A couple of days after I got to Colorado (which was June 2) Beth and I headed to Garden of the Gods for a hike. I've been to Garden of the Gods several times, but always wandered the paved trails around the huge rock formations. This time we took the single track around.
A beautiful view of Pikes Peak from the trail. The area had recently had a lot of rain, so Pikes naturally had a lot of SNOW! The snow up there reminds me of a time I took a late spring hike up Horsetooth in Fort Collins. I went by myself and the areas of the trail that were mostly shaded still had snow. Some parts were sooo slippery from being a little melted and frozen again at night. Those parts of the trail were impassable unless you resigned to sliding up or down the path as necessary. It was fun, but I'm also glad I didn't slip right off the mountain!!
The red orange rock against the blue of the soon-to-be-stormy sky is my favorite color combination. Isn't it breathtaking?
Beth and I had a heck of a time with the trail map. No matter where we were we could pretty much tell which direction the car was in (the huge mountains to the west are perfect for navigation!), but the trails didn't seem to go where they said they would on the map. We kept ending up on the Ute trail which wasn't even on the map! It didn't take long for us to decide to just go with the flow of the trail. We could have ended up in Manitou Springs, but eventually the looming storm bid us to follow the road to the car.
I love the layered look of the mountains. The blue hues stacked against the sky make me weak in the knees!
I give the credit for this photo idea to Beth. It's just gorgeous!
Pine trees feel like home to me. Mom, do you still have that little pillow with the pine needles inside and the raccoon on the front? I love that scent!
I don't remember the name of these flowers, but they were beautiful against the yucca and stormy sky background.
Well, we didn't get to hike the whole time. Sometimes we had to go to Starbucks, too:) Here's Beth and Becca getting an energy-fix from their iced brews.
Beth's Mom and Dad live in Black Forest. Their property is gorgeous. These pictures are from their backyard! We went there to visit them and Becca and also tend to Cowboy. Cowboy is Beth's horse. He recently moved from a nearby boarder to the Stedmans' backyard. The day I arrived, they had spent hours building the fence in the rain. Then he kept damaging the brand-new fence by trying to reach over it to graze. It didn't help that the huge amounts of rain were causing flooding in the basement of the house, too. Eventually it all got worked out though.
Pine trees feel like home to me. Mom, do you still have that little pillow with the pine needles inside and the raccoon on the front? I love that scent!
I don't remember the name of these flowers, but they were beautiful against the yucca and stormy sky background.
Well, we didn't get to hike the whole time. Sometimes we had to go to Starbucks, too:) Here's Beth and Becca getting an energy-fix from their iced brews.
Beth's Mom and Dad live in Black Forest. Their property is gorgeous. These pictures are from their backyard! We went there to visit them and Becca and also tend to Cowboy. Cowboy is Beth's horse. He recently moved from a nearby boarder to the Stedmans' backyard. The day I arrived, they had spent hours building the fence in the rain. Then he kept damaging the brand-new fence by trying to reach over it to graze. It didn't help that the huge amounts of rain were causing flooding in the basement of the house, too. Eventually it all got worked out though.
Wandering around the backyard taking in the scenery.
We also went on a hike in Cheyenne Mountain Canyon to Helen Hunt Falls, not the actress but the courageous author and advocate for the Ute tribe in Colorado. These pictures and the ones below are views from along our trail.
A young Ponderosa Pine cone and a close up of the tree's bark.
We also went on a hike in Cheyenne Mountain Canyon to Helen Hunt Falls, not the actress but the courageous author and advocate for the Ute tribe in Colorado. These pictures and the ones below are views from along our trail.
A young Ponderosa Pine cone and a close up of the tree's bark.
Here we are at the falls. It was well worth the hike! The weather was perfect that day.
This is a view of distant southern Colorado Springs.
This is a view of distant southern Colorado Springs.
Thanks for having me, Beth! It was wonderful to visit you, John, Becca, Bill-Dad, Carrie-Mom, and Grandpa! I can't wait to come again soon! I love you all!
