Here are a couple of pics of the view of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains from Mountain View RV Resort.
We got ourselves settled and met our new boss, Carter. We spent the first few days helping the "outside guy", Jim, with clean-up. Winter is "officially" over (according to the calendar) so there are weeds to be pulled, tree branches to be gathered and thrown away, buildings to be swept and cleaned, tables to be wiped down, and patios to be swept in order to be ready to open on April 25th. I also spent some time with Carter learning the different computer systems to run the front office area. A couple of days later, the other host couple, Arnie and Bonnie, arrived. We had them over for dinner their first night and realized, "We're going to have a GREAT summer!"
On our first "official" four days off we drove to Colorado Springs to go to the Costco, but while we were there we had been encouraged by everyone (Carter, Jim and Arnie & Bonnie) to go to "The Garden of the Gods". So, that is the first tourist attraction we visited in Colorado. What a stunning area. As Gary said, it's a cross between Bryce and Zion, but on a smaller scale.
The first sign is at the Visitor's Center, which is very large and has quite a selection of trinkets and trash! It was in the process of being refurbished so not all of it was open to the public, but they still had room for all the tchotchkes (that's the Jewish word for knick-knacks). Thankfully and surprisingly, we didn't fall for any of it!
This sign is at the start of the drive from the main visitor's center. You can actually enter the driving loop from at least three different places, but this is the main entrance. Unfortunately, I forgot my "Gorilla" so we were limited in our family photo ops :(
Garden of the Gods is a public park located in Colorado Springs and was designated a National Natural Landmark in 1971 and today it covers 1,364 acres. The red rock formations were created during a geological upheaval along a natural fault line thousands and thousands of years ago. Archaeological evidence shows that prehistoric people visited Garden of the Gods about 1330 BC. About 250BC Native American people camped in the park. They are believed to have been attracted to wildlife and plant life in the area and used the overhangs created by the rocks for shelter. Helen Hunt Jackson wrote of the park, "You wind among rocks of every conceivable and inconceivable shape and size ... all bright red, all motionless and silent, with a strange look of having been just stopped and held back in the very climax of supernatural catastrophe."
I've included a lot of photos of our time in the park, so enjoy the viewing. By the way, the snow-shrouded peak in the first two photos (which were taken from the second story balcony at the Visitor's Center) is Pike's Peak which is a 14,115 feet high mountain on the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains within Pike National Forest and is located 10 miles west of Colorado Springs.
How do you like Sadie's new doggie scarf? The people who owned the RV park before Carter bought it had these scarves as decoration around the lodge. Carter brought it out and said, "What do you do with something like this?" Well, I said, "Sadie would look cute in that ... it's a dog scarf!" So now Sadie is appropriately appareled for Colorado as a real doggie cowgirl!
A man and his dog!
We took a 30-minute walk/hike on part of Scotsman Trail (above and below). The park is rife with well maintained hiking trails that criss-cross the park. There's a designated area for mountain bikers so they aren't allowed on the hiking trails. However, horses are allowed on the hiking trails and there was definite evidence of horses! I would love to take a horse ride through the park so that might end up on my bucket list.
If you want to learn more about the Garden of the Gods, click on this link for their website: Garden of the Gods.
Song of Songs 4:16 // Awake, O north wind, and come, wind of the south; make my garden breathe out fragrance, let its spices be wafted abroad. May my beloved come into his garden and eat its choice fruits!
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