Sept. 25, 2007 - A mid-day drive through the San Isabel National Forest in Custer County, Colorado - South of Canon City, CO. to preview fall color. This south-central Colorado location off Rt 165, provide a glimps of the coming fall colors, which are a few days away from their peak color.
 

A visit to the Bishop Castle in Custer County Colorado certainly falls into the catagory of eclectic.  Jim Bishop began his dream of building a castle in the San Isabel National Park back in 1968. He continues his labor today - one stone at a time, along with additional iron walkways that circumvent the structure. 

 

On this Tuesday afternoon in September, Jim was busy with an assortment of chores, jumping from one task to another.    At 63 years old, you can only wonder at the tenasity required of Jim Bishop to accomplish what he has achieved.    He told me that the land was purchased when he was fifteen years old.  Over the years, there have been various problems with the govermental agencies that threaten to halt the construction, yet he persevered. 

 

Exploring the grounds, it was amazing to see what he has accomplished, yet overwhelming to see the amount of unfinished work left to complete. It is easy to examine the structure and marvel at the endless stream of ideas that have driven his creation.  It appears to the casual observer to be a dauntless and colossal task without end. 

 

Some might call Jim Bishop eccentric and they might be correct, however if it weren't for his perservance, his monument to a labor of love would be nothing more than a pile of rocks and iron.   Although the 'castle' remains inhabitable, it remains a towering monument to a dream - built with his own hands. 

 

Bishops Castle is located near Beulah, Colorado, built on a mountainside overlooking Rt. 165 south of Canon City.

 

Grasslands once covered 40 percent of the United States, but much of that expanse has been lost to the plow. The tallgrass prairies of the central Midwest, in which some species grew 10 feet tall, have been reduced by 99 percent. The National Wildlife Federation is working to focus public attention on the nation's beleaguered grassland ecosystems. This year, the U.S. Forest Service will consider revisions to management of national grasslands under its jurisdiction. If you would like to keep abreast of this and similar actions affecting national grasslands, contact: National Wildlife Federation Rocky Mountain Natural Resources Center, 2260 Baseline Road, Suite 100, Boulder, Colorado 80302.