Author: mchazen

Once again it has been quite a while since the last update.

Generally, we are living a quite life at the Garden of the Gods Campground in Colorado Springs, Colorado.  Compared to summers in Van Nuys (or Florida for that matter), the weather here has been delightfully cool.  Daytime highs are in the high 70s to low 80s and temperatures drop about 30 degrees at night.  For the first time in a long while, we can leave the air conditioning off and open the coach during the day.  At night, we leave some small windows open and sleep soundly in the cool air.  Anyone who has lived in extreme heat or humidity will share our appreciation for cool, dry air.

Last Sunday, Bob and Suzy stopped by for another visit.  Their daughter had just started her freshman year at college and they had just gotten back from the school.  They were obviously tired from getting her off to school, which involved getting all her ‘stuff’ packed and transported.  We feel their pain.

Suzy and Jeanne at Garden of the Gods.

Jeanne pushing rocks apart at Garden of the Gods. No rock pushing was allowed.

In the Colorado high country, on the way to Buena Vista. Look for continental divide in distance.

View of Buena Vista with 14,000 foot peaks in the background.

Approaching the Great Sand Dune National Park and Preserve.

View of the sand dunes with Sangre de Cristo Range in background for scale.

Sand dunes from the visitor center.

Jeanne in river bed at the foot of the sand dune field.

Marty on the sand dunes.

Jeanne on the sand dunes.

Jeanne inspecting the dune field.

Anyway, we had a relaxing visit which included a walk around the nearby Garden of the Gods monument.  Pictures of this location were previously posted, but there are some new pictures associated with this log entry.  Since Bob and Suzy are both geologists, we enjoyed a running dissertation of the rocks and the surrounding area. It was truly interesting and appreciated.  The weather was perfect and we spent a long time just sitting and taking in the view.  Afterwards we had an excellent dinner at P .F. Chang’s.  All in all, it was a perfect day spent with good friends.

When we checked into the campground, it was packed and we expected it to remain that way until after Labor Day.  However, the campground slowly started to empty and at the time of writing this, the section we are in is mostly clear.  We expect to get a few more rigs in over the Labor Day weekend, but the summer season is rapidly coming to an end.

We did make some new friends with some of our fellow campers.  Jesse and Linda were camped next to us in a rig that looked very much like ours.  Like us, they are baby boomers.  We are starting to see more baby boomers on the road and it is interesting talking with them.  We all seem to share (more or less) common experiences of career, family and growing up in the 60s.  Although we are now in our 50s (some in their late 50s), I’m not sure our basic outlook on life is much different than it was 40 years ago.  To be sure, we are older and wiser.  Anyway, we enjoyed visiting with Jesse and Linda and wish them well on their travels.  Hopefully our paths will cross again.

Another husband/wife team was camped next to us for a few days.  They were from Texas.  A very flat part of Texas.  Gene’s business was installing and repairing pumps for agricultural irrigation systems and for two days I got a running seminar on irrigation systems.  Gene patiently explained how those circular irrigation systems stay straight as they revolve around the field.  It was very interesting.

In the its-a-small-world department, we met Dave, a retired Ventura County Sheriff, who know Jeanne’s Aunt Leola, who is also a retired Ventura County Sheriff.

We took one overnight trip to the south of Colorado Springs.  The area of interest was the San Luis valley just to the west of the Sangre de Cristo Range.  Our route first took us into the high country near the small town of Buena Vista and then south through the small town of Saguache.  If you were wondering, this is pronounced Sah-watch. We spent the night in Alamosa, which is the largest town in the area.  There was lots of nice scenery, but as a place to settle, we were underwhelmed.

The municipality of Saguache was one of the most run-down places we have seen on our trip.  The town of Saguache is the county seat for the county of the same name.  There wasn’t much there.  In fact, directly across from the county courthouse was an abandoned two story house.  Abandoned buildings weren’t unusual in the town but what made this one special was the full grown deer that was sleeping under the bushes by the front door.  It woke when we drove by, but otherwise made no move to indicate it was frightened.  Apparently, having deer living in the middle of this particular town was normal.  We drove on, shaking our heads in wonderment.

The San Luis valley is very high, very dry and thinly populated.  The headwaters of the Rio Grande are nearby and the river flows through into the middle of the valley before turning south towards New Mexico.  There is some irrigated farming close to the Rio Grande.  With high mountains on either side, the place reminded us of the Central Valley in California.  The small town of Alamosa was the sort of dusty town you would find in a farming community.  After renting a room at the Clarion, we cruised around town for a while.  There was nothing redeeming about the town and it was quickly struck from the list of possible places to live.  If we wanted to live in Chula Vista, we would have stayed in California.  We selected one of the Mexican restaurants for dinner and overall the meal was o.k.

The hotel stay was not one of our better consumer experiences.  The in-room Wi-Fi internet connection didn’t work, there was NO hot water in the morning, the sheets were too small for the bed and the skylight in the lobby leaked.  When hot water service was restored (after our showers, of course) the toilet filled with hot water.  You get the idea.

The following morning, we got an early start and headed for the Great Sand Dune National Park and Preserve, which is somewhat to the northeast of Alamosa.  Here’s the deal:  winds blowing (more like howling) from the west pick up sand from the valley floor and pile it up against the base of the Sangre de Cristo Range.  From the east, wind and water erode the mountains and deposit even more sand at the base of the mountains.  Over tens of thousands of years, these combined actions piled up enough sand to create 700 foot dunes over a thirty square mile area.  You can clearly see the dunes from almost anywhere in the valley, and it was just too strange a place for us to pass up.

Fortunately for us, we arrived in the calm and cool of the morning.  The scale of the dune field is hard to describe, but the setting was beautiful.  There were 14,000 mountains in the background, endless views of the valley, 14,000 foot mountains on the far side of the valley and 700 foot sand dunes, all under a deep blue sky.  It was a scene from Lawrence of Arabia.

Visitors are encouraged to explore the dunes, so off we went.  It wasn’t long before our shoes were filled with sand.  Jeanne got the bright idea of racing to the top of a dune, so we both took off at a full run, uphill, in sand, at 8,000 feet.  The race didn’t last long.  It was a day at the beach, 1,500 miles from, and 8,000 feet above any ocean.  We spent most of the morning there and thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

On our trip home we passed through the small towns of Walsenburg and La Veta.  Walsenburg was a wide spot along the interstate but La Veta was a pretty little town nestled in a mountain pass.  We contacted some local real estate brokers and feel we may make a return trip to look at property.  The last leg of the journey took us along interstate 25 through Pueblo.

There is one more event of note.  About eight weeks ago my sciatica flared up and effectively shut down the exercise routine.  As usual, the leg slowly got better and about a week ago it was good enough to begin exercising again.  I cut a deal with a local gym with the intent of easing back into an exercise routine.  After the first session at the gym, it was clear things can go downhill fast.  And, at 52, it would be a hard road back.  Hell, it is hard enough to fit into my jeans, let alone doing a workout.  After a layoff, running 20 minutes on a treadmill at 6,000 feet is no easy task.  But I am committed to making a comeback.

So those were the highlights of the past week.  I won’t bore you with the sunny days at the pool, shopping at the weird Walmart, the group of Mennonites and their children that terrorized the campground or the book titled Sling Braiding of the Andes.

Looking ahead, we are still in discussions about where to go next.  West?  South?  North?  Certainly not east.  We’re just not sure, but in the meantime we’re enjoying our stay here in Colorado Springs.

We woke early and the morning was crystal clear.  Not wanting to squander a good opportunity, we hastily piled in the Jeep and headed for Pikes Peak.

For geographically challenged readers, Pikes Peak is a 14,110 foot mountain right on the eastern edge of the Rocky Mountains.  The mountain is named after explorer Zebulon Pike, who first viewed the mountain from a distance.  Of course the Indians had been climbing the mountain for generations as a religious ritual but whatever name they had for the mountain never stuck.  Nevertheless, the endless vistas from the top attract a steady stream of visitors.  The trick is to make the trip early enough to avoid the afternoon thunderstorms that roll through the area.  One more thing, don’t forget your jacket.  The temperature drops by 30 degrees at the top.

View of highway 24 from lookout on Pikes Peak Highway.

Jeanne at one of the lookouts.

A paved section of Pikes Peak Highway. This was one of the lower elevations, about 9,500 feet.

View of Pikes Peak Highway at a higher elevation. This is a typical view, you have no idea where the road is taking you and there is a 3,000 foot drop off the side. Very exciting.

View of Colorado Springs from the top of Pikes Peak.

Jeanne at summit of Pikes Peak looking east. Notice the cog railway in foreground.

Required picture. It was a cool 34 degrees and the wind was howling. Shortly after this was taken, we headed indoors.

View from the peak looking northwest.

Rugged terrain typical of this area.

View of the road as it switchbacks up the hillside.

Jeanne standing in the alpine meadow.

View of the Jeep at 13,000 feet. This vehicle is living a hard life.

The road to the top starts at about 8,000 feet and climbs to 14,110 feet in about 16 miles.  Most of the road is paved, but certain stretches close to the top are graded dirt.  It is well maintained, but lacks basic safety features like guard rails, lane markings, signage, etc.  You have to pay attention to what you are doing; one mistake and you plunge thousands of feet onto rocks below.  This is no exaggeration.  In fact, the road is so difficult to maintain, the US Forest Service contracts maintenance, which is supported by a hefty $10 per head fee.  So, we paid our money and started up.

As the Jeep slowly lumbered toward the summit the we crossed to tree line and alpine vegetation took over.  Close to the top, there was nothing but cold rocks, cold dirt and frozen trickles of water.  The air temperature was 34 degrees and a wind was howling from the northwest.  According to the pamphlet, at 14,000 feet, the oxygen content of the atmosphere is only 58% of normal at sea level.

We must have spent about 90 minutes at the top.  As promised, the views were spectacular.  The longer you spend looking in one particular direction, the more detail you begin to notice.  We could just make out downtown Denver about 60 miles distant.  To the west you can see the continental divide.  To the east is endless plains, all downhill to the Mississippi River.  Finally, getting a little light-headed from the altitude, we started down.

At about 13,000 feet, we stopped, found some boulders to shelter us from the wind and took in the view.  Just 1,000 feet makes breathing a lot easier and we were able to linger here for a long time.  After a while we could tell which drivers were freaked out by the road.  Eventually, hunger and thirst drove us down the hill to civilization.  I encourage readers to view the pictures that are part of this triplog.

What was left of the day was spent running errands and quietly reflecting on our morning mountain experience.

We worried that this new campground would be too noisy for us, but things quieted down nicely and we slept soundly.  Moving around like we do we never know what we will be sleeping next to; it could be the fire station, railroad tracks, interstate, or a pond full of croaking frogs.  This spot just happens to be quieter than most.

Mining has always been a big industry for this region.  In fact, some of the earliest settlements were based on mining and some of the mines are still producing.  At first, gold was the big attraction but other minerals were found and mined as well.  We wanted to learn a little more and headed for the mining museum located at the north end of Colorado Springs.

Jeanne (a little annoyed) in front of mining equipment at Colorado Springs mining museum.

Marty operating pnumatic drilling equipment at mining museum.

I looked, but all the gold was gone.

Jeanne in front of steam shovel.

The museum had an impressive collection of equipment salvaged from mines around the area.  As we arrived, a retired mining engineer was demonstrating how to use some of the restored equipment.  It was quite impressive and we came away with an appreciation of how dangerous mining can be.  Not only was ore removal dangerous, but other parts of the production process either used or produced dangerous chemical compounds.  No doubt about it, this was a hard way to make a living. 

After leaving the museum, we drove around the immediate area and were surprised to find new industrial parks, shopping centers and housing.  The area is rapidly growing and it is not hard to see why.  All the elements are here: land, workforce and a nice place to live.

After a quick lunch at a local sports bar, we stopped at Walmart from groceries before returning home.  This was the same Walmart with weird employees and customers.  I can’t quite put my finger on it, but you get the feeling these folks are living an edgy existence.  I’ll leave it at that.

We returned to the coach and settled in for a quiet evening.

Today was moving day.

We wanted to move closer to Colorado Springs where we would have better cell phone and internet access.  We had gone long enough without these conveniences at hand.  It would be good to be back in the 21st century.

Yesterday we mostly stayed close to the coach getting ready to leave.  After being parked in one place for three weeks, there were a bunch of things to do before moving the rig.  By late afternoon, most everything was ready.  As a remembrance of the campground, I took some pictures of the local flora, which I encourage readers to view.  This really was a nice spot, but it was too remote for our purposes.  However, we will miss the peace and quiet.

Jeep and coach at Mountaindale Campground south of Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Nature shot of flowers near campsite.

The hillside was covered with this stuff. Walking around barefoot at night is not recommended.

Ripening acorns near campsite.

Jeanne doing needlework chasing away hummingbirds.

North facing tree trunk near campsite.

This morning, we said goodbye to our neighbors and did some last minute preparation.  We fired up the coach around 10:30 AM and set out on the 30 minute drive to the Garden of the Gods Campground in Colorado Springs.  The journey was uneventful and we were parked and set up by 1:00 PM.

This park is very different from the one we just left.  In fact, it is more of a resort.  The rigs are parked closer together, there are two pools, hot tubs, activities, etc.  It should be o.k. for the month we plan to stay.

The weather here is surprising, with the past week being a series of rain storms.  One night it rained so hard we thought we were back in South Florida. The storm lasted for hours complete with thunder and lightening.  Thunderstorms are not uncommon in the late afternoons.  However, after the rainfall, dry air returns and the ground quickly dries out.  I suppose without the dry air, this place would be densely wooded like parts of Arkansas.

Well, that’s the report for today.

It has been about two weeks since the last update and a lot has happened.  Bottom line, we’re familiarizing ourselves with the area and the more we see, the more we like.

Of special note, our friends Bob and Suzy invited us over for dinner to their home in Denver.  We shared the evening with the whole family, including Bob’s father, John, who I vividly remembered.  We had a great time visiting, catching up with Bob’s father and getting to know the kids a little better.  The food was great and we had a great time.  The invitation was very much appreciated and we look forward to getting together with them again during our stay in the area.

A frequent visitor to our campsite.

John and Marty solving world problems.

On another trip to Denver we met with two gentlemen, Gary and Chris, who we regularly talk with via phone regarding business.  They had invited us out to lunch and took us to a very nice place.  Most importantly, we finally were able to match the voice with a face.  We very much appreciated them taking time from their busy day to talk with us for a few minutes.  Now, when we make a call from some out of the way place, we can visualize who we are talking to.

During the past two weeks, we made two trips of exploration.  The first was in a general southerly direction on a loop through the towns of Canon City, Westcliffe, Silver Cliff, Wetmore and then home.  The route took us along the Arkansas river and then into a valley separated by the Sangre de Cristo Range and Wet Mountains.  We stopped in the small town of Westcliffe for lunch and took a quick walking tour of the town.  This was all spectacular country, but it is just a little too high and remote for us.  We’re glad to have made the trip and now know what this area of high country looks like.

The second trip was across the state to Grand Junction.  For readers not familiar with the geography of Colorado, Grand Junction is on the western edge of the state, almost to the Utah border.  We decided to take I-70 westbound to Grand Junction and US-50 eastbound on the return trip.

The trip to Grand Junction along I-70 passes through some truly remarkable country.  The road mostly passes through steep granite canyons covered with pine trees.  The highest point was Loveland Pass at 11,600 feet.  It was a good thing we decided to take the Jeep; running the coach over this road would not be a good idea.  As we approached Grand Junction, the vegetation gradually changed from pine trees to more drought-resistant plants.  We were surprised that this side of the Rocky Mountains was so dry.  On the western side of the divide, the road runs through a canyon cut by the Colorado river.  The canyon is so narrow in spots that the highway engineers built the westbound and eastbound lanes at different levels; sort of stepping the road up side of the canyon.  Try to imagine getting a river, railroad and interstate all running through a narrow granite canyon and you get the picture.

Eventually the canyon opens up and the road follows the Colorado River to Grand Junction, which is located where the Gunnison River merges into the Colorado River.  The town is built along a wide valley bordered by high mesa to the north and south.  The town is surrounded by ranches and farms.  With the high price of oil, there is a resurgence of activity and we saw at least five drilling rigs in the distance.

Grand Junction is the only sizable town in the region and has just about anything you would want, including two Walmart Supercenters and most of the major national brand stores.  This is truly a regional center.  In fact, with Denver and Salt Lake City over four hours away, this is the only sizable town for miles.  We spent the better part of two days driving around the area looking at the town and looking at properties.  There was no shortage of real estate for sale and although prices were slightly higher than we expected, they were still passed the reasonableness test.  Overall, we were impressed.  The town is clean, supplies are handy and there is plenty to do if you are into outdoor activities.  We need to think it over, but we might be back for another look.

The return trip was surprising as well.  US-50 traverses a completely different type of terrain.  After steadily climbing out of Grand Junction, the road generally stays in high country along the edge of a mesa.  The route is much more populated and passes through the towns of Delta, Montrose, Gunnison, Salida and Canyon City.  One long section of road took us along Blue Mesa Reservoir, which controls the water flow through the Black Canyon of the Gunnison.  The highest part of the journey was Monarch Pass at about 11,300 feet.  The road construction and rain made for an exciting ride.  If we were driving the coach, this would have been a much better route.

So, what did we learn from our three day excursion?  The more we see of the area, the more we like it and we may have found the region.  We still have some comparison shopping to do, but a follow up visit to some of these areas is probably in our future.

Those were the major points of the past two weeks.  The rest of the time was spent making day trips around the local area.  For example, one day was spent exploring the eastern side of Colorado Springs and another day was spent in the small town of Woodland Park at a street faire.  These quick trips help familiarize us with the region with regard to the people, neighborhoods, shopping and roads.

There were two other events of note.  A visit to a Burger King really hit my Hot Button.  Here’s the scenario: we’re next in line watching a disoriented high school kid input an order from a large family who are not quite sure what they wanted.  The process goes on and on and on, until the register buffer is full.  The kid vapor-locks and the manager has to help split the order into two parts, which takes another eternity to accomplish.  Where’s the video camera when you need it?   Finally we get to the window, place our order and pay, which takes all of 20 seconds.  I ask myself what was so f—ing hard about that?  We get our self-serve drinks, eventually find a clean table and wait for our order.  And, we wait.  And, we wait.  And, we wait.  O.K., time’s up, they had their 25 minutes to cook two hamburgers and two orders of rings.  Time to get thing moving.  I approach the counter and size up the situation.  After many years of management, chaos is not hard to recognize.  I asked for my order and received two cold burgers; no onion rings.  Here’s the conversation:

Marty:  Hey, you took my money 25 minutes ago!  Where’s my food!

Gal behind the counter:  I’m sorry, the rings aren’t ready yet.  (she hands me two cold burgers).

M:  What gives!  These are are ice cold!

G:  Do you want us to re-make the burgers?

M:  No, I’m lucky to have these.

G:  What can we do to make you happy?

M:  Give me my complete order, NOW!

G:  Let me check on the rings. (she heads for the kitchen area)

M:  (Loudly) Hey!  If I’m still waiting here in the morning, do I get a free breakfast?

G:  (With face bright red) The rings are cooking, I’ll bring them out to you.

Other patrons in the crowded restaurant, who had also been waiting for their orders, were snickering in the background.

Ten minutes goes by before the onion rings arrived, still sizzling and sputtering from the fryer.  They nicely contrasted with the coagulated grease of the cold, stiff burgers.  Even at the fast food level, the meal was beyond redemption.

I always assumed fast food is suppose to be fast.  The process should be: order, money, food, eat, leave.  Sometimes the drill takes less than 10 minutes.  If we want linger over a meal, we’ll go to a French restaurant.  What is so damn hard about cooking two hamburger-with-rings orders?  Isn’t this what Burger King does?  Needless to say, this was not a good consumer experience.

Our second unusual event had to do with the tires on the Jeep.  It seems that prolonged towing is incompatible with the current set of tires.  About a year ago we bought a set of high-quality off-road tires and a lifetime alignment, balancing and rotation package.  Even after regular maintenance, the tires were showing signs of uneven wear.  At certain speeds they would begin to howl.  Two different Bridgestone/Firestone dealers said the towing was probably at fault and recommended a different style of tire.  It was time to do something and we finally had them replaced.  The Jeep now whispers down the highway, but it is yet to be seen how it does on dirt roads.

Well good readers, that’s the update.  Apologies for the long wait and thank you for getting through the Burger King episode.  I really feel better having talked about it.  The emotional scars will take time to heal.

By the way, in case you were wondering, I did call the Burger King 800 number to complain.  Of course, the complaint process is automated.  It seems that real people can cause problems, but you can only report the incident to a machine.  Another satisfying consumer experience courtesy of BK.

Contemporary Note: Bob’s father, John, passed away in late 2017.  He had been a history teacher at our high school in Van Nuys before moving to the local junior college to teach the same subjects.  I always thought John was a Korean War veteran but he was in fact a WWII veteran serving with Patton’s Third Army in Europe.  He had gotten as far east as Czechoslovakia when the war ended.  He was an interesting guy and a good father to Bob.

Hard to believe August is here already.

Over the past two weeks we have discussed, in detail, what our next move should be.  Knowing we need to be in Southern California in November, the next three months needed to be scheduled.  There are a lot of variables: weather, holidays, fuel, distance, etc.  One thing is certain, we vacate our current location on August 16.

After a lot of soul searching, the decision was made: stay in the Colorado Springs area for another month.  This isn’t a bad place, there is lots to do and we can wait out the hot weather.  With the decision made, the only thing left to do was find a place to stay.  With the RV park directory (Woodall’s) in hand, we piled into the car and headed for town.

We looked at several places that were closer to town than our current location and finally settled on an RV park near the Garden of the Gods.  After a lot of site selection, we reserved a spot that should work for us.  What a relief knowing where we will be living for the next five weeks!  By the time we were done, it was 2:00 PM.  Wow, the process took most of the day.

Before returning to the coach, we stopped at the Walmart Supercenter for groceries.  This is the same weird Walmart we shopped at last time.  There is just something strange about this particular store.  The customers, employees and store layout is the sort of eclectic mix you would find in a ZZ Top video.  It was sort of like rubbing shoulders with the great unwashed masses.  Very strange experience.

The rest of the day was spent uneventfully at the coach.

Today was a very special day.  Bob and Suzy invited us to join them at their cabin, which is located in a very remote location in the Rockies.  What a special place.  The cabin is way off a lightly traveled mountain road and up against a federal wilderness area.  Their son Tim was with them.

Tim testing a fire extinguisher.

Marty and Jeanne on a walk through the Colorado high country.

Tim, Suzy and Bob near their Colorado cabin.

Jeanne next to a stand of young aspen.

The dogs head for the only water around, a watering tank for livestock.

Shortly after we arrived, Bob prepared some buffalo burgers for lunch (they were delicious), which was the perfect meal for this wilderness setting.  After visiting a while we went for a walk but were careful not to move too fast in the thin air.  Of course, their two dogs headed for the only water around — a watering tank for cattle.  The scenery was spectacular and you could see for miles.  This is truly a special place and we are glad they shared it with us.

That evening we drove to one of the remote (very remote) towns in the area for dinner.  To give the reader an idea of just how remote this town was, we had to drive for 15 miles along a dirt road (this was the short-cut).  The town itself had no paved roads.  We had an excellent meal in a rustic setting.  We had a long drive home and had to cut it off sooner than we wanted.  We said our goodbyes and headed out for a two hour drive through the Colorado high country.  It was close to 11:00 PM when we got back to the coach.

All in all, it was a great day.

Once again, taking advantage of clear skies, we headed out for some sightseeing.  The destination for today was the town of Canon City and the nearby gorge cut by the Arkansas river.

Canon City is a small, well organized, prosperous town in the foothills of the Rockies where the Arkansas river exits a deep canyon.  In the 1920s, someone build a suspension bridge over the deepest point along the canyon.  With a drop of over 1,000 feet from the bridge roadway to the bottom of the canyon, this is the highest suspension bridge in the country.  For a $20 fee you can drive or walk across the bridge.  On the far side was a bungee jumping tower that swings jumpers out over the rim of the gorge.  We decided to to pass up both of these great opportunities.  However, the railway along the bottom of the canyon piqued our interest.

Train stands ready to carry us into the Royal Gorge, just north of Canon City, Colorado.

Entering the canyon cut by the Arkansas river.

1,000 feet above the train is the suspension bridge and other attractions at the rim of the canyon.

Good view of the bottom of the bridge we were too chicken to cross.

View of the Arkansas river as the train rounds a bend.

Jeanne at the end of a relaxing trip along the river.

Returning to Canon City, we bought tickets for a train ride along the bottom of the canyon.  Shortly after lunch we made the 12 mile trip through the Arkansas river gorge, and then made the 12 mile return trip.  It was very relaxing watching the spectacular scenery pass by in air conditioned comfort.  Well, it was air conditioned for most of the ride anyway.  What a nice way to spend an afternoon.

One final note about Canon City, we saw at least six prisons located there and there are 13 correctional facilities in the general area.  Obviously, law enforcement is the major industry.  I doubt if they have much of a crime problem among the local population.

Taking advantage of the cool weather we did some sightseeing.

Yesterday, after running some errands in town, we drove around the old section of Colorado Springs.  Many of the old properties have been restored and we very much enjoyed slowly cruising the tree-lined streets.  There were a few fixer-uppers for sale, but we owned a money pit once and don’t need to go through it again.  It is cheaper looking at someone else’s expenditures.  We hung around the coach for the rest of the day.

Overall view of Garden of the Gods with Pike's Peak in the background.

View of the road leading into the park. Notice the size of the cars against the rock formations.

Some of the rocks at Garden of the Gods.

Jeanne at one of her favorite places.

Some of the smaller formations.

Rocks standing on edge.

Today we got an early start and headed for the Garden of the Gods park on the east edge of Colorado Springs.  The attraction here is a series of unusual red rock formations that jut out of the foothills.  With Pikes Peak and the Rockies in the background, the view is dramatic.  The weather was perfect and we walked around for hours making frequent stops to take in the view and snap some pictures.  When Jeanne lived in this area 30 years ago, this was one of her favorite locations to visit.  I can see why.

In the early afternoon we left the park and cruised through the old downtown section of Colorado City, stopping briefly at a Dairy Queen for lunch.  The downtown section was nicely restored and seemed to be a popular place with the locals.  Afterwards, we headed to the east side of Colorado Springs.  This newer part of town seems to be where all the chain-store shopping is located.  All the national stores were here and there was even a medium-sized shopping mall.

Sometime earlier in the trip (Arkansas perhaps?) we found a crushed earring in a parking lot with the diamond-looking stone still intact.  We have been carrying it around for weeks intending to have it tested in a jewelry store to see if it was real.  Well, today would be the big day.  Would the stone be a real diamond or a cheap CZ?  Maybe it was worth thousands, or tens of thousands!  We could be rich!  We walked into a Zales with high hopes.

We explained the situation to the store manager (who was really not all that busy).  He was amused and seemed just as eager to unravel the mystery as we were.  With much ceremony he retrieved the electronic tester-thingy (tester-thingy is a technical term).  This was the moment of truth.  He applied the probe to the stone, pressed the button and . . . nothing happened.  A second test confirmed the results.  With a touch of sadness in his voice, he announced that we were the proud owners of a high-quality CZ worth about $5.00, at most.  O.K., we can deal with this.  No prime rib dinner tonight.  We slowly drove back to the coach thinking about what could have been.

The weather finally cooled and it looked like it would remain cool for the next few days.  In fact, it had cooled enough that we wore long pants and light jackets.

Yesterday, we spent the day in Colorado Springs sightseeing and running a few errands.  There is a Borders Books in town, so we went there to update the computers and browse the store.  We didn’t buy anything, but it was nice to have a large bookstore close at hand.  We also made some phone calls while we had a good cell phone connection.  Before returning to the coach, we stumbled into an vegetarian restaurant featuring noodle/pasta based meals.  The food was marginal at best, but it was a good concept.

Overview of the town of Cripple Creek, Colorado. Look closely and you can see abandoned gold mines in the hillside.

Burroughs adding machine displayed in the Cripple Creek museum. Only a retired accountant would find this interesting.

View of the Cripple Creek main street where many of the abandoned buildings have been turned into small casinos.

Dinner with Jeanne's cousin Vicki and her husband Tim.

Today the weather was perfect for a long drive and we headed to the small town of Cripple Creek, which is way, way up in the mountains.  Jeanne remembered it as a tiny mountain community of mostly boarded-up storefronts and abandoned gold mines.  Well, 30 years can mean big changes to a sleepy community, especially if it is rezoned to allow gambling.  Although it is still a small town, the storefronts along the main street have been turned into small casinos and the inflow of money has allowed for a general cleanup.  The development has been well managed and the mega-casinos you would find in Las Vegas or Laughlin have been kept out.  However, at the end of the day, it is still a gambling town.

In the one-thing-leads-to-another department, we hopped on a shuttle and got talking with the driver.  He gave us some tokens and dropped us at one of the casinos off the main drag.  We signed up for the player’s club and received $5 each in gambling credit.  Of course, we each lost the $5 and headed to the cafe for lunch.  We ordered the lunch special and found out today was seniors day — the meal was free for Jeanne.  After checking to see that we did some gambling, my meal was also free.  Not bad: free ride, free gambling, free meal.  It doesn’t get any better than that.  We were way ahead of the game and decided it was time to leave.

The drive to and from Cripple Creek was along winding well-maintained mountain roads lined with stands of pine and aspen.  This was high country and the road topped 10,000 feet at one point.  Where the view opened up, you could see for miles and the scenery was spectacular.  We very much enjoyed the trip.

On the return trip we stopped at a pottery studio in Colorado Springs.  The place was supposedly world famous, but the basic ceramic designs left us underwhelmed.  What was interesting was watching one of the potters throw vases on the wheel.  Watching a ball of clay slowly transform into a smooth, flowing form is mesmerizing.  Maybe when we settle, I’ll set up a ceramic studio.

That evening we had dinner with Jeanne’s cousin Vicki and her husband Tim.  They moved to the Colorado Springs area several years ago and seem to have become part of the community.  They bought a house about five years ago and have worked hard to turn it into a home.  Their hard work is clearly apparent.  We enjoyed the visit and hope to have them stop by the coach before moving on.

By the time we returned to the coach, it was late, dark and lightly raining.  Our spot is on the edge of the campground somewhat overlooking the rest of the RV park.  Slowly driving up the road, we momentarily caught a coyote in our headlights.  One leap and it disappeared into the brushy hillside.  It was a reminder that we are right on the edge of some wild country.

We immediately went to bed and listened to the soft sound of the gentle rain before falling asleep.