These are pictures of the Royal Gorge, west of Cañon City, Colorado. The bridge and other facilities are a big tourist attraction but my son and I hiked to the rim from beyond the Park boundaries and took some pictures (because we're cheap).

If you click on the bridge shots, you can just make out the two people standing near the left end of the bridge (one has white on) to give some perspective of the scale.

Above and to the left of my son's head, the park train is visible. The red thing is the Sky Coaster. I have to admit, there are lots of things to do for the price of admission!

The Arkansas River is about 1000' below but we could still hear the sound of the rushing water. I missed getting a shot of the helicopter by just seconds; it actually was below us and turned around in the canyon where I had just taken the picture on the right!

The rocks with the stripes are evidence of the power of the geological forces involved as these mountains (We actually climbed UP to reach the rim!) were pushed upward. The river, which had already cut a channel, continued to erode away the rock as it rose, leaving this gorge.