Garden of the Gods

Later that day we went back out and visited one of the most popular parks in Colorado - the Garden of the Gods. The park sits on the edge of Colorado Springs, and protects an area filled with massive red sandstone rock formations. 



Along with the rock formations, there are also great views of Pikes Peak and the other nearby mountains.



The park gets its name from two surveyors, who visited the area in 1859. One of the surveyors, who clearly had his priorities in order, remarked that the area would be a "capital place for a beer garden." The other surveyor replied: "Beer garden! Why, it is a fit place for the Gods to assemble. We will call it the Garden of the Gods." Which is a more poetic name but definitely not as much fun.



The rock formations are hundreds of millions of years old, and archaeological evidence suggests Native American peoples visited the area as long ago as the year 1330 BC. The Ute people would spend their winters living in the area that is now the park, and spend their summers around Pikes Peak (which they called Tavakiev). The Ute people consider the Garden of the Gods to be their sacred place of origin.





In 1909, the land was donated to the city of Colorado Springs on the condition that it be turned into a public park. Now there are over 21 miles of hiking trails, and the park is a popular spot to go mountain biking, horseback riding and rock climbing. Over two million people visit the park each year.



It was fairly crowded while we were there. Which wasn't all that surprising since it wasn't just a Saturday evening, it was also the Fourth of July.



And one last shot from the Garden of the Gods, taken while looking for the beer garden:



Due to the lack of rain and the extreme fire danger, the official Fourth of July fireworks shows were cancelled in Colorado Springs. There were signs up all across the city warning of the fire danger and saying that fireworks are illegal in the city. But that didn't seem to stop people, as it got dark the skies around us were filled with fireworks and explosions. The fireworks went on for hours, well past midnight. Luckily we managed to get the kids to sleep through most of it (thank goodness for Benadryl!).

Paint Mines

After visiting Pikes Peak, it was time for a change in scenery. From Colorado Springs we drove about 40 minutes out to see the Paint Mines Interpretive Park. The park protects an area of colorful rock and clay formations, containing spires and hoodoos.  

We parked at one of the two trailheads and started the short hike to the formations. The trail starts out in open prairie, filled with grasses and windmills.



And then the trail drops down into the rock formations. The history of the place stretches back millions of years, back to when this area was a subtropical rain forest. Deposits from ancient rivers were then, over time, eroded by rain, wind and snowmelt to create a maze of colorful formations. The rocks get their vibrant and vivid colors from oxidized iron in the clay.



It reminded me of the Painted Desert at Petrified Forest National Park or the Artist's Palette at Death Valley National Park.



Arrowheads and stone dart tips have been found here, showing that the Paint Mines were occupied by Native American people for as long as 9,000 years. The area gets its name because the clay was used to paint and create pottery.





It is a really neat and kid-friendly area to explore. Here's one last shot before we hiked back to the car and headed back to Colorado Springs

Pikes Peak

The next day we packed up the car and left Estes Park, heading southeast towards Denver. We had a mild case of culture shock as we went from the quiet peace of the National Park to the traffic jams of a huge city. But it was worth it so that we could visit Casa Bonita, the Disney Land of Mexican restaurants. We saw the cliff divers, the pirate cave, and even Cartman. And after a few hours we got back in the car, suffered through some more traffic, and then eventually made our way to Colorado Springs.

The next day we returned to the high elevation mountains with a visit to Pikes Peak. There are a few ways you can reach the top of the mountain. You can hike to the top via a 13.5 mile uphill trek that has over 7,400 feet of elevation gain. Or you can drive along a 19 mile-long road that switchbacks up the mountain. We were lazy and just took the train instead. The Pikes Peak Cog Railway starts out at a quaint little train station in Manitou Springs, and then runs directly to the summit. The ride up takes about an hour and has an elevation gain of about 7,800 feet. The conductor on our train spent the time on the way up telling some cheesy jokes, like describing the different types of wildlife that live on the mountain. He mentioned that earlier that day they saw the Rocky Mountain flamingo (just as the train passes by a plastic pink flamingo standing by the tracks).

The views from the train are great - and made me really glad I wasn't having to drive up there.



The tracks ran through thick forests and alongside a few streams with waterfalls on them. Then the train cleared the tree line.



The conductor also gave lots of facts about the mountain and its history, including how a poet named Katherine Bates traveled to the summit in 1893 and was inspired by the sweeping view. She wrote a poem, which was published and then became the lyrics for the song "America the Beautiful." And just in case anyone wasn't familiar with the song, our conductor sang it for his captive audience on the train.



And soon enough the train made one last push up the mountain to the summit, which sits at an elevation 14,115 feet.



At the top is a visistor center that has a museum, gift shop and a little cafe that sells donuts. We only had about an hour there before the train departed to head back down the mountain, so I hurried to get a few pictures. This is the view looking back towards Colorado Springs:



It was really hazy up there thanks to smoke from some really bad wildfires in Colorado.



The elevation up there is no joke. I got winded walking up the stairs at the visitor center, and there were people laying on the ground on the visitor center. We saw one family from Florida who had people who passed out because they were not acclimated to the elevation change.





Next to the visitor center was the remains of this old stone wall, which was part of an early shelter built in 1873.



And one last shot from the summit, before our hour was up and it was time to head back to the train.



Thanks to gravity, the ride down the mountain is a little bit quicker. And thankfully the conductor didn't serenade us with any songs again. Soon enough we were back in the train station in Manitou Springs. The depot was built in 1891:





We went back to Colorado Springs, and the place where we were staying actually had a view looking back towards Pikes Peak. It's kinda cool how the mountain just looms over the city.

Rocky Mountain National Park - Alluvial Fan

There was one place that we visited in Rocky Mountain National Park that I wanted to revisit with better conditions. During our first stop at the Alluvial Fan, it was bright and sunny and the waterfall was overrun with people. I desperately wanted to go back with when it wouldn't be so crowded and with better light.

We had one more day in Estes Park, and we spent most of it letting the kids do some of the activities at the YMCA (there was mini golf, rock climbing and crafts). I was eager to return to the Alluvial Fan that evening around sunset, but there was one minor issue. The World Cup was also going on at the same time, and the US National Team was playing that night against Bosnia and Herzegovina. The game started at 6 PM, so if everything worked out then we could rush back into the park after the game and have a tiny bit of time to get a few pictures before it got dark. So we ate dinner and watched the game at the lodge (which didn't have a TV, so we streamed the game on an Ipad). Thankfully the game didn't need to go into extra time, and the US won the game 2-0. As soon as it ended, Jonah and I ran to the car and drove into the park.

The game ended around 8:10, and sunset that night was around 8:30. Luckily the YMCA is right by the park entrance, and we managed to get to the Alluvial Fan in good time. But it was already getting dark, and we only had a few minutes to run around and get pictures.



The Alluvial Fan is a series of waterfalls and cascades on the Roaring River. It flows through a large boulder field that was formed in 1982, when a dam upriver breached and caused a massive flash flood. The torrential wall of water rushed through the Roaring River Valley, scouring out the valley and picking up boulders and debris. When the flood hit Horseshoe Park, it spread out and slowed and left behind a path of rocks in the shape of an alluvial fan. The flood waters continued flowing through the Park and into the city of Estes Park, which suffered severe damage.

Things were calm and peaceful when we were there. The clear water of the river tumbled and danced around the rocks and boulders.









I tried to squeeze the last bit of light out of the day. It had gotten so dark that my last shot from there had to be a 30 second exposure.



This was our last day in Estes Park, and a good way to end our visit to Rocky Mountain National Park. We of course didn't see everything there is to see in the park, which means we'll just have to come back again soon.

Rocky Mountain National Park - Trail Ridge Road Part 2

If you're planning on visiting Rocky Mountain National Park, one thing to always keep in mind is the weather. The conditions along Trail Ridge Road can change quickly and dramatically. The road is the highest paved road in the country, and reaches an elevation of over 12,000 feet. Even in the summer, it can turn very cold and even start snowing. You should always bring warm clothes with you, like a jacket or hat.

Which is really good advice - I just wish I had taken it. It was a warm and pleasant 75 degrees in Estes Park that day, and I was wearing just a t-shirt and some shorts. But I was in a hurry to leave for the park, and forgot to change and to bring any warm clothes. I realized the error in my ways when I got out of the car at the Rainbow Curve Overlook and noticed a steep drop in temperature. Whoops!

So I headed further up Trail Ridge Road, stopping at a few of the overlooks. Some dark and dramatic clouds clung to the sky over the mountains:



The road climbs higher up, passing through forests of fir and spruce. But then you hit the tree line, the point at which the elevation and conditions make it too difficult for trees to grow. The road enters the alpine tundra. Which at first looks just like a barren, rocky landscape.



But if you look closely, you'll see that this isn't some desolate area devoid of life. The alpine tundra is home to over 200 species of tiny plants and flowers that manage to eke out an existence in the harsh conditions. It's amazing that these plants thrive here - the temperatures remain below freezing all winter, and wind speeds can exceed 150 miles an hour. The growing season in the summer is only between 6-12 weeks long. The tiny yellow flowers growing here are called alpine avens (I think?), which provided a nice foreground to some cool light developing in the sky.



I got in the car, cranked up the heat, and drove onto the next overlook called Rock Cut. The thermometer in the car showed the temperate outside was 41 degrees. It had started raining, the wind blowing and swirling the rain drops around. The overlook sits at an elevation of 12,100 feet and I was definitely feeling a little short of breath at the altitude. But the views were awesome from there.







And this was part of the view from the Lava Cliffs Overlook (elevation 12,080 feet).



Driving west from Lava Cliffs, you'll soon pass over the highest point of the drive where the elevation reaches 12,183 feet. Luckily it had stopped raining, and it warmed up a little (a balmy 48 degrees!). The next stop was the Gore Range Overlook, which sits at an elevation of 12,048. The views from here are spectacular, with the poetically-named Never Summer Mountains off in the distance. In the foreground you can see a little pond that is called an alpine tarn.



It wasn't very crowded here, just a few cars in the parking lot. Everyone else visiting had managed to think ahead and was wearing layers of warm clothing.







From here you also have great views of Long's Peak - the tallest mountain in the park with an elevation of 14,259 feet.







I got back in the car to warm up, and then turned around and made one last stop at the Forest Canyon Overlook. The overlook sits at an elevation of 11,716 feet and is reached by a short little walk up this path:



From here you have a vast view of Forest Canyon, Hayden Gorge and Gorge Lakes. The V-shaped valley below was carved out by a 1,500 foot-thick glacier.





And one last shot from the night from the Forest Canyon Overlook.



After that it was time to get back in the car, crank up the heat, and head back towards Estes Park. Just a fun little reminder to anyone reading this who is thinking about driving up Trail Ridge Road - don't be a fool and forget to bring some warm clothes...