We made it to the east slope of the Rockies and as we got settled at the Air Force Academy RV Park in Colorado Springs, CO I found that they had quite the Mountain Bike trail on the Base. I took off one day for a ride and ran into this little guy. He is the smallest version of the Horney Toad or Roundtail Horned Toad and if you speak Latin – Phrynosoma modestum. He was in a bit of a mood when I stopped and picked him up and all I could get out of him was “I will bite you! - and then I will bite your Momma!” Like I said he had a bit of an attitude. Anyway I let him go and went on to experience the trail on the Academy grounds (13.7 miles) of fairly easy rolling trails with some pretty good uphills. The trails were fun and fairly easy – the altitude made me suck! Air that is! Biking at 6800+ feet without prior conditioning takes the wind out of you really quick – especially when you have been biking at a negative 100 ft. all winter. Wow! - what an eye opener. Going to have to work at this one.
The Air Force Academy is the newest of all the military academic institutions. It is also rather large at over 18,500 acres at the base of the Rockies with roughly 4,400 cadets/students at any given time. According to the information we got, only about 50% of those cadets complete the requirements, earn their degree and become Air Force Second Lieutenants.
One of the must see things at the Air Force Academy is the Cadet Chapel. Since it is kind of the landmark of the Academy and one very unique structure.
The actual chapel has a couple of different levels being multi-denominational and does its best to serve all. The visitor center and Chapel are open to all visitors so you do not need to get special permission to get on base and visit this area. In the same area they have a very nice visitors center that goes through the history and background of the entire Academy and Cadet curriculum.
This picture shows the main Chapel and some of the stained glass at the peak of the roof. All the windows and ribs were trimmed with stained glass and when the sun hit them just right this place lights up like nothing I had ever seen.
This is the Pipe Organ in the Cadet Chapel – we are talking some serious sound penetration here and I bet all the Cadets on the entire 18,500 acre grounds feel the good vibrations when they crank this baby up! It is huge!
The RV Park (or Famcamp as the military calls them) on base is one of the best military RV Parks in the country. It is heavily wooded with tall pines and all the amenities you would find at private parks in the area that charge three times the price (we checked!). It was a very pleasant stay with the exception of the ever present coal train that ran just east of the base. The noise wasn’t bad inside the 5th wheel but a tent would not be a good idea here.
While we were in the Colorado Springs area the next must see attraction was Pikes Peak. There are a number of ways you can get to the top of Pikes Peak but most involve driving, driving, driving, pedaling – yes pedaling, or riding on the Cog Train. It had snowed (heavily) the night before we went so driving a two wheel drive 1 ton dually truck up to 14,110 ft. through snow drifts was out of the question. Needless to say I did not pedal up on my bike either (as if I could!).
So the Cog Train was the way to go so we made the proper arrangements and met the train in Manitou Springs, just west of Colorado Springs and
joined all the other adventurous souls waiting to board and see the sights. For those of you that are not familiar with a Cog Railway it is very similar to a regular train only the rail gauge is a bit smaller and there is a center cog rail that the train uses with a gear wheel to pull the train along. Regular drive wheels just can’t pull the train up the steep grade (25% in a couple of places). The cog railway has been in operation for a bit over 100 years and they do have their routine down pat. Over the years they have upgraded the cars and made improvements to make the trip enjoyable. They do need to work on their heating and cooling though as the only control is “windows open – cool, windows closed – warm”. You would be surprised how many people did not understand that concept. So with a train whistle and an “Allllll Abooooard” (with a little “patrons with the tickets marked with the car name – please get in that line”) we were on our way.
On the way up we were treated to views of various lakes, valleys, incredible vistas and some unusual boulder formations as we climbed up the mountain. From one location we were able to view Colorado’s largest and most productive goldmine who’s production is measured in the millions of ounces per year. At one point once we were above the tree line, we stopped at Windy Point known for sustained winds of over one hundred miles an hour – and one time long ago actually blew the train off the tracks. Above is Linda with all of northern Colorado in the background, quite the view.
Yours truly with the westerly view from 14,110 ft. We enjoyed our quick visit to the peak and even did a bit of geocaching while we were up there, but getting to the cache was a bit of a problem as the ground was not only frozen, it was covered with snowdrifts and trying to get the container out from under rocks that were encased in ice and under snow proved to be a real challenge in the time we had before the train going downhill (and to warmth) left. We did get one though, and did not miss the train!
Once we were down off the mountain we decided we needed to get something to eat in Manitou Springs and take a stroll as well through all the “artsy” shops and tourist attractions on the route. We stumbled onto a little Jewish eatery on the main street that had a sandwich called the Heart of Jerusalem. Something like a Gyro but with lamb, beef, chicken and a multitude of veggies and an outstanding attitude (spices) – it was good! If you like Mediterranean food this is a must stop! From there we made a quick trip to the Garden of the Gods and took a tour of the unusual rock formations and wandered through the visitor center. I have to admit it is very impressive, especially when you add in Pikes Peak as a backdrop.
Here is a view of the Garden of the Gods from the west side looking southeast. We had hoped to get back there during our stay and walk the trails, but being spring weather things just did not cooperate and we ended up with rainy, windy, and cold weather the remainder of our stay.
So on an early Sunday morning we hooked up and headed downhill towards Kansas.
As we were headed east into and through Kansas I learned that they grow windmills here – yes they really do have windmill farms, and they are huge. We drove through just about the right time as the ones to the right were getting ripe and ready to be picked. I think they were going to send them to California. Anyway we worked our way through the plains of west Kansas with a one night stay in Colby where we were entertained by an ‘into the late evening’ stock car race, that’s what we get for staying at a fairground in the mid-west! Did bring back some old memories though, as Dad was very involved in stock cars for many years as I was growing up. Wasn’t able to sleep through that either. After one more day of driving we landed at Milford Lake, a Corps of Engineers Lake and Campground near Junction City. This one is a gem – absolutely gorgeous with the huge Oaks and Cedars on the waters edge and tucked away from all the noise. I do believe we will enjoy this one.
Oreo - our 17 pound Tom Cat, who has lived and traveled with us for quite a few years, decided he likes being part of the Blog and will continue to provide a few purr-fect bits of wisdom and observations for all the blog readers out there as well as a few comments about the antics of his pride members and life on the road.
My pride members told me that not all of you have a home ruled by a cat or cats. Now that is sad – everyone should have a proud member of the feline family to control their lives. If you do not have one of us in your home you need to work on it! Just remember, we don’t mind boxes and we are shippable.
Oreo
I hope you enjoyed the blog and all the experiences included. Our latest home at Milford Lake, KS provided us with an evening light show and sunset on our first night’s visit. I will leave you with that and hope to hear from you.
Home is where we park it!
Lee & Linda
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