Garden of the Gods

Thursday, June 24;

The rest of the week we toured different areas of Colorado Springs and did errands to prepare for our departure.

We packed a picnic and toured the old mining towns west of Colorado Springs. We drove north to Woodland Park, then west to an area where Bear and Trish once owned land and lived in a teepee for three years - summer and WINTER! That was an adventure! They showed us where they went to do laundry and have a shower in a small mining town. Places where they went for a quick grocery stop have now grown into small villages.

In 1890 Cripple Creek was the starting point of the Colorado Gold Rush. Cripple Creek is now a gambling and tourist town. There are tours of old mines and one of the large gold mines is still in operation. We timed our visit to avoid the crowds of Donkey Derby Days. It looks like YouTube has it covered!

We went through Cripple Creek on down the highway, driving past old mine buildings and huge mountains of tailings. Some are modern and lined to prevent contaminants such as arsenic leaching into the surrounding soil. Some are old and did not take that precaution.

The road entered Pike National forest. It became miles and miles of washboard over scenic mountain roads! We found a nice place on a creek to stop and have a picnic. This is a spot the bike riders have used for a rest stop when they have ridden the many miles of road we just drove. There would still be miles to cover before entering Colorado Springs again.

Friday we went to tour the Garden of the Gods. These spectacular sandstone formations have been known for thousands of years. Carbon dating on charcoal from an old hearth sets the time line for that fire as 3300 years ago. The most recent Native Americans to make use of this area were the Ute Indians who visited the area on a regular basis. This was a place of special significance to them. We were told that Chiefs, nearing their time of death would find a cave here as their final place on earth.

We enjoyed our tour on a hot, blue sky day. Taking pictures of the red rock formations against the sky. We saw an instructor and student sitting high on the rocks preparing to belay down the steep face. What an amazing place to learn rock climbing. Unfortunately many do not heed the warnings to inform the park of their intentions and do not have accomplished guides. Many need to be rescued - these are not beginners slopes.

We stopped by the Trading post. It has any Native American tourist item you might want. In rooms behind the usual tourist ware are some beautiful examples of Native American art. Compare the hand woven baskets at the back of the store to the "Made in Pakistan" replicas at the front.

We finished our tourist exploration in old town Colorado Springs. It is an area of historical buildings, boutiques and coffee houses. Central to that visit is always CS West Bikes. You can buy a new bike, rent one or arrange a cycling tour but you had better be in shape for the Colorado Springs terrain! After a visit to the French Bakery a strenuous bike ride is a good idea!