On to Colorado Springs

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We moved on to Colorado Springs today via a pretty direct route through mountain passes. What a huge variation in temperature and overall weather. The temp in Montrose was 43 with totally overcast skies. It dropped down to 32 with snow flurries in the mountains and then gradually up to as high as 70 degrees and clear blue sunny skies when we arrived in Colorado Springs. Winter to summer in a matter of a couple of hours. That's Colorado!!
Because it was such a gorgeous clear day, we chose to drive up Pikes Peak. Unfortunately it was 3pm, the park closed at 5pm and we were told we'd only have enough time to drive up and down with no stops along the way. We chose not to go, but rather to see The Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs.

It was August of 1859, when two surveyors started out from Denver City to start formal action in locating a townsite, soon to be called Colorado City. While exploring nearby locations, they came upon a beautiful area of sandstone formations. One member suggested suggested that it would be a "capital place for a beer garden" when the country grew up. His companion, Rufus Cable, a "young and poetic man" exclaimed, "Beer Garden? Why this is a fit place for the Gods to assemble. We will call it the Garden of the Gods." It has been so called ever since. The property was privately owned in the early 1900's by the Perkins family but it had been open to the public for years.
After the death of the senior Perkin's, and knowing their father's feeling for the Garden of the Gods, the Perkins children conveyed his four hundred eighty acres to three trustees late in 1908. Today the land is a park owned by the city and open to picnics, horseback riding, biking, rock claiming, hiking and so on. No buildings are allowed with the exception of the visitor center.
It was late afternoon when we arrived there and the lighting was great for photography so I took advantage of it and photographed many of the unique rock formations.
We had dinner at the Olive Garden and checked in at our hotel, The Drury Inn. The Drury Inns are probably among the nicest reasonably priced hotels that we have stayed at on this trip.

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