Colorado Springs, CO

SUN., AUG 28, 2022 thru SAT., SEPT 10, 2022

On Sunday we had a short and very pretty 98-mile drive north to Colorado Springs with the pod (brother Andy & sis-in-law Linda and Cheryl & Joe). We’re staying at Mountaindale RV Resort. Very nice campground on the outskirts of town. Lots of flowers, rock walls, spacious sites and wildlife… particularly deer. We’re looking forward to exploring this beautiful area over the next 2 weeks!

On Monday morning we said goodbye to Cheryl & Joe as they were flying to Houston for a quick two-night trip for follow-up doc appointments. The rest of us had an errand day. On Tuesday, Aug. 30th, Linda, Andy, Gary & I visited Garden of the Gods Park. In 1859 two railroad surveyors were sent to locate and establish Colorado City. When the two happened upon the massive red rock formations sticking out of the ground, it’s said — one gentleman exclaimed, “This would be a capital place for a beer garden!” The other gentleman replied, “Beer garden! Why this is a place fit for the gods to assemble. We shall call it the Garden of the Gods!” Thus the name was established. 

In 1878 a Geology Professor at Colorado College discovered a fossil at Garden of the Gods. It turned out to be an entirely new dinosaur…. The only one of its kind ever found. There’s a 3-D model on display in the Visitors Center… along with stuffed versions of lots of other animals that can be found in this area. 

The park is nestled at the foothills of Pikes Peak and has 300 ft. red sandstone rock formations soaring into the air. It was voted the best city park in the country and #2 in the world. Known human life at the park dates back 3,000 years. This was a sacred area for Native tribes to lay down weapons and come together.  It was home to the Ute tribe. It is absolutely magnificent! Yesterday we enjoyed the Visitors Center and a trolley tour of the area. We’ll be back again during our stay to visit this National Natural Landmark on foot!

Wednesday C&J returned and we all enjoyed dinner at Linda & Andy’s. On Thursday, Sept. 1st, the ‘pod’ visited the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs. The Academy is nestled at the bottom of the mountains. Just a gorgeous setting! The area that the Academy encompasses is huge. Once inside the entry gate, it was an additional 4-mile drive just to reach the Visitors Center.

The U.S. Air Force came into being as a separate branch of the service after WW II. President Eisenhower signed the bill authorizing the establishment of the Air Force Academy in 1954. We watched a 20-minute film on cadet life. I would have failed at cadet life! It’s very regimented. 

About 4,200 cadets attend this 4-year program. Of that, about 1,300 are women. While attending, cadets can choose from 28 majors and graduate with a Bachelor of Science degree and a ranking of Second Lieutenant in the US Air Force. After three years of study, there is a Ring Dance and ceremony where they receive their class rings signifying the beginning of their senior year. It’s a very big deal! Another interesting factoid: At any one time 60 international students can be enrolled at the Academy. At the conclusion of their study, they receive a B.S. degree and return to their own country to serve in their military.

One of my favorite stories is the Academy’s “Soaring Program.” Every cadet can pilot or solo in a glider aircraft, whether they are studying to be a pilot or not. The Academy does 25,000 flights a year in this program. The best part is that the cadets are the instructor pilots and do 95% of the training. Older cadets teaching younger cadets. So cool! We saw two glider flights while we were there. 

The weekend we visited was parent weekend at the Academy so we saw many proud parents with their cadets. The one disappointment was that the famous chapel was closed for renovations. It’s currently encased in a gigantic “box” so it can be worked on year round. It should be done in 2026 or 2027. Renovations cost $220 million. It will be quite the reveal when done! There was even a planetarium on site and we got to see a program on “Black Holes.” All free of course.

A great experience to visit and see some of the young people training to serve our country.

Friday, Sept. 2nd, the mini pod visited the Royal Gorge Bridge and Park in Cañon City, CO.  Andy & Linda visited as well, but they did the scenic train ride at the bottom of the gorge since they had walked the bridge on a prior visit. We saw their train pass under the bridge! This is America’s highest suspension bridge at 956 feet over the Arkansas River. You can walk across the 1,257 wooden planks to get to the other side, which we all did… even Miss Cheryl who is afraid of heights. Joe held her hand the whole way and she made it. The bridge is held up by 4,100 steel cables. There is some space between the planks if you look down… so I didn’t look down! When a vehicle goes over the bridge you do feel movement. On the other side of the bridge was a film to watch on the making of the bridge plus a zip line. We passed on the zip line. 

The bridge was financed in 1929 by an enterprising Texan, and completed in 7 months by 80 men. A wildfire in 2013 destroyed the buildings surrounding the bridge but the bridge itself was unscathed except for 100 charred planks. A new Visitors Center was built the following year and the park reopened. For 70 years the Royal Gorge Bridge was the highest bridge in the world. A remarkable achievement by those who built her! 

After visiting the park, we headed into historic downtown Cañon City. A charming town that is being revitalized. Then it was time for Happy Hour back home with another deer sighting.

Labor Day weekend was our final weekend together before Linda & Andy were going to be heading back home to Belton, TX. Saturday, Sept. 3rd, Gary & I did chores and then the six of us enjoyed dinner at Cheryl & Joe’s. Dinner was a yummy roast chicken and all the fixings thanks to Cheryl. Joe had a “chicken” musical playlist queued up for our listening pleasure. Linda and I felt compelled to perform the Chicken Dance! A fun evening with a campfire afterwards. Sunday morning Gary & I had a wonderful encounter with several deer who were grazing by our tiny home. Delightful way to wake up! Sunday afternoon the six of us played Mexican Train and then enjoyed a cookout in the evening that the campground hosted with everyone bringing a dish to share. We found a quiet nook for our pod of six to enjoy dinner. Afterwards we had another campfire. 

Labor Day, Sept. 5th, the mini pod headed to The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs. (Linda & Andy were going to join but the parking over there was a bit crazy on a holiday weekend so they decided to pass to save Andy’s knees from a long walk.) This resort is “the world’s longest running Forbes 5-star & AAA 5-diamond resort.” Plus they rank among the “top 25 most magnificent gardens” in Historic Hotels of America. As if that wasn’t enough, their art collection is beyond amazing. And it’s dog friendly… ranked as a “Top 10 Dog Destination.” It’s quite something! Presidents have slept here. 

Spencer Penrose bought the land in 1916 and wanted to build a “Grand Dame of the Rockies.” The resort sits at the base of Cheyenne Mountain. The main Italian Renaissance building was completed in 1918 since then other buildings have been added to the complex. In 1920 Mr. Penrose invited 60 prominent hoteliers to an all-expense paid vacation to introduce his new venture. It became known as The Hundred Million Dollar Club whimsically indicating their combined net worth. 

Currently on display at the hotel is “Bottle Alley.” Mr. Penrose anticipated prohibition and stock piled train cars full of fine spirits. These were all consumed during prohibition… apparently the laws are a little different if you’re wealthy. 

We meandered around this amazing complex and then headed to the historic “Hotel Bar” for cocktails and appetizers. 4 drinks and 2 appetizers for the mini-pod set us back $117. 

Not something we do everyday! As we were walking back to the truck, we saw two families of mule deer… 8 total and then another family of 5 deer as we were driving out of the property. So cool!

Gary & I hosted dinner for everyone that evening. Our last night with Linda & Andy for awhile… 

On Tuesday morning, Sept. 6th, we said a tearful goodbye to Linda & Andy as they were headed back to their home base of Belton, TX. Sad for sure after being together for 3 months. Our pod of six is now down to a pod of four.

Our re-configured pod headed to the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo in Colorado Springs. Ranked as one of the top zoos in the country by USA Today. At an elevation of 6,714 feet above sea level, it is the highest zoo in America and houses more than 750 animals. 

The zoo was the brainchild of businessman Spencer Penrose. Mr. Penrose was given a gift of a bear in 1916 which inspired him to collect animals. The animals were initially housed at Penrose’s Broadmoor Hotel until a monkey bit a hotel guest. Not good. Cheyenne Mountain Zoo was founded in 1926 to house the collection of his exotic animals. In 1938 Mr. Penrose incorporated the zoo as a non-profit public trust to the people of Colorado Springs. It remains a non-profit organization today. 

It’s such an impressive zoo! We had multiple opportunities to interact with the animals. At 16 giraffes, this zoo has the largest herd in North America and Cheryl & I were able to feed the giraffes. Very cool! We all watched grizzly bears swimming, silverback gorillas eating treats, a sloth moving slowly above us, wallabies we could pet and a trainer working with one of the elephants who was being rewarded with treats. Cockatiels, parrots, and budgies (another type of bird) had a building all to themselves. The birds could come and go as they pleased to an enclosed outside area. When we visited, they were inside the building and the noise was deafening. There was an eagle (unable to fly) who happened to be getting fed when we visited… a dead rat was his meal. He seemed very pleased… the eagle, not the rat. A wonderful day visiting this gem of a zoo! 

We found the sloth mesmerizing… we finally had to pull ourselves away to go see other exhibits… watching him was like a form of meditation! Here’s a short video…  

On Wednesday morning the mini-pod did a 7:30 AM jeep tour to Pikes Peak. We’re not used to being anywhere that early! James of Mountain Jeep LLC  was our driver. Gary was in front with James. Joe, Cheryl & I were in the back seat! Glad we weren’t the ones doing the driving on the 19-mile road to the summit thru 100+ switchbacks, deep drop-offs and areas of no guard rails. James was explaining that apparently some people start the drive up in their own vehicle and freak out, and a ranger has to rescue them and drive their vehicle back down.

At 14,115 ft elevation, it’s the highest we’ve ever been! Oxygen level is about 40-50% less than at sea level. We all felt it at the top. A bit light headed and for Gary & I, it felt like being on a cruise ship with sea legs. James said “take slow deep breaths.” There were wildfires in Utah that limited our views. It was hazy but still incredible views to us. Interesting, too, because you could see the change in tree line at the bottom where trees were plentiful and then diminishing as we made our way to the top, which was 30 degrees cooler than at the base. Some people get a ride to the top and then bike down. We watched them, and they go fast down the mountain! Not something I would do! 

A very fun experience! Topped off by a stop at a hidden-away gem of a reservoir that typically only locals frequent.

On Wednesday afternoon after our Pikes Peak adventure, our pod of 4 headed into the town of Manitou Springs which lies at the base of Pikes Peak. You can see glimpses of the mountains behind buildings and looking down a side street. Very picturesque! First was lunch at a restaurant that James, our Jeep driver, recommended… The Keg Lounge. We burned a lot of calories getting up at 5AM and were all starving. After lunch we explored this charming town. It’s most famous for their 8 mineral springs which rise to the surface under natural pressure so they are all carbonated with their own distinct flavors. We were able to obtain small cups from a local art gallery and wander around town sampling the different springs. They tasted like seltzer, which none of us were crazy about. We tasted a few and figured that was enough! We wandered into a few art galleries and admired some of the historic buildings and murals. One of the historic buildings was Cliff House, which was restored in 1999 after being vacant for 15 years following a fire. Many famous people stayed in the original Cliff House… among them P.T. Barnum, Theodore Roosevelt, and Clark Gable. After wandering around for awhile we decided it was time to head back to our respective tiny homes for naps!

On Thursday, Sept. 8th, the 4 of us visited downtown Historic Colorado Springs. It’s a large city (500,000 population) but has a small town vibe and a wonderful mix of old and new buildings. We all loved this town. We did a self-guided walking tour, which brought us to the fascinating Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum. It’s housed in the 1903 County Courthouse. The historic District Court room is still used today for photos and presentations of newly appointed judges because it’s so much more regal than the current one! This museum is a treasure! Outside was a permanent statue honoring a century of skiing in Colorado. There was a temporary exhibit on the front lawn of the museum displaying large butterflies… there must have been 20 of them. Charming! 

As an aside… noted author Katherine Lee Bates from Falmouth, Massachusetts was so moved by a trip to the summit of Pikes Peak that she wrote “America The Beautiful.” Two decades later it was set to music and there is a statue of her outside the museum. 

Another notable sight along our walking tour was visiting the Mining Exchange/Wyndham Hotel. The hotel is in the historic Mining Exchange building which served as the world’s leading mining exchange during the 1920s when the gold era hit nearby Cripple Creek. A beautiful building! There is also a painting of Nikola Tesla, best known for his “contributions to the design of the alternating current electricity supply system.” Now he has a car named after him! There are also original safes (1902) scattered around the building.

On Friday, Sept. 9th, our “family” pod of 4 headed to Garden of the Gods Park. It was Gary’s and my second visit to this amazing place. Massive 300 ft red rock formations soar into the sky. Many have been given names. This park is a sacred place to many Native Americans. This time we did some hiking and were able to get up close and personal with these fabulous red rocks. We finished off the day with a campfire at the Hannafords. 

Saturday was a chore day before we hit the road to head to Denver on Sunday!