Historic Old Colorado City

Tuesday, 30 June 2015 (Part II)
Peregrine Pines FamCamp; USAFA, Colorado Springs — Colorado

Mui had his heart set on having tapas for lunch, so after our hike in the Garden of the Gods (post here), we got in our car and drove the short distance to Old Colorado City (OCC).  Like so many towns in the west, OCC owes its birth to gold.  It was founded in mid-1859, shortly after prospectors were lured to the area by major gold strikes that were announced in the Pikes Peak region.  Pikes Peak or Bust was the rallying call of the day.

We had already checked the TripAdvisor comments and knew not to expect much of our visit.  Of course, if you are an art gallery browser or just like to check out the various stores lining the streets, there’s plenty of that.  And restaurants as well.

I sort of got the sense that the place comes alive later in the day.  But no matter, we were there for lunch not to sightsee … although we did stroll up and down the small historic center while we waited for the restaurant to open at 11:30a.  Since I’m not much for crowds, the quietness of the streets worked out for me.

Fun mural at the Colorado City Creamery.

Garden of the Gods … Redux

Tuesday, 30 June 2015 (Part I)
Peregrine Pines FamCamp; USAFA, Colorado Springs — Colorado
Temps: Hi 87F (31C) / Lo 52F (11C)

When we left the house this morning, we had no intention of going to the Garden of the Gods.  But we had to jiggle our plans a bit, so that’s where we ended up.

Florissant Fossil Beds: Giant Redwoods in Colorado! … and More

Thursday, 25 June 2015
Peregrine Pines FamCamp; USAFA, Colorado Springs — Colorado
Temps: Hi 84F (29C) / Lo 55F (13C)

Sarah, a fellow-blogger and RVer (of See Where the Road Leads fame), took time out of the Alaska road trip she is on with her hubby and Kitty to suggest that we might enjoy visiting some fossil beds in nearby Florissant.  After a couple of hazy-skies days at home, we were raring to go somewhere fun.  So this morning we hopped in the CR-V and made the 40-mile (64 km) drive to the Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument (FFBNM) — one of only nine NPS units specifically set aside to protect fossils.

Falcon Trail: 13 Miles Up and Down … and a Side Trip to 1871

Saturday, 20 June 2015
Peregrine Pines FamCamp; USAFA, Colorado Springs — Colorado
Temps: Hi 86F (30C) / Lo 63F (17C)

The morning dawned bright, with blue skies and puffy clouds, and comfortably cool temps.  The forecast was for a hot day, but by leaving early to get on one of the hiking trails here at the USAFA we figured we just might beat the worst of the heat.  Hah!  We were wrong!

For today’s hike we opted to do the Falcon Trail, a multi-use loop trail that runs entirely within the boundaries of the USAFA.  When we left the Phaeton at 7:00a, we were still debating doing just a portion of the 13-mile (21 km) trail as an in-and-out hike.  By the time we were at the trail access point five minutes later, the decision was made to hike the entire loop.  Five minutes after that we were walking, our Camelbaks heavy on our backs … the water bladder filled to the gills with the liquid refreshment we knew we would be needing for this moderate-to-difficult hike.

Driving the Pikes Peak Highway in 7 Minutes and 8 Seconds

Wednesday, 17 June 2015 (Part II)
Peregrine Pines FamCamp; USAFA, Colorado Springs — Colorado

Seven minutes and eight seconds … that’s all it will take you to make the 39-mile (63 km) roundtrip drive on the Pikes Peak Highway.  Mui processed his GoPro video; cut out some scenes … added others; slowed down portions of his footage … sped up others.  Just so you can come along on this drive at warp speed.

Strap on your seatbelt and let’s go.  I don’t think you’ll need any motion sickness meds … just be warned!

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