Nothing against Paris, but ever since I started my obsession with it over 20 years ago, it's become so "common". I mean everywhere you go there's another Eiffel Tower clock, pillow or framed print. Last month, I even found a collection of colored glass oil and vinegar decanters in the shape of an Eiffel Tower. Plus, I've been to Paris once - in March of 1992. I've now been to Colorado three times. What does that tell you? Anyway, the longer I'm here the more convinced I become that this is my next home.It may not be for another 10 years, but someday I will move here. I've even started scoping out some neighborhoods and streets that might be a good fit for my next abode, and thankfully there are plenty of small homes in the Colorado Springs area. They may even be too small for me, but I've yet to see a McMansion neighborhood here, and it's refreshing.
Today I check out of my Colorado Springs hotel and head up to "Breck", as Al T. affectionately called it at lunch yesterday. He told me to take Rte. 24 to Rte. 9 and look for the famous "cabin in Colorado" as I pass through the town of Alma. I've been writing about the area for so long that I figured it would be worth a visit, even though I may have passed through Breckenridge before, it was before I started writing. I may make a second stop at Garden of the Gods on my way out of town this morning, since my camera was still charging the last time I was there.
Since I'm kind of using this blog as a travelog (sp?) for this trip, let me review what I did over the past few days. On Wednesday, I drove from Denver to the 'Springs and checked in early at the Marriot Courtyard. After setting up my room, I headed out to see some of the sights. While I was out, I purposely drove by the Marrison and Clawson Law firms, the office of Action Team Realty, and the U.S. headquarters of the Navigators. Even though I had no intention of introducing myself as their "blogger" it was still nice to see where they're located. I drove onto the campus of Glen Eyrie Castle and was met with an overzealous security guard, who gave me "permission" to visit the bookstore and cafe, but not to walk the grounds or tour the castle. That was fine with me, but when I drove into the property, I was very impressed with everything about it. It would be the perfect place for a woman's retreat. It even has some of the same orangy-red rock formations as the Garden of the Gods, which is their neighboring property. After buying an iced caramel macchiato and a few souvenirs, I headed into the Garden of the Gods and took some pics with my cell phone.
The afternoon went quickly, and I used up a lot of gas just driving from neighborhood to neighborhood. I went through charming Manitou Springs and Old Colorado City, drove toward the Rocky Mountain Calvary Chapel, and saw some incredible sights along the way. After searching in vain for a place to grab a salad or something healthy (such as Saladworks or Chipotle), I ended up at the Burger King across the street from RMCC and chowed down on a double stacker meal. Yikes! But the same people who were behind me in line at BK ended up sitting behind me in church just a few minutes later.
The Rocky Mountain Calvary Chapel has some of the same things that ours has, only on a much larger scale. Their Solid Rock Cafe has a wall of windows that looks out on the whole Pikes Peak mountain range, and leads to an outdoor balcony deck, with more tables and a massive grill. The senior high youth group were out there enjoying a cookout after the service. All in all, the Colorado version of Calvary Chapel is a lot like the PA version, except there were some very "Rastafarian" and hippie looking greeters, and everyone wore sandals. Peter John Courson, who was their guest speaker from a Calvary Chapel in Capo Beach, CA, was wearing leather flip flops and gray tight straight-leg skater jeans. Even the pastor was much younger and hipper than any that I've seen in my area. But the message was the same, and everyone was very friendly. Another difference was the way they take communion. People who feel led are asked to come to the front of the church and take the elements back to their seat, instead of passing the plates down the aisles. There was no reminder of the sanctity of communion, or discussion of how we should search our hearts and not take communion "unworthily". Perhaps they figure that everyone already knows this? It might have been just a little too casual, but this is the West. After church I grabbed a "to-go" salad from Macaroni Grill and brought it back to my room, then went to the pool for a late swim.
Yesterday started out with an email from Al, telling me he would be arriving at the Mexican restaurant in his Harley. So I took my time in the morning and decided to visit the Garden of the Gods Trading Post before meeting up with him in Manitou Springs. After 45 minutes of being sucked into the vortex of souvenir shopping, I was proud to have spent only $40! Al and I enjoyed an oversized burrito on the outdoor deck of this authentic Mexican place, with a creek running through the back. It was strange to take our relationship out of the two-dimensional world of email and blogging and into a three-dimensional face-to-face conversation, but I really enjoyed getting to know him. I would speak more on this but I don't want this blog to become my diary.
After leaving Al to ride home on his Harley, I headed to Cripple Creek. It was a beautiful drive, and I stopped along the way to take pictures, but then I realized my phone was acting strange. Being wholly dependent on the GPS features of my phone, and for communication of course, I was more than a little concerned when it wouldn't even charge. Cripple Creek was a cute little Western town but it turned out that every store front was really a casino inside. It was a little surreal, but Al did warn me of this. I asked the first casino employee I found whether there was a Verizon store in town, but they said I would have to go back to Woodland. Why did this not surprise me... Cripple Creek is really just one big casino. I might have spent 15 minutes there, total, before heading back to Woodland. And wouldn't you know it, I had to drive back through 16 miles of winding roads on Route 67 - in a hailstorm!
This was one of those times when I could hear my mother's voice - warning me of the dangers of being a woman traveling alone - but I just prayed that God would get me back there safely and help me find a Verizon store. And of course, He answered my prayers. When I finally found the tiny Verizon retailer, I was told they didn't sell batteries, but somehow a woman named Morgan saved my vacation. She called tech support and found that my battery was covered under warranty, so she had them send my new batter to her and gave me a battery from her new phones. Before I knew it, I was on my way.
The next stop was the zig-zag mountain road known as Cave of the Winds Rd, which led to the Cave of the Winds of course. This was just another example of why I want to live here. Absolutely beautiful! I didn't take the tour, but the view from the top was incredible. Plus, I think the gift shop uses Pikes Peak Rock Shop (one of my blogging clients) as their supplier, so I had to buy an Ammonite fossil plate, and a few other souvenirs for Mom and the girls. From there, I headed to Old Colorado City and watched a free concert in the park until I was hungry enough for dinner. Then I walked down to Pizza Rustica, at Al's suggestion, and ordered a Rustica pizza, which I ate on their outdoor patio. By now it was after 7, and I was tempted to go back and just rest, but the diehard tourist in me kept me going a little further. This time, it was to Seven Falls.
Driving to Seven Falls was another adventure, involving a lot of winding mountain roads on Cheyenne Canyon Road, only to find that I went the wrong way. I saw a small waterfall, and then a steep climb up to a mountain resort, and wondered where I went wrong. So I headed back down the mountain road in 3rd gear and realized where I made the wrong turn. This time I did end up in Seven Falls, where I paid $10.75 to see the "real" falls. Getting there at night was a great idea, because the falls were lit up in a range of brilliant colors. They even had a Native American dancing show right next to the falls. I took the elevator up to the top and took lots and lots of pictures, grabbed a grape Gatorade and headed back down the hill to my car.
I arrived back at my hotel very tired and glad I spent so much time seeing my beloved Colorado Springs. It will be sad to leave here today, but as Arnold Schwarzenegger has said, "I'll be back!"
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