El Paso, Texas - Highest Aerial Tramway in the U.S.

Originally built to haul tower-builders up and down Mount Franklin (the coccyx of the Rockies). The aerial tramway here is the highest in the US, at 5,362 feet. You can scoot along a quarter-mile in less than four minutes, suspended perilously from a 1/8" cable. Bring your pocket change; the coin-op telescopes at the peak are excellent, and let you spy on the daily lives of folks in three states (Texas, New Mexico, and Chihuahua) and two countries (the US and Mexico). It has recently been re-named after Karl O. Wyler, the dear departed panjandrum of West Texas media (he was a big-shot at KTSM radio/TV, hence the tower-building connection), so look out for signs pointing toward the Karl O. Wyler Memorial Aerial Tramway. [John H Russell, 06/03/2003]