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Published: August 28th 2011
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Hi everyone,
Good news! I finally have figured out how to get internet setup out here. ATT sells a MiFi device that acts as a router. Somehow it connects to their network (via satellite??) and it is 4G capable. What that means is it seems to be quicker than most of the wifi spots I have found and I can connect up to 5 computers to it. Yeah, I had to sign a two year contract and buy the MiFi but it is well worth the convenience of having it. The time and energy used lugging my computer down to the coffee shops and the cost of buying coffee on a regular basis made the decision to commit to a contract easier. I am paying $50 a month for 5Gig of data. It was costing that much to by coffee in the coffee shops!
Let me see ..... I left off last blog when I had arrived in Colorado Springs. Sarah, James and I had a great time playing tourist there. It is an beautiful city. We were staying right near Old Colorado City and were minutes from Garden of the Gods, Cave of the Winds and Manitou Springs.
Saturday I got up early and took the Jeep into the dealership to have the warning lights and the transmission checked out. The dealership was backlogged so I had Enterprise drop a Chevy Impala off at the dealership for me. I really did not like driving the Impala. The velour seats grabbed my jeans every time I got in or out so it felt like my butt was stuck to the seat. And it was very tight inside. I realize the designer was try to get that sports car feel but it really was not practical. It was like being in a cockpit. I did enjoy the automatic transmission on the mountain inclines. My jeep really struggles on the steep grades. I can climb 'em - it is just at a slow speed! 😊
I got the jeep back on Monday afternoon. They mechanic said that one of the sensors had gone bad and had to be replaced. I am certain that the nasty tar and loose rock asphalt repair zone I went through on US 287 in West Texas is responsible for the sensor going bad. I had that gunk all over the jeep. I did find
out something interesting about the transmission. When I asked if they had checked it out the sales guy said, "yes, the mechanic said it was a little tight but that was not unusual for a rebuilt transmission." Hhhmmmm ... not sure whether to be happy that it was rebuilt before I got it or upset that it wasn't mentioned when I purchased it. Glad I bought the extended warranty!
When I got back to the room Sarah and James had eaten breakfast and were waiting for me. We formed a plan of seeing the Manitou Cliff Dwellings, Cave of the Winds and horseback riding in the Garden of the Gods.
The Manitou Cliff Dwellings were very interesting. They were originally built by the Anasazi tribe. The location is privately owned and is very well maintained and preserved. There is still artwork in some areas of the buildings. It was amazing to think that a family of four could live in a two story structure that may have been 8ft by 10 feet wide. And the craftmanship of the buildings is remarkable as well. It gave me a better understanding of how knowledgeable these people were.
Next we
went to Cave of the Winds which is a huge cave that had been carved out over millions of years by water. The tour lasted an hour and the tourguides were very knowledgeable about the geology and the history of the Cave. I was surprised to hear that the first visitors to the caves would crawl on hands and knees by candlelight for four hours to reach the heart of the cave. And have to crawl back the same way - an eight hour roundtrip. I certainly admire the courage and strength of those early explorers.
That afternoon we did our tour of the Garden of the Gods. It was fun and the Garden is beautiful. I found it amusing that trail boss told us not to let the horses stop and eat along the trail. The horse I had definitely didn't hear the bit about grazing along the trail. Everytime we stopped it was munching on the greenry. As far as "not letting the horse eat" that is funny! I tried pulling on the reins to get his head up one time and he pulled back so hard I almost came out of the saddle and over his
head. Figured out what the stirrups and saddle horn are for! Yeah, I hear some of you horse people out the saying, "Denise, you just gotta show 'em who's in control!" Believe me, this horse knew who was it control and it wasn't me.
That evening we ate at Eidleweiss, a German resturant. The food was delicious. I had fogotten just how much I enjoy eating German food. And the servings were so large we had leftovers for two more meals.
Sunday we drove to Old Colorado City and explored the shops down there. We found a great bar-b-que restuarant for lunch. That afternoon we went up to Garden of the Gods and drove through the park. The visitor center has a really good film about the geology and the history of the park. There are also hiking trails throughout the park. We took a short hike to get closer to the rocks. It really is a special place and I can understand why the Ute Tribe considered it sacred.
Monday we took the day off from playing tourist and decided to go shopping at the mall. James was a good sport about shopping with two women.
Although he did throw up his hands and shout "No!" when Sarah and I decided to go into Victoria's Secret.
Tuesday we went up to Manitou Springs in hope of catching the Cog Railway Train to the top of Pike's Peak. Unfortunately, the first train with available seating was at 4 pm and it looked like it was going to rain. We made the decision to hang out in town instead. I lost Sarah and James in the metaphysical shop but they caught up with me later at the music shop. I found this very nice little High Spirits "A" native american style flute. It is only about 8 inches long but it sounds great.
After playing in Manitou all afternoon we were really hungry and found this sweet little Italian resturant in Old Colorado City. It was the very best Italian food I have ever eaten. And, I believe, Sarah and James felt the same way. The owners were from Brooklyn and pride themselves in serving authentic Italian food. Yum. I would definitely eat there again.
Wednesday morning I took James and Sarah to the airport. I think they were both wishing they had more time
to stay and explore. I decided to go back to Manitou and try to ride the train. Same story ... 4 pm availability and probable rain. I bought the ticket and hoped for the best. The ride started out clear and the views were amazing. When we were about half way up it started to lightening and soon a light mist was falling. That in itself was beautiful to see. When we got to Pike's Peak we were not allowed to go outside of the visitor center because of the danger of lightening strikes. There wasn't much that could be seen as there was a cloud engulfing the top of the mountain. Which is pretty cool when you think about it. I was standing at one of the highest points in the country and, probably the world, inside a cloud!
Thursday morning I packed up my stuff, loaded my jeep and headed down to New Mexico to stay at my friend, Robin's house. She was going out of town for the weekend and offered her home to me. Very nice! Thanks Robin. I had a quiet restful weekend adjusting to the new altitude. Taos is a bit higher than
Colorado Springs.
I am still in Taos and am really enjoying it. The mountains here are so beautiful and I love the contrast in scenery. I have been playing with my camera and will post some of the photos I have taken. And I have been sleeping a lot. I did not realize how exhausted I had become while moving out of the apartment, into the RV, and dealing with all of the RV problems. I have really been enjoying the stillness but am ready to be in motion again. Things are starting to come together as far as a plan on where I will be journeying next. Stay tuned!!
love you all,
Denise
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