Monday, June 30th, 2014
Today, we leisurely got up and had breakfast. We wanted to
go to see the Garden of the Gods, and before it got too hot. We got dressed and
headed out about 10:15. We drove to the Visitor Center, and picked up a map, as
well as looked around and shopped a little. We took a few pics and then headed
into the park itself.
We tried to get into the first main parking area, but it was overflowing, so we headed down the road. Every parking area seemed to be full, or too small for our red beast of a dually pickup. Finally, we found an open pull-out, and got out to explore. Immediately, we were among the red rocks and boulders and feeling quite insignificant next to the awesome nature before us. We became eager to see more. We drove a little further to another area that let us climb around and on the rocks and see some of the formations more closely. We decided to eat lunch here at this spot. It was quite warm, despite the growing clouds. They say a cold front will be moving through, but it was still quite toasty today, at 91.
View from the visitor center, Garden of the Gods.
Us at the visitor center. Someone offered to take our pic!
We tried to get into the first main parking area, but it was overflowing, so we headed down the road. Every parking area seemed to be full, or too small for our red beast of a dually pickup. Finally, we found an open pull-out, and got out to explore. Immediately, we were among the red rocks and boulders and feeling quite insignificant next to the awesome nature before us. We became eager to see more. We drove a little further to another area that let us climb around and on the rocks and see some of the formations more closely. We decided to eat lunch here at this spot. It was quite warm, despite the growing clouds. They say a cold front will be moving through, but it was still quite toasty today, at 91.
Entering the park
Tony, on the rocks
After we ate, we kept driving though the park and stopping
when we could for pictures. Tony used his good camera, so hope to have some
better pics at some time. We decided to attempt to get into the first parking
lot again, since we had made the complete loop through the park and really had
not seen enough. Success! Someone was pulling out, so we got their spot.
For scale, taken in the parking lot.
Entering the walking trails around the formations
Dedication plaque. This thing was 10 feet tall!
Note the climber about midway up in the middle of the photo.
Climbing and exploring the formations is OK here!
We started walking into the main area of the park, and there
were lots of folks there. Luckily, the paths are paved and wide, so we never
felt crowded as we explored. Pics do not do this justice! The towering
structures, that were once layers of sediment now tilted upon edge, are
amazing. I could truly feel the work of God here.
We walked around for about an hour, then headed back to the
truck. It was still hot and toasty, and with the altitude, we did not last with
the ups and downs of the terrain. There was far more to see than we had stamina
for, but what we saw was amazing.
We started back to the RV park, but decided to explore the
town a little. We headed down Colorado Blvd, and saw the Old Colorado City area,
which reminded us of Durango’s downtown area. We then headed to Manitou
Springs, and saw where we’ll be headed Wednesday to ride the Cog Railway.
Manitou Springs reminded us of Gatlinburg, TN with lots of quaint little
buildings with lodging, unique eateries and shopping. I don’t know if we’ll
have time to do much shopping, but we know where to go!
After exploring, we headed back to the RV and rested for a
while. I took a nap. We’re still having internet irregularities, so if you see
me post, it’s cause I got lucky!
While I was resting, Tony pulled out the burger patties to
thaw, and for dinner, he cooked them and hotdogs on the grill. Due to the
closeness of the sites, we felt a little bad about our smoke wafting right by
the neighbor’s windows, but what can you do?
Tony grilling in our campsite -- it just happens to be real close to the neighbors!
After dinner, we watched “Master Chef” and then went for a
walk around the RV park. It’s a big place, and folks are crammed in! But
because there were some storms nearby and the cold front was moving in, the
temps were very pleasant. We had walked around much of the park when the sky
lit up with a lightning bolt, and thunder soon followed, so we decided we’d
better head back to the rig. Tony got the radar up on his phone for a moment,
and saw the storm was nearby, but moving away from us. We have a better chance
for storms the next few days. When we
got back, I decided that even though I can’t post the blog, I had better write
it down, or I’d forget what we did. So, I started writing in MS Word. Hopefully, I’ll get it posted while we’re
still on the trip. Just not while we are here!
Tomorrow, we head to Cañon City, to ride the train through
the Royal Gorge.
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