For the second weekend in March, my husband and I traveled to Colorado Springs to visit my former college roommate and her husband in their new home.
We departed from Detroit airport Thursday evening with a return flight Monday afternoon. Our friends picked is up from Denver airport (about an hour drive south from Denver) and drove us around for the weekend. Unfortunately I forgot my camera for our first trip out (Friday) so I have to wait for my husband to get pictures uploaded before I can link to them here.
Friday we drove up Pike's Peak. It was a pretty windy road, with a handful of different roads diverging from it and nice vegetation (I didn't see any wild life). The wind picked up once we got above the treeline. The view was beautiful and the snow was pretty frozen, so we walked on top of the snow to get closer to the edge. However, with the strong winds (and thus, very cool temperature), I did not stay out of the car too long.
Price was per car. This list would have been a great list to help plan our stay.
Then we drove through Manitou, a little village with lots of cute shops. It looked like a great place to park and walk around (& nibble) for a day. This place is on my list to visit next time.
We visited Garden of the Gods and hiked up a small rock (about the height of a short flight of stairs) with surprisingly beautiful views for what little climbing we did. We then walked a few trails around the park and saw a handful of different rock climbers (must have proper equipment & permit). It was fun to stop and watch them on their conquest. Free admission.
Saturday was a blizzard warning with more strong winds than snow so we stayed inside. We took turns picking what shows to watch on Netflix, ate leftovers, and ordered Chinese for dinner. Great relaxing day. :)
Sunday we went to church then drove over to tour the Air Force Academy.
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| My former roommate & I outside of her new home. |
Friday we drove up Pike's Peak. It was a pretty windy road, with a handful of different roads diverging from it and nice vegetation (I didn't see any wild life). The wind picked up once we got above the treeline. The view was beautiful and the snow was pretty frozen, so we walked on top of the snow to get closer to the edge. However, with the strong winds (and thus, very cool temperature), I did not stay out of the car too long.
Price was per car. This list would have been a great list to help plan our stay.
Then we drove through Manitou, a little village with lots of cute shops. It looked like a great place to park and walk around (& nibble) for a day. This place is on my list to visit next time.
We visited Garden of the Gods and hiked up a small rock (about the height of a short flight of stairs) with surprisingly beautiful views for what little climbing we did. We then walked a few trails around the park and saw a handful of different rock climbers (must have proper equipment & permit). It was fun to stop and watch them on their conquest. Free admission.
Saturday was a blizzard warning with more strong winds than snow so we stayed inside. We took turns picking what shows to watch on Netflix, ate leftovers, and ordered Chinese for dinner. Great relaxing day. :)
Sunday we went to church then drove over to tour the Air Force Academy.
After the car was routinely "searched" & driver was IDed, we continued through the gate and up the long driveway to the campus. We drove to the Visitor Center first and found a wealth of brochures for local attractions outside the academy as well as plaques lining the walls telling the academy's history. These were wonderful reads accompanied by great pictures, displays, and even a dorm room set up for visitors to view (eyes only).
We then walked up the trail to the Cadet Chapel, which houses four worshipping centers. The Protestant church above the Catholic church; and the Jewish synogue/temple, Muslim, and Buddist centers below them.
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| Exterior of the Chapel |
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| Interior of the Protestant church |
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| Interior of the Catholic church |
For dinner, we went to Colorado Mountain Brewery and my husband sampled their local brews. The food was out of this world delicious! We ordered venison egg rolls for the appetizer and I ordered a pulled buffalo burrito with beans. I couldn't believe how heavenly it tasted. :) Their burgers were spot-on, too and my husband ordered the meatloaf (if I remember correctly). I wish we had taken pictures of our plates because they were that good! Even the guacamole was deliciously fresh!
Monday was our flight out. :( My friend gave me a Mary Kay facial for the road and a new yearning for some nice products...
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| We went from beautiful 50* weather to landing in this grey, cloudy weather. |
For more pictures, you can view my album here.
