Inspirations

Post by Angela Raines

So what inspires you? Is it a line, a word, a picture? Today I wanted to share some of my visual inspirations and maybe some history.

This is the area around Wilkerson Pass on the way from Colorado Springs, CO to the South Park region of Colorado. Yes, there really is a South Park. The park is composed of a grassland flat within the basin formed by the Rocky Mountain Mosquito and Park Mountain Ranges at an elevation of 10,000 ft and is around 1,000 square miles in size. It is the largest and southernmost of three high altitude basins in the Front Range of Colorado. The other two are aptly names North and Middle Park. On the West side of the basin are the collegiate peaks.

This is Pikes Peak's Western slope as seen from Wilkerson Pass. My fictional town of Agate Gulch sits between these two areas. 

This photo and old ruin was the inspiration for the town of Agate Gulch. The area is located north and west of the Cripple Creek/Victor mining district and close to the town of Guffey, CO. Guffey is famous for its mayors.  In the 1980-90s animals were elected as mayors of the town, although such an office does not officially exist. According to the locals political parties are called the "Democats" and the "Repuplicans". The last known Mayor of Guffey was a cat named Monster who was elected in 1998.

I just love this photo for the image of the old and new together. It was taken just prior the the 2012 Waldo Canyon Fire in Colorado Springs that destroyed the Flying W Ranch along with numerous other structures. This photo is from that property.

This is a photo of the Gold Coin Club in Victor, CO. For more about this structure and the story of the men who built it: http://westernfictioneers.blogspot.com/2013/11/to-build-empire-by-doris-mccraw.html

I leave you with one of my favorites. This sculpture is in the Pathfinder Regional Park located between Canon City and Florence Colorado. To me it typifies the spirit of the men and women who made the journey West to find a new path for their lives.

I have two new stories out this week. One "Never Had a Chance" is Western Historical Romance. The other "Lost Knight, Out of Time" is a Medieval short. Both are part of the Prairie Rose Publications 3rd Birthday Bash.

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Angela Raines is the pen name for Doris McCraw. Doris also writes haiku posted five days a week at – http://fivesevenfivepage.blogspot.com and has now passed one thousand haiku and photos posted on this blog. Check out her other work or like her Amazon author page:  http://amzn.to/1I0YoeL

ONE LUCKY COMMENTOR WILL GET A CHOICE OF ONE OF THE TWO STORIES