My perch in Manitou, the Siamese Twins, the Oktoberfest, and plans for Autumn Leaves trip.

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Sept 19 – Friday – It’s 73 in Manitou with 26%!h(MISSING)umidity. I have considered that I am only about 100 yards from the Sign for Manitou Springs and so for all practical purposes I am in Manitou Springs weather-wise and attitude wise since it is up on the foothills whereas Colorado Springs is in the city on the plain.

And a city is a city no matter where they are (at least in the US), people who live there are more concerned about making money than anything else. Which is understandable as it is so much more expensive to live in a city.

So I will just stay up here on my perch in Manitou. If I could find a good deal on a 2 bedroom house in Manitou or Old Colorado City in a quiet place I would consider renting one but for the moment I am content with where I am at the Rainbow Lodge. It has all that I require for now, and at an altitude of about 6400 ft., it’s about as high as I care to live.

http://manitousprings.org/

Today I hiked the Siamese Twins trail in the Garden of the Gods. At 6400 ft. altitude and with a 150 elevation gain it was quite a strenuous hike. Particularly when you consider that I just recently arrived here from College Station, Texas which is 338 ft. above sea level.

So I got in my walk for today. It was quite a beautiful hike, with a great place to sit behind the Siamese Twins and take in the view.

Sept. 20 – Saturday – Today was a good day. I drove up over Ute Pass to Woodland Park at 8,465ft. The drive was a very scenic one on the way there and back.
The women there were very friendly and they had a good polka band. I wanted to dance and there were women looking at me like they wanted me to dance with them, but at this altitude I didn’t think I would make it through one Polka.

I spaced out my beers to only 2 over the course of two hours and then switched to bottled water. After I had enjoyed the Oktoberfest enough I walked around Woodland Park a bit exploring and then eased back down Ute pass back to Manitou.
On the way back I stopped in Manitou at a convenience store to get something and actually hesitated to stop because the parking lot was so full….after I stopped I realized people were Parking in the convenience store parking lot and buying Marijuana next door at the place with a line going out the door.

Sept 21 – Sunday – Today after having my tea and toast and thinking things over I caught up with a few things on my computer and then headed down the hill to Old Colorado City to get my walk in for today. I parked on 25^th and Colorado by Bancroft Park, the little park there where they have a farmers market every Saturday, and then walked west on Colorado Avenue checking out the stores. I walked from one end of the “stores and shops” section of Old Colorado City to the other end, crossed the street, and then back down on the other side. Then relaxed a bit in the park and just enjoyed the cool air and fresh breeze. I was surprised with just how uncrowded it was for a Sunday. There must be a football game on or something.

Having gotten in my walk for today I then drove up the hill on Colorado and Manitou Avenue to the circle at the West end of Manitou Avenue and then back down again, just checking out things along the way, and trying not to run over any pedestrians in the process. Manitou was very crowded and seemed to have some bands playing in a park like area there.

After this I eased back to the Rainbow Lodge and fixed up some baked potatoes with chili for supper. Then I just played around on my computer with the movie “You’ve Got Mail” on the TV as background. I’ve seen that show over a dozen times but enjoy it as much now as the first time I saw it.

Sept 22 – Monday – Today I got to thinking about how the leaves were turning already, and realized that if I was going to take a trip around Colorado checking out the Fall colors I had better get to it. I’ve been here enough to realize just how fleeting this event is. A delay of just a week can make a huge difference. So I started mapping out a circular route using my Rand Mcnally large scale Road Atlas and Mapquest. I also visited several web sites and explored the best places to go for viewing the leaves changing.

So I got a pretty good route mapped out which I should be able to cover in a week to a week and a half at a leisurely pace. It is approximately 820 miles, most of them mountain miles which makes a difference.

I’m going to keep my room here at the Rainbow Lodge while I go on this trip. It’s such a good home base and I would not be assured of getting the same room when I came back if I let it go. Also I can leave everything in the room that is not necessary for this trip.

If things go as planned I will head out on Wednesday the 24^th.

http://www.colorado.com/articles/10-places-see-colorados-fall-color

http://www.9news.com/story/weather/2014/09/05/9-best-fall-colors-drives/15135947/

http://www.coloradodot.info/projects/SH82/independence-pass/independence-pass-travel-information.html

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Photos

Siamese twins trail - Garden of the Gods
Behind the Siamese Twins

Oktoberfest - Woodland Park
I took this picture right after the band started up and before the dance floor got crowded

Marijuana anyone ?
People lined out the door to buy Recreational Marijuana in Manitou Springs.

Comments

[taracloud]

Beautiful spot to hike!
Your place is gorgeous, but I imagine the fall color tour will be spectacular--I love those quaking aspen. I read that the fall colors are late on the eastern Sierras this year in California, so wise of you to check the internet for the the turning of the colors--enjoy.

[Sojourner1208]

Fall colors
The Fall colors were everything I have heard about them. Just awesome.

[D MJ Binkley]

Inexpensive locations
Have you ever used home away or airbnb? They often provide reasonable places to stay. Check it out. Nothing better than a good polka. You should have tried. Looks like fun in Woodland Park. Happy travels.

[Sojourner1208]

airbnb
Yes I do need to check out those sites. Thanks.