The Colorado Trip

We all enjoyed our trip to Colorado, and we feel that we learned a lot about the area to which we will be moving.  I, for one, am becoming very excited about it.

Remember, once we are there, we will have an open door policy.  Any of our friends are welcome to drop in any time.  We'd love to see you and show you around!

Riding the Cog Railroad to the Summit of Pike's Peak

We all enjoyed our ride on the cog railroad.  It has an interesting history, as it has been climbing the mountain since 1890.  The locomotives have changed through the years, but the track has stayed the same.  Some parts of the track are the original rails laid down in 1890.

The views from the train were spectacular.  It wasn't a perfectly clear day, but one could still see for miles.  The summit of Pike's Peak is at elevation 14,110 feet, and the air is very thin.  We experienced difficulty breathing as we approached the top.

The temperature at the summit was 25 degrees Fahrenheit, with a wind chill of 19 degrees.  However, the air was so dry that it did not feel that cold.  There were clouds covering most of the peak, but in a few places one could look down on the world below.  On a clear day it is said that you can see seven states from Pike's Peak. 

We really enjoyed the trip up the mountain.  At the top there was a gift shop and restaurant that served fresh donuts and hot chocolate, and it all smelled incredibly good.  Annie ordered a cup of steaming hot chocolate, and Momma and Daddy each had a fudge dipped donut.  I wanted some, but they hadn't provided anything for people with dairy allergies. 

We were given about thirty minutes at the summit, and then our train headed back down to the base of the mountain.  The views on the way down were even better than we saw on the way up.  We got to have a close look at some yellow bellied marmots that were out sunning themselves on the rocks.  Annie and I thought the marmots resembled Spunkabitty.

Our ride on the cog railway was a grand opportunity to see the awesomeness of God's creation.

Garden of the Gods - Colorado Springs, CO

We drove on to Colorado Springs on Thursday, because we wanted to see Pike's Peak and the Garden of the Gods.  Pike's Peak was scheduled for the next day, so we decided to explore the Garden a bit.  This was one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen.  It impressed me strongly, and I couldn't get enough of the sights.  I could have spent days there, walking the trails and taking pictures.  Breathtaking!  All the rock formations have names, but I was unable to keep them straight. 

As one drives into the valley containing the Garden of the Gods, these red rocks suddenly come into view.  It is quite a sight, especially since all the surrounding mountains are rather ordinary in shape and color.  One gets the impression that the red rocks were just set down in the middle of it all, instead of belonging there.





Balanced Rock

The Hike to Greyrock Mountain

On Wednesday, we decided to go explore Poudre Canyon, which is very near Fort Collins.  We planned a hike there to Greyrock Mountain.  It rained all morning, so we entertained ourselves by driving up the canyon to the Continental Divide.  The scenery was lovely in spite of the rain. 

When the rain stopped after lunch, we drove back to Greyrock to try to do our hike.  It was filled with beautiful views, but the trail itself was quite rough and difficult.  We ended up losing the trail briefly, but we found our trail again when we decided to backtrack.  We had come to a switchback and kept going across the side of the mountain instead of turning.  Simple mistake, right?  It could have been serious.  It did cost us any possibility we might have had of making it to our destination, Greyrock Mountain.  We had just made it to the place where we could catch a glimpse of Greyrock when it was time to turn back.  On our way down the mountain, we noticed the chokecherry bushes growing on the edge of the trail.  Chokecherries are edible, and they are similar to plums in taste.  Some of them were ripe, so we all tasted the fruit.  It was delicious!  Apparently, birds, deer, squirrels, and even coyotes like them, too.  We saw signs of all of those critters.

I hope we are able to go back and try Greyrock Mountain again someday.  I want to finish the hike and see what it is like from the top.  It was a pretty neat hike, and I'd like to see what the surroundings look like on a sunny day.

Annie and I are looking at the trail map and information board.

Annie taking in the view

Touring Houses in Fort Collins



the first house we visited

We spent Tuesday of our trip to Fort Collins touring houses.  We are not ready to buy yet, but we wanted to look so that we and our realtor could have a better idea of what we will want in a house when we are ready.  It was a productive tour, and we definitely learned some things about Fort Collins real estate.  Architecture is just not the same in Colorado as it is in the South.  We missed the big porches, high ceilings, and that southern style of decor.  However, it is nice in Fort Collins, and we will get used to it, I'm sure.

house # 2

Digger, an occupant of house # 2

At house number two a special greeter met us at the door.  His name was Digger, as we discovered when we read the tag on his collar.  Digger was a huge long-haired cat (The picture doesn't do his size justice.) with the sweetest personality.  He let us hold him, rub his belly, and pet him.  For the record, we did look at the house, too.  It just wasn't as interesting as the cat. :)

one of the houses we toured



Get Service

I know this isn't the next update on our trip, but this video has a powerful message.  It really got me thinking, and I hope it does the same for you.

Our Hike to Lulu City and Little Yellowstone - Rocky Mountain National Park

Our traditional photograph of the trail sign

On Monday, we rose early and met up with my cousin Sarah at Rocky Mountain National Park for the hike to Lulu City.  We were all pretty excited about this hike, because we had heard good things about it on a hiker's blog. 

The trail to Lulu City is fairly smooth and broad, and it climbs slowly and gently as it winds through its lovely scenery.  Most of the hike follows the Colorado River, which is a small and unassuming stream at that point.

A pool alongside the river in the little mountain meadow

This little guy really wanted our lunches, but he couldn't quite get up the courage to come close.  He would sneak up to within 2-3 feet of one of us, then dash away like mad.

We stopped for lunch here at the site of Lulu City.  Lulu City was a small mining town in the 1800's, with a population of 200.  Only a few logs from the foundations of two of the cabins are visible.  We did see some of the silver-mining equipment along the trail, but it wasn't much.  The views of the mountains and the Colorado River were splendid, however.

Another view from our lunch stop.  That water was cold!

After lunch, we discussed the possibility of continuing on to Little Yellowstone Canyon.  We had heard that it was worth seeing, and we were only a mile or so from it.  The unanimous decision was to push on to Little Yellowstone, and we are very glad we did.  It offered some interesting adventures.

Annie is making her way across the stream on the rocks.  There is supposed to be a bridge here.

On the way up, we encountered a pair of hikers who informed us that, "The bridge is out, but it is easy to get across anyway."  Well, the bridge was out- actually several bridges were out!  During the spring snowmelt, the Colorado had experienced a flash flood that sent uprooted trees, boulders, rocks, and gravel down the river.  The bridges could be seen in most cases, and we could even walk on them.  The problem was that they pointed downstream instead of across.  Not a big deal, though, because the same flood had left plenty of rocks to cross on.  Nobody fell in, much to the disappointment of some of our party.

In this picture, you can see one of the "altered" bridges amid the debris.  This must have been quite a flood.

Looking up Little Yellowstone Canyon

We made it to Little Yellowstone Canyon after a slightly more strenuous hike.  It was well worth it, though we didn't obtain any pictures that do it justice.  What you can see in the above photo is only half the depth of the canyon.  Below the trees, it plunges down to the river in steep cliffs.  We all walked out to the rim to get a better look.  Annie and Sarah sat right on the edge, and Daddy walked out there to see what he could see.  Being afraid of heights, I didn't go quite so close.  I did, however, get a fine view, and so did Momma.

The total mileage of our hike ended up slightly over 10 miles, and we were pretty tired at the end.  Daddy took us to eat at a restaurant in Grand Lake, which was near our trailhead.  The food was great, but we'd have enjoyed it even if it wasn't.  Momma, Daddy, and I each got a burger, Sarah had a grilled salmon sandwich, and Annie ordered a salad.  Mmmm!  Before we headed back to Fort Collins, we found a coffee shop.  Perfect.

Fort Collins: Horsetooth Reservoir

On Sunday, after we visited a nice church in Fort Collins, we decided to go out to Horsetooth Reservoir County Park to take a little stroll.  Horsetooth is just a few minutes outside of Fort Collins, and it is a lovely place.  The reservoir is large and scenic, and there were many boats on it while we were there.  It is surrounded by land with beautiful hiking opportunities, and last time we were in Fort Collins we did a real hike there.  On this trip, we contented ourselves with a 1.2 mile walk down to the reservoir and back.

The weather was cool, sunny, and breezy.  People were out on the water, skiing, swimming, tubing, and sitting on party barges.  It looked like lots of fun.  We sat under the tree in the above picture to watch the action on the water.

The photo above gives you an idea of the terrain in Horsetooth Park and the area around Fort Collins.  I think it is a beautiful sight. 

The American Quarter Horse Museum

On the way up to Fort Collins, we stopped at the American Quarter Horse Museum in Amarillo, TX.  Being Quarter Horse lovers and owners,  we really enjoyed exploring the museum!  In front of the building were displayed several larger-than-life bronze statues of different riding disciplines and horses influential to the breed.  They were beautiful, and we had fun studying the details and reading the plaques at their bases.

This is the statue that greeted us as we entered the museum.  This larger-than-life sculpture depicts the ideal Quarter Horse. (We thought it resembled our gelding, Rusty.)

We enjoyed our visit to the museum, but not only because of its horsey theme.  The building is truly beautiful with its stone columns, stained wood, and soaring ceiling.  An extra special part of our tour was that the annual "America's Horse in Art" exhibit and show was on display at the time.  I saw so many pieces that I wanted to take home with me, but they were all too expensive. :(

There was a grand hall (pictured above) with photographs of all the equine and human hall-of-fame inductees displayed along the side walls. We found many of our horses' ancestors in the hall of fame.  On the floor, the foundation bloodlines of the Quarter Horse breed were mapped out in a giant chart on which I had fun tracing out Poco's ancestry.

There were displays from the Quarter Horse's colorful history on both floors, including a fully equipped chuck wagon and many saddles of various styles, ages, and functions.  The timeline for the breed, with pictures and interesting facts, was fascinating to me.

The museum had a large children's room with interactive exhibits to help teach kids about horses.  It had booths with grooming tools, saddles, feed, and horse videos.  Even though I am not a child, I admit to having fun with all of it.  But of course, I am pretty horsey. ;)

I am so thankful that we were able to see the museum.  I didn't think I would ever get the chance to do so, and it more than met my expectations.  If you are ever passing through Amarillo, I would definitely recommend touring the American Quarter Horse Museum.

We are back!

I know, I told you all that I would post updates throughout our trip to Colorado.  However, as always, we crammed our days full of activities and had little time for such things.  Momma did take lots of pictures, so I will post all about the trip as soon as I get settled again.

It was a lot of fun, and we did lots of exploring.  I can't wait to show you all that we saw!