] room but the distant mountains beckoned us away from even these pleasant surroundings rocky mountain national park is situated in the north central part of colorado with the eastern entrance at fall river established in 1915 by an act of congress the park is a place of immense proportions all together it covers over 250 000 acres 65 of its inspiring mountains are over ten thousand feet high [Music] from the ranger station you can see what spacious spectacular country this really is deer elk rocky mountain or bighorn sheep are quite numerous here except during the summer time they retreat to the higher elevations in our seldom seen [Music] much of the other wildlife however is in evidence well you have to get up early in the morning to catch this scrub uh jaybird enjoying his breakfast and our producer lee hanson's presence didn't even dent his uh appetite the great park is a sanctuary for all kinds of animals nimble footed deer perky jay and of course the ever-friendly woodchuck whether it be in the face of the animals or in the expansive breadth of the blue sky above or in the silvery streams and towering mountains there is beauty ever abundant beauty wherever you look [Music] the beauty an artist would try to capture turns to reality here high in the rockies these mountains stood just as high these forests were just as green and lush long before the white man came most of our effort has been to protect its virgin loveliness but we have sinned too sometimes for just a moment no longer than it takes uh to flip a match or a lighted cigarette and in that moment of carelessness we have scarred the earth betrayed our heritage in that moment of carelessness blessedness turned into blasphemy in order to prevent such tragedies catchy slogans are composed they tell us you can prevent forest fires i wonder if the creatures whose homes are destroyed if they could tell us how they feel i wonder if their language would be so polite these playful fellows come close and feed upon your lap no man in his right mind would think of harming them and yet we do exactly that just because for a few brief moments we don't think of what we're doing when we discard that match or forget to put out a campfire [Music] so the trail ridge road in rocky mountain national park is the highest continuous highway in the united states altogether there are 65 name peaks within the park over 10 000 feet high as far back as 1869 a new england newspaper man wrote words that are still true colorado is the keystone in the great continental formation she holds the backbone the stiffening of the republic the mountain chain here dwells in finest proportions and spreads itself around with a perfect wantonness and luxuriance of power she may proudly bid the nation come to her for strength for wealth for vigor for rest and for restoration well with the rhetoric boiled away this is a way of saying that it's a wonderful place to have a wonderful time such as an impromptu snowball fight at this altitude it's it's always present on the ground snow that is even in summer [Music] well it looks like this particular duel may end in a draw and a thaw for all concern but for us the trail ridge road leads tantalizingly onward [Music] there are those who call the colorado rocky sierra madre the mother mountains of the continent as i've said before the highest peak is long speed now we're going to wind along the steep curves of the desolate but enchanting tundra a vast barren treeless area which is commonplace in the arctic regions but rarer in the southern regions [Music] in the summer the streams of the tundra flow freely the green grass grows thick the tundra as well as most of the rocky mountain national park was formed by the vast glaciers which swept across this land during the ice age one of the most remarkable features of the park particularly at iceberg lake is that many glaciers are still intact near dwarfs now in comparison to their gigantic size centuries ago the effect which they have upon the surrounding landscape is still very much in in evidence the huge crevasses the lake that lie at the bottom of what geologists call a circ fed continuously by melting snow banks great cakes of ice form a cloud-like effect on the bottom of the lake now at milner pass where the trail ridge road crosses the continental divide we get a closer view of the magnificent mountains which make colorado the highest state in the union at this point water drains into both the atlantic and pacific oceans thousands of miles away food reigns into the platte river which joins the missouri thence to the mississippi and the gulf of mexico a part of the atlantic ocean on the other side of the divide beaver creek which drains into the colorado river through the grand canyon and thence to the gulf of california a part of the pacific ocean and just in case you're from missouri we want uh you want to be shown at the top of the pass the food lakes two small ponds of greenish round water eventually these waters make their way down the eastern slopes of the rockies to the mississippi this is where the long journey to the far off atlantic actually begins on the other side of milner pass where the waters eventually flow to the equally far off pacific one can see the small trickling springs which form the headwaters of beaver creek a tributary of the mighty colorado river this then is the beginning of a big cycle from mountain stream to river from river to lake or gulf and thence to the ocean when the sun evaporates the water turns it into clouds and then rain the cycle begins all over again finally after our 50-mile ride on highway 34 around the entire rim of rocky mountain national park we're arriving at our final destination grand lake located in the extreme southwest section of the park grand lake village itself which has only several hundred permanent residents which booms during the summer season is a quaint town of charming contrasts [Music] what do you say we put away the old car keys for a while partner hitch up the saddle and join our friends at the rodeo the performer that the rodeo crowd is watching now is none other than jose de la torre the champion roper of all mexico [Music] he actually uh flew here from another exhibition in order to be in time for this special rodeo put on by the roundup riders of the rockies and he's good [Music] [Music] there through the hook both horse and rider although rodeos of all kinds are held quite frequently here this particular one marks the end of a seven-day trek of over a hundred riders from central city to estee's park the uh the fitting climax to the long ride is a gala rodeo fun for everyone that is except possibly the uh the cow hand here who unfortunately man's right on his way one of the honored guests in star performers at the rodeo is undoubtedly a familiar figure to all tv fans jack mahoney the range writer a former hollywood stunt man and now an established actor jacco as his friends call him is actually a first class cowboy on the range as well as in front of the tv cameras [Music] next on the program is the bulldogging event while all the excitement was going on in the arena our cameras also caught young techs here in the stands making eyes at this pretty little bell of the range our cute little heroine had other ideas however in true western style she wanted more than a man she wanted one riding on a horse a sound hero approaches and completes the romantic triangle well grand lake is the largest natural body of water in all colorado and the home of the grand lake yacht club the club has been in existence ever since 1908 every august it sponsors the sir thomas lipton annual regatta despite the coldness of the fresh mountain water the beaches are always crowded in the summer time especially with vacationing families the children get so excited up here they almost well they almost lose their minds whenever the cameraman appears are always curious as to what's going on such as our little blonde headed friend located at the west entrance to rocky mountain national park the lake covers seven miles of shoreline as the highest yacht basin in the world a cruise around the lake is an ideal way to complete our journey from one end of rocky mountain national park to the other an unforgettable part of colorful colorado [Music] even though we come to the end of our stories really none of our stories have an end whenever you travel the lengths and the breadth of this great country of ours whether it be in a place like colorado or wherever you can't help but feel that the importance of seeing our country seeing the scenery seeing the places but most of all meeting the people and that's the true spirit that we try to capture we hope we have for you and if we have then we've fulfilled your desires for adventure [Music] you