For nearly 60 years Jim Bishop has been building a castle on land he bought when he was 15 years old, in the south central Colorado mountains.
Pretty much, rock by rock, by himself.
It has been 18 years since I last paid a visit. Mr Bishop has added a lot to his fantastic creation since then, including but not limited to the addition of a couple of towers topped by wrought-iron onion domes.
If you'd like to see this amazing construction, it's just off Colorado State Highway 165, near the town of Rye.
Visiting Bishop Castle is free, though donations to a charity (and the re-building of the gift shop that burned down this past March) are accepted.
My visit was saddened by the news that Phoebe Bishop, Jim's wife of nearly 50 years, passed away that very day. I never had the pleasure of meeting Mrs Bishop, but she must have been one incredible woman, supporting Jim and standing by him as he battled various government entities and friends & foes alike in his continued efforts to build and maintain the castle of his dreams. May she rest in peace.
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