Tag: Colorado

Posted on

Colorado Springs, Colorado to Oakley, Kansas (Half Way Back Home) October 1, 2019

We are now 1 MONTH FROM COMPLETING OUR 8 MONTH CROSS COUNTRY TRIP IN OUR 5th WHEEL RV “HOME”. We have TRAVELED 20,000 MILES on this trip so far. We are HALF WAY BACK to Melbourne, Florida, on our current southeast trajectory, to see our precious family and dear friends. Today we traveled from COLORADO SPRINGS, COLORADO, through the high level plains of in the eastern part of the state, into KANSAS. We started our day at an elevation of 8,000 feet, and ended at 3,055, a 5,000 FOOT ELEVATION DROP in just a few hours’ drive. KANSAS marks the 18th STATE WE HAVE VISITED ON OUR TRIP. We have 6 MORE STATES TO VISIT, including Florida, before arriving home. We landed for the night in OAKLEY, KANSAS, founded in 1887, the birthplace of the legend BUFFALO BILL. Kansas is also the home state of President Eisenhower, and famous as a result of the classic movie blockbuster WIZARD OF OZ. Along the entire trip today we witnessed nothing but corn, wheat and alfalfa fields, as well as cows, and more cows. Moving along, we visit many family and friends!!!!!

Posted on

Colorado Springs, Colorado (North Cheyene Canyon Park, Historic Colorado City, Magic City – M. Garmin) September 30, 2019

Today we decided that a breakfast in HISTORIC OLD COLORADO CITY, a HISTORIC NATURAL DISTRICT, founded in 1859, would be our choice. We ate outside at, BONTON’S, a delightful family owned restaurant right on the quaint main street. It was an awesome environment with delicious food. We then went to the MICHAEL GARMAN MUSEUM & GALLERY down the street, which surprisingly turned out to be an absolutely amazing experience, with the most unique and detailed sculpted cityscapes you can imagine. The scenes within MAGIC CITY were raw and stimulating as everything you looked at was reflected from somewhere else with the use of mirrors and lighting. Don’t miss this one if you are ever in HISTORIC OLD COLORADO CITY. We then took to the trails in the NORTH CHEYENNE CANYON PARK, established in 1885, which is located immediately southwest of Colorado City. We hiked the SILVER CASCADE FALLS TRAIL to two beautiful waterfalls, the HELEN HUNT FALLS and the SILVER CASCADE FALLS. We ended the day at the top of the world, hiking the MOUNT CUTLER TRAIL to the peak of MOUNT CUTLER at 7,200 feet, overlooking Colorado City through the gorgeous mountain valleys. The park was gorgeous and very memorable!!!!

Posted on

Colorado Springs, Colorado – Red Rock Canyon Open Space, Manitou Springs, Pikes Peak September 29, 2019

Today we hiked the beautiful RED ROCK CANYON OPEN SPACE, which lies at the Western edge of COLORADO SPRINGS, COLORADO, and also borders the historic town of MANITOU SPRINGS. The park was stablished in 2003 and sits adjacent the one million acre PIKE NATIONAL FOREST. We hiked and explored four trails today including the MESA, ROUND-UP, QUARRY PASS and ROCK CANYON TRAILS. We witnessed some of the most gorgeous RED SANDSTONE ROCK FORMATIONS, ponderosa pine filled valleys, and impressive mountains you can imagine. We also really enjoyed an old DAKOTA SANDSTONE ROCK QUARRY, which operated during the 1870’s and 1880’s, and mined in the so-called “hogback” (highest ridge) of the mountain. We then went into historic MANITOU SPRINGS for some terrific post hike food and refreshment. With a summit elevation of 14,115 FEET above sea level, the Manitou to PIKES PEAK RAILWAY is the highest railway in North America, which is a real tourist attraction in the area. What a beautiful site of Pikes Peak from town, and a glimpse into the very impressive railway as well. What a fabulous day!!!!!

Posted on

Colorado Springs, Colorado – Garden of the Gods September 28, 2019

We were able to build three extra days into our schedule to visit the incredible area in and around COLORADO SPRINGS, COLORADO, located immediately south DENVER. We arrived midday at ROCKY TOP CAMPGROUND, situated at 8,000 FEET near the base of famous PIKES PEAK, which towers above the surrounding high level landscape, at an impressive 14,115 FEET. Instantly after arriving we left to investigate the stunningly beautiful, very large, and quite unique, rock formations at the GARDEN OF THE GODS. It is a donated, 1,350 acre, city park, which was dedicated a NATIONAL NATURAL LANDMARK in 1908. The park offers stunning views of magnificent red sandstone rock formations, many of which were formed over 300 million years ago. We investigated the park by car and on foot, hiking three trails, the BALANCED ROCK, SIAMESE TWINS and the CENTRAL GARDEN TRAILS. Some of our favorite formations were the BALANCED ROCK, SIAMESE TWINS, and the entire, impressively beautiful, CENTRAL GARDEN area. What a fabulous place!!!!!

Posted on

Denver, Colorado (Visiting With Dear Friend Doug Klein) September 26 & 27, 2019

After thoroughly enjoying ROCKY MOUNTAIN NATIONAL PARK for the last three days, we traveled to AURORA, COLORADO, located in eastern DENVER. Our mission was to visit with one of my dearest and most trusted friends in the world, DOUG KLEIN. Doug and I met in Michigan, and he has been my FRIEND FOR OVER 35 YEARS. As MY PRIOR PASTOR, he will always remain MY ABSOLUTE BIGGEST MENTER AND INFLUENCE IN MY SPIRITUAL WALK. For that precious gift, I will forever be indebted to him. While we were in Denver, Anna and I spent two wonderful evenings with Doug enjoying glorious dinners at two of his favorite restaurants, simply spending time catching up on life. What a TREMENDOUS BLESSING to have such an awesome friend, and to have the freedom and ability to travel to Denver to spend some quality time together!!! 

Posted on

Rocky Mountain National Park – Estes Park, Colorado (Bear Lake Trail, Alberta FallsTrail, Alberta Falls) September 26, 2019

Early this morning we visited the phenomenal BEAR LAKE area within ROCKY MOUNTAIN NATIONAL PARK, located 10 miles south of MORAINE PARK where we are camping. The ranger station near the hiking trailheads was located at 9,475 feet elevation. This gorgeous area was formed 15,000 to 30,000 years ago by a 500 FOOT THICK GLACIER carving a ½ mile path through this subalpine environment. This location was incredibly beautiful with 12,000-PLUS FOOT MOUNTAIN PEAKS surrounding us, gorgeous PONDEROSA PINES and GOLDEN YELLOW ASPEN TREES highlighting the tree lined mountain sides. We hiked two trails, first the BEAR LAKE TRAIL around stunning, pristine BEAR LAKE, and then the ALBERTA FALLS TRAIL to the wonderful cascading ALBERTA FALLS. Both destinations were shockingly gorgeous. We also were able to interact with a PIKA, a very small, very cute, chipmunk looking animal, but actually from the rabbit family. We then moved on to the DENVER, COLORADO area for two days to visit one of my dearest friends in the world, DOUG KLEIN, who I have known for 35 years!!!!!

Posted on

Rocky Mountain National Park – Estes Park, Colorado (Trail Ridge Road, Alpine Visitor Center) September 25, 2019

We explored the virtual TOP OF THE ROCKIES today!! We traveled the super impressive 22 mile TRAIL RIDGE ROAD from our campground in the MORAINE PARK CAMPGROUND, located within the national park at an 8,000 foot elevation, passing by the highest point on the road at 12,183 feet, to the our ultimate destination, the ALPINE VISITOR CENTER, just below that at an elevation of 11,796 FEET from sea level. This is a location that receives SUB-ZERO TEMPATURES & WINDS THAT CAN EXCEED 100MPH for at least 5 months per year. We witnessed some of the most impressive, rugged, and beautiful mountain views you can imagine. We were in a TUNDRA region, a Russian term meaning “land of no trees”.  We also witnessed many HIGH ALTITUDE LAKES, GLACIERS, LONG’S PEAK AT 13,255 FEET, wonderful rodent looking creatures called MARMOTS, deep gorges, stunning valleys, and impressive, snowy mountain peaks. At this altitude of 12,000 feet, the reduced air pressure means that each breath taken provides you with and astounding 30 TO 40 PERCENT LESS OXYGEN than you would get at sea level. May I say from two perspectives that it was a “BREATHTAKING” day!!!!!!!

Posted on

Rocky Mountain National Park – Estes Park, Colorado (Cub Lake/Fern Lake Trail, Cub Lake Trail, Elk) September 24, 2019

We traveled 20 miles through the beautiful mountain pass to enter into ESTES PARK, COLORADO, called the “Gateway to the Rockies,” and directly into ROCKY MOUNTAIN NATIONAL PARK. The park was designated a NATIONAL PARK in 1915. We dry camped at Moraine Park Campground within the national park for three days at an elevation of over 8,000 feet. We were situated right in the middle of the over-the-top, impressive ROCKY MOUNTAIN PEAKS towering above us at 11,000 TO OVER 14,000 FEET. The highest peak in the park, LONG’S PEAK, at 14,255 feet, was positioned directly outside the front door of our RV looking to the south. Wow, now that’s camping! Today we took a fairly rigorous 6 MILE HIKE through the MORAINE PARK section of the park to view the ever-present ELK. We saw one of the largest BULL ELKS in the park, with a rack estimated at 4 feet tall, BUGLING LOADLY to attract the female during this mating season. After passing through the beautiful meadow, we then headed up into the mountains on the CUB LAKE TRAIL to impressive CUB LAKE, and to a high level vantage point, with breathtaking, 360 degree views of the glorious peaks and gorges within the park. Our return path was on the FERN LAKE TRAIL, which followed the gorgeous meandering BIG THOMPSON RIVER. This was an awesome day in one of the country’s most impressive NATIONAL PARKS!!!!

Posted on

Wyoming Snow Pass – Grand Tetons, Wyoming to Casper, Wyoming September 21, 2019

We left glorious GRAND TETON NATIONAL PARK this morning to head for clearer weather in ESTES PARK, and ROCKY MOUNTAIN NATIONAL PARK, both located west of DENVER, COLORADO. We headed eastbound on U.S. Route 26 through the gorgeous BRIDGER-TETON NATIONAL FOREST and over the CONTINENTAL DIVIDE. The road traverses over the impressive TOGWOTEE PASS, located at 9,658 feet above sea level. The temperature quickly dropped from 37 degrees at our B.L.M. campsite in the Grand Tetons to 32 degrees at the pass. We encountered snow, pulling our 32 foot 5th wheel, in an already snow covered terrain. Wow, what a somewhat surprise encounter, and what and incredible adventure!!!!!!!! On the CASPER, WYOMING and the famous and awe-inspiring ROCKY MOUNTAIN NATIONAL PARK in Colorado, our 17th STATE on our CROSS COUNTRY RV TRIP!!!!!!