Wintertime At The Garden Of The Gods

On our way to Manitou Springs this past Sunday afternoon, my sister Susan and I drove through the Garden of the Gods, one of the highlights of Colorado Springs. It is filled with unique looking red rocks which can be viewed from either the road that circles the park or by taking the many hiking trails throughout the area. Since it was sunny and in the low 60s, there were a lot of people out on those trails, as well as driving around that road taking in the views.

When you first enter the park, you are greeted by the rock formations seen in the photograph on the left. A trail goes right through the middle, which I have sometimes taken when I have visited here in the past. This park, nearby Manitou Springs, the Broadmoor Hotel, and the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo are the top attractions in the Springs, although the town also has some very nice Victorian era neighborhoods, especially around Colorado College. NORAD (the North American Aerospace Defense Command) is located underneath Cheyenne Mountain, but I would not try to visit there if I were you.  Of course, these days, the only time you hear from them is on Christmas Eve, when they release bulletins on the progress of Santa Claus as he travels across the globe. Could that be their only function these days?

As I have mentrioned before on this blog, my parents Nelson and Mary took a road trip from Chicago to Colorado back in the 1930s, along with my mother's parents William and Louise and her friend Peggy. My grandfather did the driving, heading across the plains, slowing down to a crawl as he started thinking about one thing or another, and then speeding up when his attention returned to the road. My mother said it was the longest car trip of her life. One of the photos they took at the Garden of the Gods is on the right. I do not recall ever seeing that particular rock, although it very well might still be there. I would not be surprised, however, if over the years it fell from that precarious perch.

The photograph on the left is of my mother and father sitting on one of the brick barriers lining one of the scenic overlooks that dot the area. I suspect the photograph was taken on Cheyenne Mountain Road, which leads to the Will Rodgers Shrine of the Sun, located at the summit of that peak. It used to be you could drive up there directly, and check out that monument and the views from there. However, sometime in the distant past it was incorporated into the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, and only zoo visitors can now drive up there. Plus, as I recall, you have to drive through part of the zoo to get to the continuation of the road. That segment is usually filled with people crossing from one side to the other, and you have to be very careful. If you run down one of those zoo visitors, you might very well get a ticket. And even worse, points off your license.