Well, it was the last stop on our 2020-2021 tour and what a year it was. We finished up with a stay just south of Colorado Springs, Colorado. It has always been one of our favorite places because of it’s outstanding weather, the beauty of Pikes Peak towering above the city, the parks and small city feel, and access to such a wide variety of outdoor activities. Bill and I started our life together here after we were married, way back in another century, so we may be a bit biased regarding this special place. Sitting on the front range of the Rockies, this area has an incredible amount of activities to offer. Garden of the Gods park is appropriately named as the red rocks in this city park are visible from miles and miles away and are a magnificent way to spend an afternoon. We walked among these giant red rocks followed by a stop at one of the city’s many breweries. We chose The Goat Patch after our Garden of the Gods trip mostly because we liked the name. The beer did not disappoint. A hike in Red Rock Canyon the next day was almost as scenic, and more off the beaten path with gorgeous views of the mountains and canyon.
Amazingly, we never went to the Manitou Springs Cliff Dwellings when we lived there so we thought a visit was in order. The dwellings were more intact than most of the ruins we have seen this year. The historic town of Manitou Springs is quaint with lots of shops and restaurants. We also took a long drive into the Rockies, through Woodland Park, winding our way along the surrounding area into the Pikes National Forest. The amount of devastation from the fires of several years ago is jaw dropping.
As you can see from a couple of the pics, we stopped on our way back to our campsite, at a new sporting goods store, Scheels, in search of a new backpack for me. Wow, wow, wow was our reaction…absolutely enormous with equipment and apparel for every outdoor or sporting activity imaginable. It even had a two story Ferris wheel in the entrance to the shopping area.
Our stay in “the Springs” was a bit of a trip down memory lane for both Bill and I. We found our first apartment in northern Colorado Springs, had an outdoor lunch at an old favorite, Phantom Canyon Brewery, and drove to the Belmar area in Denver where Jessie and Damon had their first apartment and where we spent many happy visits with them in the past. We finished our visit with a spectacular dinner with Damon’s mom Dianne Belloni and Vince Olsen. We have not seen them in 8 years so there was a lot of catching up to do. We had a fabulous time!
We left Colorado Springs the next morning but one thing I know for sure…we’ll be back in Colorado again someday!
