Day 8 - Colorado Springs, CO

We've decided that while we all liked the cabin in the woods, the mattresses needed some help.  The hotel beds felt reinvigorating overnight for sure!  After a Springhill Suites breakfast, we headed to the Garden of the Gods park.  Sandstone, limestone, and conglomerates jut up into the sky from the surrounding landscape in this public park that was given to the city of Colorado Springs in 1909.  Various driving loops are available along with hiking paths.  The temperature had already started climbing so we enjoyed the sights from the car while also stopping at the main cathedral area for a brief hike into the center.  The park offers great views of Pikes Peak just to the west.  Rock climbers also love Garden of the Gods and they were easily seen today.

Based on a recommendation from a friend, we headed into Old Colorado City which was once its own town having been founded during the Gold Rush of 1859.  It's now on the National Register of Historic Places and has small shops, restaurants, and Victorian houses.  We stopped at Front Range BBQ and enjoyed a fantastic lunch.  A short while later, we parked in downtown Manitou Springs, a quintessential tourist town since the 1870s, when visitors discovered the healing waters the Ute Indians had been drinking for years.  After finding a parking spot (a rare thing indeed), we took a brief break in the city park, visited some of the small, local shops, and some were brave enough to taste the still free mineral water.

We next headed up the mountain a bit to the Cave of the Winds Mountain Park.  We had tickets for the 4:00 Discovery tour of the cave itself, but the park has many other attractions including a ropes course (a maze of steel beams, ropes and ladders which sits on the rim of a 600 foot drop into Williams Canyon) and a "Bat-A-Pult,"  a 1200-foot aerial attraction similar to a zip line high along the canyon.  The kids did the ropes course and a rock-climbing wall while we all did the Bat-A-Pult.  It was a very nice ride with a great view of the area.   Our tour soon headed into the cave which was right inside the mountain--didn't have to go down steps to enter it, which was weird.  Our 60 minute tour took us into some tight spaces, allowed us to see what a cave looks like by lantern light, and appreciate how dark caves really are without lights.  Everyone had fun even when we had to crouch, shimmy, and climb steps.

When we started planning this trip, I reached out to one of my cousins in Colorado and we were able to plan to meet for dinner tonight.  We all arrived at The Mason Jar in Old Colorado City at the same time and we were soon seated around the table sharing stories, laughing, and having a great time just like we always do.  My aunt and uncle (Mary Kay and Mark), their daughter Abby, and her daughter Kate made the drive down from the Denver area and I was so thrilled!  Mary Kay is my mom's sister so she has an extra special place in my heart.  She and Mark were also always so fun to be around when I was a kid (still are) and Abby and I have grown quite close over the years.  It was an excellent way to end our time in Colorado and I can't wait to see them soon.  We begin our 2 day journey home tomorrow, but still have sights to see and fun things to do!

Day 7 - Grand Lake - Colorado Springs, CO

We said goodbye to our faithful cabin this morning.  It served us well and we'll definitely be back, but it was time to make the turn towards home.  We stopped at a few of the shops along the main street in Grand Lake and then we headed south to Granby and a City Market/Kroger to refuel and replenish.  It was oddly comforting to be back in a real, live grocery store with good lighting, tile floors, and plentiful options.  Fraser, Winter Park, and Empire were soon behind us as we made our way back to the Red Rocks Amphitheatre.  I called earlier and learned it would close to visitors at 1:30 today so our arrival at 12:30 was perfect.  I was the only one in our group that had visited here before so it was neat to see the others react to it.  Music was being pumped through all the speakers (a sound check, I guess), folks were running laps and jumping up the stairs, and the temperature was about 95:  quite a change from our short visit on Sunday.  The CCC constructed the amphitheatre and it was dedicated in 1941.  The sandstone ledges that make up the "walls" date back to the Jurassic period, or 160 million years ago.  Besides the beauty of the environment, I was struck by the geometric design the seats made when viewed from a certain angle.

A quick bite to eat and off we headed to Colorado Springs.  Our hotel is on the east side of town as that was all I could find for a reasonable price, but we made good time and arrived mid-afternoon.  It's Caroline's 40th birthday today and we decided to celebrate by taking her to an early dinner at The Melting Pot in downtown.  Even though we were slightly underdressed, we had an amazing meal.  We often do fondue for dessert at home, but even the kiddos thought it was fun to experience fondue for an entire meal.  Cheese to start, then entrees, then dessert.  Everything we had was a hit (the teriyaki steak was so-so) and we left content and full!  We hadn't yet played miniature golf on this trip so we decided to head to one tonight.  Laughs abounded as we putted our way through "wonders of the world" and we were even treated to an amazingly colorful sunset.  Happy birthday, Caroline!  I hope this was one of your best yet.