Colorado Springs (May 5-7, 2010)

Hello & Goodbye to beautiful (and colorful) Colorado Springs. Mateo and I really enjoyed being here for a few days. It was a nice departure from our hasty travels to "settle down" into one town for a few days. It's a real testament to our kind friends how much we enjoyed this city. They were exceptionally generous, kind and jovial hosts. Time flew by and now is the day for us to return to Route 6 and finish the second half of our journey.
I am not looking forward to the cold weather this evening. It is about 7 hours to Grand Junction, high up in the Rockies. This is where I had wanted to spend the night before departing Colorado. They have some interesting touristy things to do, hot springs (some of the best!), and camping areas galore. The weather channel told us to expect below freezing temperatures and possibly some snow.Hot springs in the snow are great, but camping? I just want to say in my warm memory foam bed
in Colorado Springs!


For the last few days Mateo and I have been driving around looking at the beautiful scenery of the area. Yes, driving. It's funny how when you don't HAVE to do it, it fun. Every mile of Route 6 takes a little bit out of you when you think of the miles you've already covered and the many more that you yet haven't.
On the way down to Colorado Springs (off our route about an hour), we drove through Pike Peak National Forest. Of course, the road we wanted to travel was closed to all vehicle access due to wet road conditions, but we kind of just did it anyway. The snow and rains of the previous week had subsided for a few days, and the mostly rock & mud road really wasn't in poor condition. We passed a few engineers, heavy machinery, and road repairers, who just stared and waved friendly at us. Act like you belong and most people will assume you do. Even kitty didn't give us away.
Pikes Peak national Forest still had some snow on the ground, so the pine trees and red boulder rocks were as startling in their beauty as the air was fresh and crisp. There are a few pieces of private property in the forest with grazing horse and cattle, church camps, and vacation rentals. On the windy road we also passed through a section which had been destroyed from a forest fire and a fenced area posted as an experimental forest.
We came out of the forest into the quaint town of Manitou Springs. It's an odd convergence of Native American, hippie, Wiccan, GLBT, and tourist cultures. The springs in the area actually give naturally sparkling water, which you can taste from a few public water fountains (sulphuric, metallic, not too tasty). We also visited the Cave of the Winds & the Cliff Dwellings, both of which we refused to pay admittance fees. We were satisfied to take pictures at the entrance and move onward.
We also passed through the Historical Old Colorado City and downtown Colorado Springs, taking pictures of murals, old buildings, and the Olympic Training Facility. There seems to be a big artists' community in town. But, please don't mistake this for a liberal, entirely-hippy community. There is a strong Christian presence in the town. "It's a conservative city in a liberal state," to quote my hostess.
The Garden of the Gods, a free public park, was breathtaking. It reminded me of Disneyland's frontierland area. I half expected to knock on a rock to find it hallow. This is because the rocks are so red, smooth and neatly placed amongst pine trees. The area is litter-free and seemingly unlikely to naturally occur. We walked and scrambled around in the Garden of the Gods and at Palmer Park with our friends.
Last night our friends from Hawaii made us Hawaiian food, including delicious kalua pork.
I stayed up late last night and woke up early this morning. I am not a morning person, but since being on the road, I have been waking up consistently at about 6:45am, no matter the time zone.
I can't wait until my body and schedule allow me to sleep in a little. But, for now, that's yet another week or more away...



-CB