Crazy Castle

We drove to Isabel National Forest yesterday to check out the sight for next year's Stake Beehive Camp. It looks like a great place.

Noah at the peak of our hike. It looks so pretty with the aspens changing colors.


Then we drove over to Bishop Castle. This was how we were greeted.

The castle was built single handedly by Jim Bishop over 40 years and is still under construction. He did it without bulldozers, computers, heavy machinery. It is all by hand, his hand. It is amazing.

The dragon actually breathes fire.




This is the 3rd story of the castle. On the second story there are stained glass windows with memorials. Most of them seem dedicated to deceased bikers.

You can climb up each of the 4 towers and walk on those stairs suspended in air, 5 stories high. I couldn't do it. It freaked me out to walk on the outside walkways that were 2 stories high. In the next picture you can see a person on the outside walkways. Notice how uneven the tower walls are. It is freaky.

Jim Bishop did this all alone. No help at all. And he is still building. He is 65.

Ike in the top of one of the towers.

Mr. Bishop's political feelings run strong. If you ask him about it you will get an earful.
Bishop was building a moat when we were there. He was on a rant about how all politicians are evil (did you know that Hillary and McCain have vodka drinking contests?), jet contrails are really chemicals that the government made to kill us, and the government created UV rays to kill us so cover up. Also society as we know it is ending. When I asked him what we should do about that he said, "Get to know Jesus, buy canned food, water, hydrogen peroxide, and band aids." He is also quite racist. He had a fairly long conversation with Noah about the director of Home Security. Most people were respectful of him.
One college age jerk was mocking him.If you try to tell him how amazing his castle is and how impressed you are he says, "I feel like a monkey in the zoo when you say that." Then he goes on a tirade about the government taking away our guns.

On the drive to Pueblo for some real mexican food, Noah summed it up well. He said, "I think the man is a genius and an artist. He is crazy too, but there are all kinds of crazy, you know."



On the way home we stopped so Ike could get the season's first snowball.
(The sun is glowing through his ears. I love it when that happens.)