SUNDAY EVE STROLL THRU GARDEN AFTER RAIN

THE FACE OF RETIREMENT

SATURDAY & SUNDAY 7/28-29

SATURDAY, 7/28 

     Woke to another gorgeous blue sky.  As Bill said, “My baby's blue Colorado sky.”  After breakfasting outside, drove to the Garden once more.  We feel so drawn to this place – are enchanted by its simple splendor.    Today we first drove again around the back side of the major formations . ..  Bill wanted to get some pictures of this glorious view in the morning light.  After taking the first shot (he thought), he went to view it, and no picture.  He then made the horrifying (well, a slight exaggeration) discovery that he had left the memory stick by the computer in the RV.  Were discussing whether it was worth going all the way back home for it, when I brilliantly (again, maybe a slight exaggeration) remembered that I had my small camera with me, and we could use that memory stick in Bill’s camera.  Crisis averted!  But this solution occurred after we had left parking area for the views he wanted, so we didn’t get those photos.  Oh well. 

     Continued on the road to the trail head for the “Siamese Twins” loop.  The trail was only about 1 mile, but moderately twisty & rocky in places, and uphill halfway . . . good practice for more strenuous mountain hiking later on.  Led us to the Siamese Twins formation – so named because of the “twin” rocks joined” at the hip.”  The “keyhole” separating them gives perfect views of Pike’s Peak in the background.   I remember being here with Jason and Bethany 19 years ago, and taking their picture here . . . but I don’t remember the mildly strenuous walk/hike getting here.  Spent the better part of an hour here – views were lovely, lots of photo ops, and just fun walking around on the big rocks surrounding the formation.  A group on horseback came up over the rocks and back down – was a very picturesque scene – the pretty horses against the red rock, green chaparral, and mountains in the distance.  Glad the timing was such that we got to see it! 

     Then drove on down the road to the Balanced Rock formation.  A very popular spot – lots of people there, kids having fun climbing on the surrounding rocks, and posing in front of the huge rock to get their picture taken.  We stayed just for a short while.  Then drove over to the Visitor’s Center for a short while and got a little book of gorgeous photographs, taken in all 4 seasons.  Very nice volunteers working there!  

     Left the park to drive to the Pike’s Peak Highway (a toll road).  Drove by the picturesque town of Manitou Springs.  Again, I remembered being here with the kids 19 or 20 yrs ago – we went thru Cave of the Winds, and had dinner at an outdoor Italian cafe there. Saw several large homemade signs thanking the firefighters for saving their community.  Started on the road up the mountain around 1:30 or 2:00.  Was still fairly clear & beautiful most of the way up.The landscape & vegetation of what we’d seen for the last couple of days – the crossroads of the Great Plains meeting the Mountains (predominantly Juniper & Pinyon Pines, lots of yucca, even some occasional cactus) -  gave way to beautiful sub-alpine terrain as we started out (deciduous trees, mostly aspen, mixed in with lots of firs), then pure alpine  – almost exclusively fir trees as we climbed higher.   About ¾ of the way up (mile 14 out of 19), we saw a small commotion at an inn/restaurant.  Actually, an emergency vehicle had passed us on the way up a while back, and now it was parked there at the inn.  We actually saw them carrying a man on a stretcher into the ambulance.  We saw no vehicle left by the side of the road, so assumed he had been in the inn when he needed help.  At any rate, a cop was directing traffic both up and down the mountain, and let us on thru.  But apparently we were the last vehicle he let go up, because a mile or so further up, we stopped at a scenic pullout, and there were no cars behind us.  Then we saw a helicopter coming in, and lower down at the inn; we surmised that all traffic was being held up to make way for the helicopter’s access.  So apparently whatever happened to that man was serious enough that it warranted flying him out – not an easy task at that location!

     Shortly after that stop was the treeline, and then tundra.  The road also became steeper (at least it seemed so), with many hairpin curves.  There were few guardrails.  My fear of heights kicked in, becoming more intense the farther we climbed, so much so that I was actually crying, it shames me to say.  I was so relieved when we reached the summit!  Bill was too – not out of any safety concern, but because I was such a wreck.  After composing ourselves for a few moments in the truck, we got out.  Was only moderately cloudy for the first half hour or so we were there, and temps in the 50’s, so we could see a little in the distance and weren’t too uncomfortable temperature-wise.  Bill got a few pictures.  However, in a little while it began to really cloud up, and then rain, and got considerably cooler.  So, like everyone else, we headed inside to the restaurant/gift shop.  I think that’s a typical weather scenario for the summit – I remember when the kids and I were here, it was the same thing.  We (Bill and I) felt lucky to have had the 30 minutes or so of decent weather we did up there.

    I was so dreading the drive downhill that we asked if 1-way tickets were available on the Cog train going downhill.  Yes, they were, and the price was reasonable ($22), and had almost decided that I’d take the train down, while Bill drove down by himself.  But at the last minute, something made me decide that I could make it downhill in the truck with Bill without ending up in a psych ward.  Bill told me that it should only take about 10 minutes to get past those last 4 miles which were so unnerving to me.  And we prayed together for peace for me.   It wasn’t nearly as bad going down as coming up.  I think the mist & rain actually helped – made everything blurry & soft (altho I had my eyes closed and was counting away the minutes most of the time!).  When we reached the inn, I knew I could enjoy the remainder of the trip down!  It was still misty, and with all of the fir trees, reminded me of the Northwest.

     It wasn’t long after we got home that it started raining steadily, and the wind picked up.  Ate leftovers inside, and went to bed not long afterwards.

SUNDAY, JULY 29:

  

     Slept about11 hours last night – haven’t slept anywhere near that long for months!!

     Another absolutely gorgeous morning – probably the best so far.   Cloudless, impossibly blue sky this morning.  The RV park offers Danish pastries coffee Sunday mornings, so as we were enjoying ours on the picnic table, soaking in the pure sunshine, we talked about staying here one more day and driving up to Grand Lake &Rocky Mountain Natl Park tomorrow, instead of today as scheduled.  It just felt so inviting to stay here at the park for the day and just relax. We asked the folks at the office here if they had our spot reserved for tonite.  They didn’t – it was ours if we wanted it, so we called ahead to Grand Lake to let them know we’d be arriving a day late. We might have to forfeit a nite’s fee up there, but we concluded it would be well worth the $35.  After all, as Bill said, isn’t having this kind of flexibility supposed to be one of the benefits of retirement travel?!

    So we just spent the day hanging around the RV.  Took a walk around the park.  It’s really a very lovely park – set up with terraced sites, good space between each site, lots of pretty landscaping, etc.  If we ever get tired of travelling, but want to escape the St. Louis heat for the summer, we can see ourselves coming here & staying for a few weeks. 

    Initiated Jonathan’s lounge chairs (those he gave us for Christmas/Bill’s birthday).  Wow, are they great!  Thanks again, Jonathan!! Read and dozed in them most of the day.  It was just what we needed after 4 days of driving and sight-seeing.   

    In the early evening, decided to make one more trip to Garden of the Gods.  It had gotten pretty warm during the day (lower 90’s again), and walking around in the cool of the evening in the Garden surrounded by such beauty seemed a wonderful way to end our stay here. Started raining a little on our drive in and 1^st 30 min at the Garden . . . a typical pattern, we’ve discovered:  can be virtually cloudless in the morning, puffy white clouds accumulate in the early afternoon, and then turn into rain clouds & thunderstorms (usually brief) in early evening.  But it didn’t mar our enjoyment of our last evening here.  Even after 3 or 4 times being in the Garden, we still marveled at the beauty.  Took a different path than we’d been on before, and saw perspectives we hadn’t seen before.  A perfect ending to our stay here.     

FRIDAY, JULY 25

     Our first breakfast outside in the Colorado mountains!  Tasted so good in the cool, dry, fragrant mountain air!  After cleaning up, drove again to Garden of the Gods.  Got there just in time to join a walking tour led by a volunteer with the Garden.  She was full of information & knowledge, and obviously loved sharing it.  Talked of both the geology and flora/fauna of the area, along with a little human history.  Was a very leisurely, casual walk, and at times we strayed away from her to linger & gaze at some of the amazing formations.  Their beauty just continued to astound us, especially some of the views with Pike’s Peak in the background. Bill was really putting to use all of his photography class input!  We got within about 10 yards of a deer munching away at some of the edibles in the Garden . . . his antlers were covered with velvet.  He wasn’t the least bit concerned with our presence.

     After the tour ended, we explored some more on our own . . . all in the “Central Garden Area.”  Then we drove over to an area called the Ridge Trail, which was a short ½ mile loop which gave the feeling of being up among the rocks. Was extraordinary that we had the entire trail to ourselves!  Then drove on around the perimeter of the park – on the backside of the large formations.  Again, the views from here were breathtakingly beautiful.  We parked on a pull-out area and Bill got out the tripod to take some shots of this stunningly beautiful view – we kept saying that it looked like a fairyland with all of the tall spires.  We heard from a couple of different people that Bryce Canyon in Utah has similar terrain. We’ll definitely visit there on our way back home!

    After about 5 hours of walking and moderate hiking, we were getting a little tired (not to mention hungry and thirsty), so ate our snacks in the truck.  Decided it was a little too late to drive up to Pike’s Peak, plus was starting to rain a little, after mostly bright sunny skies all morning and early afternoon . . . typical Rocky Mtn late afternoon thundershowers.  So decided to drive up to the Air Force Academy.  Had just enough time to view the iconic Chapel and go inside for a little while.  Bill described the campus best . . . in a gorgeous setting, right at the base of the mountains, but seemed sterile and, with the exception of the chapel, non-descript.  As he said, could be IBM headquarters.  Very different from the Naval Academy with all of its historic buildings.  But of course this was the last military academy built, in the 1950’s, and was meant to convey a feeling of modern sleekness and spare-ness, I’m sure.  Tossed around the idea of coming back to worship here on Sunday, as we’ll be going right by it on our way north.  But probably won’t do it – would probably push us to have to get ready in a hurry Sunday morning instead of a more leisurely pace.  We’ll see . . . 

     Were glad to get back to our “home’ around 6:00.  Pappy was glad to see us!   Bill looked thru some of the day’s pictures til he started the fire for dinner.  Grilled brats, with fresh corn-on-cob with “Caryn’s delicious glaze”, and cole slaw.  Was lovely eating outside in the cool air.  Felt very nice after high’s today in the low 90’s. 

    Plan to go back right after bkfst tomorrow to a couple of areas in the Garden we haven’t seen yet, then drive up to Pike’s Peak.  Weather is supposed to be very similar to today’s, except with less chance of thundershowers. 

    Our first “real” (complete) day of our adventure . . . and was a fabulous one!  Such gorgeous scenery, near-perfect weather, good simple meals.   Thank you, God, for all your generous bounty. 

MOUNTAINDALE RV PARK COLORADO SPRINGS

PHOTOS FROM OUR EVENING AT GARDEN OF THE GODS

DAYS 1 and 2

WED, JULY 25

     Began our Great Escape (from the sweltering midwest) at 7:30 this morning. Did our usual routine - ice & McD bkfst-to-go in Wentzville.

    Insufferably hot throughout the day - the thermometer in the truck read 106/107 all across Mo and Kansas. Have been having a heat wave this summer to match the brutality of last year's. I'm not sure how many straight days of triple-digit temps St. Louis has had now. But, thankfully, we are able to escape it now!

    Drove across most of Kansas, stopping only for gas and to give Pappy water. Felt like a blast furnace every time we got out! But about an hour or so west of Hays, we ran into some heavy clouds and actually had some rain. That really helped cool things down . . . by the time we stopped at Oakley at 8:30 for the nite (after grabbing Subway sandwich for dinner), we felt Blessed Relief! It was actually pleasant when we took Pappy for a walk at the RV park. Even lingered outside on the picnic table til dark. Wonder if they'd get any of this relief back home.

     Needless to say, Bill was very tired after having driven 575 miles, a lot of  it not easy because of a pretty strong cross-wind. But he set up the RV very quickly, and after enjoying the outside air for a while, we both went to bed.

    As we travelled across Mo & KS, we saw many of the effects of the prolonged heat wave & drought - especially field after field of dying or dead corn. Very sad. But also saw signs of life - lots of soybean fields, and one huge colorful happy field of Kansas sunflowers. Also saw a few strands of tall, sleek windmills, a few of which were operating, but most of which seemed to be non-operational. Wonder why.


THURS, JULY 26

     Bill got up about 6:00 & made coffee and walked Pappy. I got up about an hour later. Still "cool" (relatively) outside. (We had the A/C going all nite.) On the road by 7:45.

    The campground we stayed at last nite - High Plains RV Park - was very nice. Sites laid out nicely, and a nice play area for kids, even a little mini golf course on the property. Owners were very nice & helpful. No telling how much overnite RV's traffic they get there during the year as people travel from the midwest to Colorado and beyond - or on their way back home. A very nice way station in what seemed a very nice, clean Kansas high plains small town proud of its heritage and holding its own economically.

    As we made our way across the most western part of KS late yesterday and this morning, it was easy to notice the differences from the eastern & central parts of the state. Towns are further apart and smaller, more wind-scraped, and shabbier & grimmer looking. Drier climate (in normal years), sandier soil, fewer & fewer trees. Lots of wheat fields, not nearly as many corn fields. What wasn't planted in wheat seemed to be mostly in native prairie grasses. Visions of buffalo roaming . . .

    After about an hour, we crossed the Colo border :) and stopped a little later at Cheyenne Wells for bkfst.  Both of us had huevos rancheros - a huge platter. Saved what we couldn't eat for tomorrow's breakfast. Ahh, the cost savings of an RV - well, when you factor out gas mileage averaging 8 mph so far  haha.

   As we drove more into Colo, the landscape changed even more - from prairie grass to sagebrush. Started to look like True West.    Had out 1st glimpse of the Rockies about 50 miles from Colorado Springs. Ah! Almost there! But then took a long time to get thru Colo Springs and to our RV park (about 20 miles south of town) - Mountaindale RV Resort. And, unlike last nite, took Bill quite a while to get things set up.  Had trouble getting the RV level, etc. So we didn't really get settled til about 3 or 4:00. By then we were tired, so napped a little, and then were hungry, so decided to fix dinner early. Bill grilled pork chops while I baked a potato to split and a simple salad. Ate outdoors in the mountain fresh air, and tasted delicious! Met a couple of our neighbors.

    Decided to drive back into Colo Springs to get some groceries so that we wouldn't need to take time out to do that during the next 2 days that we're here. And since it was such a lovely evening, we decided to drive to Garden of the Gods first and spend a little time there til dark. It's free, so nothing lost if we only stayed an hour or so til it closed. Are we ever glad we did!  Was simply stunning. Bill had never been there, and I had totally forgotten how spectacular the red rock formations were from nearly 20 years ago when the kids and I were here. The soft evening light made it even more beautiful. Bill was absolutely blown away by how gorgeous it was, and took lots of pictures (hope to post tomorrow). Can Sedona be more lovely and spectacular than this??  It was especially lovely and evocative as the moon came up over one of the tall formations, with the fading blue sky forming a backdrop.  Postcard-perfect.

     As it got darker we, saw a few rock climbers still perched on crevices . . . wondered how in the world they planned on getting down before it got pitch black.

     We decided to go back there tomorrow morning to see a lot more, then either drive up to Pike's Peak or the Air Force Academy, depending on the weather.

    Stopped & got our groceries, drove home under a blackened sky (thank goodness we didn't try to navigate the narrow road [due to construction] in the dark w/ the RV!), put away the groceries, finished our wine from dinner, and went to bed. We brought Pappy inside tonite to sleep, because park rules are that pets aren't supposed to be left unattended. So, since we'll leave him alone tomorrow, we'll need to bring him inside, and wanted to acclimate him, so to speak.

    Written Fri morning, 7/27:  The Wi-fi internet here is spotty at best. Tried to post this last nite, as well as respond to a couple of e-mail’s, but to no avail.  Neighbors say it comes & goes – there’s a guy here who supposedly gets it up and running when it goes down.  We’ll see if it’s working tonite when we get back from our day adventures.

TRIP ITINERARY

SUMMER 2012 TRIP ITINERARY 

Wed,     7/25:  Leave St. Louis

                7/26:  Arrive Colo Springs

Fri, Sat  7/27-7/28  in Colo  Springs

Sun        7/29  Leave Colo Springs; arrive Grand Lake (Rocky Mtn Nat’l Park)

Mon-Tues   7/30-8/7:  in RMNP

Wed      8/8:  Leave RMNP; arrive Ouray

Thurs-Thur   8/9-8/16   In Ouray

Fri           8/17:  Leave Ouray;  arrive Monument Valley, AZ

Sat-Sun   8/18-8/19:  In Monument Valley

Mon      8/20:  Leave Monument Valley; arrive Canyon de Chelly

Tues      8/21:  At Canyon de Chelly

Wed      8/22:   Leave Canyon de Chelly; arrive Sedona

Thurs-Fri  8/23-24   In Sedona

Sat          8/25:  Leave Sedona; arrive San Diego

Sun-Sat                  8/26-9/3  In San Diego

Tues      9/4:  Leave San Diego; arrive Malibu

Wed-Mon           9/5-9/17:  In Malibu

Tues      9/18:  Leave Malibu; arrive Las Vegas

Wed      9/19:  Leave Las Vegas; arrive Grand Canyon

ThurFri  9/20-10/5   Grand Canyon, Zion, Bryce, etc.  Can go back into Monument Valley, Canyon de Chelly, or Sedona if we want