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When thinking of gondola rides up to mountain peaks…
[yodel]
Texas may not be the first place that comes to mind.
The Franklin Mountains are the southern-most tip of the Rockies
so we do think of like the Alps
where they have high mountains and stuff like that.
[oompah music]
But if you're looking for an Alpine adventure
closer to home,
the Wyler Aerial Tramway in El Paso
takes West Texas sight- seeing to new heights.
And here we are. Welcome to Ranger Peak,
a little more than a mile above sea level.
[western yodeling music]
Taking in the view from atop the Franklin Mountains
is also an international experience.
You can see 3 states and 2 nations from up there.
We get local people,
but we also get people from across the border
from Mexico, actually from all over the world.
It's gorgeous. Wow!
There are 360 degrees of scenery to enjoy
from the top of the mountain,
but for many, the thrill is in getting there.
[music]
It only takes about 4 minutes to climb up to the top.
Our vertical ascent is about 940 feet.
It's beautiful isn't it?
On a clear day you're able to see
for about 7,000 square miles.
And of course the gondolas, we acquired them
from the people who knew how to make them best,
we acquired them from the Swiss.
[cowboy yodeling music]
Refurbished and reopened to the public
as a state park in 2001,
this tramway has actually been scaling this peak since 1960.
Local broadcast pioneer Karl O. Wyler
built it to access his transmission towers
on the mountain.
[film projector sound]
The main purpose of the tramway being built
was to get his engineers up to the transmitter site
to do maintenance.
When they saw that the ride was beautiful,
they decided to open it up to the public,
and it ran until 1986 when it was shut down.
I was one of the original Rangerettes,
the first tour guides,
and I think everybody will love it as much as we did.
Mr. Wyler would be thrilled, he really would.
This is what he always wanted.
It's breathtaking, huh? Yeah.
This view that took El Paso's breath away for years…
is back for all to see.
The young people would say 'awesome.' (laughter)
[cowboy yodeling music]
It's a thrill just to see people enjoy the ride.
[cowboy: A-ha-ha-haaa!]
What a view!
[cowboy yodeling music]
Welcome to the Wyler Aerial Tramway.
For more information on Texas state parks and historic sites,
visit our website or call 1-800-792-1112.