Colorado Springs

[jrgwdenner]

We arrived at the Air Force Famcamp at the Academy and will be here for 7 - 10 days. What a beautiful wooded campground! And the neighborhood is full of Monties, 5 in all. There is so much to see in this area that we'll have to make a return trip.

Colorado is a beautiful state. Thanks for removing the snow, Brad. It's nice to see it on the mountaintops, so beautiful!

[bsmeaton]

Judy - I promise you a beautiful Mothers Day as well! 85 degrees sound OK?

Have fun! We're heading North to Ft Collins to camp by the lake with all the Mothers this weekend (Horsetooth).

[jrgwdenner]

The weather couldn't be better! We're taking the train ride through Royal Gorge tomorrow and it sounds like it will be a perfect day. Today we went to see the Cliff Dwellings. There's so much to see.

Have a great weekend, Brad.

[sreigle]

Pictures??

Since you mentioned the cliff dwellings....

http://www.montanaowners.com/attachments/photobucket/img_200626_0_8c3855a647234e5f6a77ddd76dde0113.jpg

http://www.montanaowners.com/attachments/photobucket/img_200626_1_07ba70e350a158b978d7a7031c822c05.jpg

By the way, if you mean the Manitou Cliff Dwellings near Cave of the Winds, be aware they're mostly recreations. Still very interesting.

[jrgwdenner]

Well, fine, ruin my day, Steve. I thought they were real! That window is a little tight, isn't it? We didn't go in that section for obvious reason. Real or not, they were great to see. I guess the fact that they aren't real is the reason people are allowed to crawl and walk through them. The museum and gift shop are very nice, too.

[sreigle]

Mesa Verde NP (is that the right name?) in SW Colorado is the real thing. It's on my list of gotta see places.

No, Judy, the window is fine. It's the body trying to get through the window that's the problem. :)

[DHenry]

Judy and Glenn, don't miss the cogg train to Pikes Peak, that was a great trip for us when we visited the area. There is really so much to see and the area is just beautiful.

[HamRad]

Mesa Verde down near Cortez is a a MUST SEE. So I'm glad to see it is on your list Steve. It is awesome and makes one wonder at the miracle that is life.

HamRad

[jrgwdenner]

Thanks, Doug, we plan to look into that. This is the first place where we've had to make a schedule so that we can get everything done or at least find time for the most important things to do.

[adelmoll]

Judy, we drove up Pikes Peak cuz I didn't want to be called a wimp. It was a breeze. I even got a mug that says we reached the top. My only complaint was that there was snow up there. LOL.

Helen

[jrgwdenner]

Never be called a wimp, Helen. We hope to do the cog railroad and probably the drive, too. There's so much snow up there that they are warning all hikers to stay within the trees in case an avalanche starts. They can hide behind the trees. When we hiked in the Rockies a few days ago the snow was still 2 feet deep in some places.

Today we took the train ride through the Royal Gorge. It was a very nice ride and we met some lovely people from Wisconsin who shared a table with us. But I think the drive through Thompson Canyon west of Loveland, CO was every bit as beautiful and cheaper! It was fun to watch the rafters going down the Arkansas River right next to the railroad tracks.

[trukdoc]

There is something about watching sunset through the shadow of Pikes Peak!

[adelmoll]

Oh Judy, that train ride sounds like fun. When we were there we had planned on driving across the bridge but when we found out that they charged to drive across and there was nothing but an amusement park on the other side we said the heck with it and just took pictures from one side instead. Getting cheap in our old age I guess.

[jrgwdenner]

CHEAP? We can relate!

[sreigle]

It used to be free to drive across! Walking is the better, though. And look straight down through the planks straight down the gorge. Don't do this is you are bothered by heights, though. The swinging of the bridge as you walk across is an eery feeling.

[sreigle]

quote:Originally posted by adelmoll

Judy, we drove up Pikes Peak cuz I didn't want to be called a wimp. It was a breeze. I even got a mug that says we reached the top. My only complaint was that there was snow up there. LOL.

Helen


Helen, I am proud of you!!! I know what you thought of Going to the Sun Road and the LaSalle Mountain Drive, so I am stunned that you rode up the Pikes Peak Road, with no guardrails, etc! You did have your eyes open, right?

Wasn't that an awesome drive? I drove it as a teenager and again a couple of times as an adult.

[Mac]

Judy,

I'm glad you guys are enjoying our state. I drove by Pikes Peak on the way home from Buena Vista Sunday. If you like to gamble a little you should head up to Cripple Creek too, you get to drive around Pikes Peak and see some of it from the other side. The views dropping into Cripple Creek are beautiful. I would make it a day trip with your TV or find a place in Mueller State Park.

The Royal Gorge is nice by Canon City too. Mesa Verde is a distance but if you have the time the Durango area is beautiful too. We are going to take a week and go there in June, maybe come back through the Great Sand Dunes too. WOW, I'm getting excited, this is a pretty nice state! :)

mac

[adelmoll]

With eyes wide open Steve. We also spent a week in Estes Park and went up to the top of Rockey Mt. for lunch a couple of times. Never had a problem with that. We did go from Durango to Montrose one time in early May and ran into a snow storm just after leaving Silverton. We were towing a 24" trailer and the higher we went the more it snowed. The downhill portion was the worst I have ever gone through. Especially when we kept seeing all the memorials along the road for the snow plow drivers that didn't make it.

We like Colordo so much though that we plan on coming back from Yellowstone that way again this summer. Think we'll try the Steamboat Springs area this time and Dinosaur National Monument.

[Wifeofdano]

You are all making me homesick for my mountains !! :D
One of my favorite drives is from Lyons up to Estes Park and back down into Loveland.
One year I flew back to Denver, picked up my best friend and headed north on I-75 to my mom's
house in Kaycee, WY. We hadn't gone too far when I said I can't believe that we're just driving
past my mountains! So, we looked at each other, grinned and hung a left and took the loop up and around, got back on the hwy at Loveland and continued on. Best road trip decision ever made!

[jrgwdenner]

Lisa, we loved the drive through Thompson Canyon, west of Loveland. Check our blog for pictures. It's one of the prettiest drives we've taken and we've seen a few in our travels. I can see more visits to Colorado in our future.

Thanks for the suggestions, Mac. The drive to Cripple Creek sounds fascinating. This morning we can even see the mountain after the rain last night. What a difference from the beautiful blue skies we've had. But it will clear and we'll head up to the Peak before we leave.

[scattershot]

If you're still there, don't forget Cave of the Winds, 7 Falls, Van Briggle Pottery, Old Colorado City, and the Flying W Ranch for dinner one night. There's so much to see and do in the Springs that you'll need another vacation just to rest up!

Welcome to Colorado!

[jrgwdenner]

We are already discussing a return trip to Colorado Springs. For one this, this AF Academy campground is wonderful. There are trains nearby but they're not a problem. It's just a wonderful getaway on the edge of a very busy city. Today we drove to Cripple Creek which was a wonderful drive. In town there were strange little droppings on the ground that we didn't recognize. Glen inquired and found out that they are from wild burros who roam through the town. They are left over from the mining day, I think. I've never seen so many casinos in one little town.

Thanks for the recommendations, Scattershot.

[Mac]

Judy,

I'm glad you enjoyed the drive to Cripple Creek. It's beautiful in the fall when the Aspen start turning. Next weekend we're going there and taking my mom, we have gone there with her almost every Memorial and Labor day for many years. Many years ago you would have to stop your car if you were driving through town because of all those wild burros, but these days you don't see them often.

Again, I'm glad you had a good time in my home state. Maybe next time we can get together.

mac

[jrgwdenner]

It would be great to meet you, Mac. We didn't see the burros either but we did have some ice cream at the Jackass Cafe. Guess it's named after the burros.

[patodonn]

Judy: The Cheyenne Mtn Zoo, south of Garden of the Gods is excellent. Then take the road from there up to the Shrine of the Sun, dedicated by the builder, Spencer Penrose, to his close friend,Will Rogers, who was killed in a plane crash. It also serves as Mr. Penrose's tomb. He was quite an individual..look him up on Google.

And, of course, take a walk through the Garden of the Gods. At the AFA, church services of your choice at the AFA Chapel are worthwhile, both from a spiritual as well as a "tourist" aspect. Amazing place.

Best,

[patodonn]

Judy: The Cheyenne Mtn Zoo, south of Garden of the Gods is excellent. Then take the road from there up to the Shrine of the Sun, dedicated by the builder, Spencer Penrose, to his close friend,Will Rogers, who was killed in a plane crash. It also serves as Mr. Penrose's tomb. He was quite an individual..look him up on Google.

And, of course, take a walk through the Garden of the Gods. At the AFA, church services of your choice at the AFA Chapel are worthwhile, both from a spiritual as well as a "tourist" aspect. Amazing place.

Best,

[Mac]

PJ,

My dad (the REAL Mac) hauled and installed all those church pews in the Chapel at the Air Force Academy when it was originally built. I remember riding with him in his truck on a couple trips. Wish he could see this area now. :(

mac