Colorado Springs Sept. 23-29

As we came down I-25 from Denver, we could see the snow capped Pike's Peak.  That mountain really stands out!   We camped at the KOA in Fountain, about 8 miles south of Colorado Springs.   Definitely a handy location - groceries, church, McDonalds :-) , fuel and Walgreens just a mile or so away.   We decided to hit the Pioneer Museum and the McAllister house museum on Saturday.   To our delight we found a Bruegger's Bagels and so had breakfast there.   The city of Colorado Springs has beautiful wide streets, and on Saturday parking was no problem.    Pioneer Museum was interesting, but it was so cold inside you could hang meat in there!   We lasted about 2 hours and then headed to lunch and a stop at the McAllister house,  where the docent was very knowledgeable and eager to share information.   Mr. McAllister came west to assist General Palmer in laying out and overseeing the building of Colorado Springs.   His home was comfortable, but not elegant.  

Sunday we went to Garden of the Gods, a FREE park donated to the city by the family of the man who owned it.   The park has several hiking of trails of various lengths and we chose two to walk.   In some areas the formations reminded me of Bryce Canyon's hoodoos.   Some of the rock formations were begging to be climbed, and there were many people either on their way up or down.   From Garden of the Gods we drove a short distance to Seven Falls.  This is the only waterfall in Colorado to make National Geographic's list of International Waterfalls.  There are 224 steps to the top of the falls if a person is up for the challenge.   For those of us who were not so inclined, a mountain elevator whisked us up to the Nest Observation Platform where we had a perfect view of all 7 sections of the falls.  

Monday we drove 20 miles north to the US Air Force Academy, and we were lucky in that we were in time to watch the noon formation of cadets.   As we arrived at the Visitor's Center, the receptionist suggested we take the 1/3 mile walk to the Air Force Chapel overlook, as the cadets would be forming in about 15 minutes.   It's a once a week salute to visitors who come to the Academy.   It was thrilling to watch the 4000 cadets march in review, and acknowledge us as they passed our perch.  The chapel is striking - very modern with an aeronautical uplifting feel.   The Protestant chapel is on the main floor, with Catholic, Jewish, and Buddist chapels below. 

Tuesday we drove to Pueblo (38 miles south) to tour the Rosemount house museum.   It is a 37-room, 24,000 square foot mansion which was the family home of John and Margaret Thatcher.   The property was named for her favorite flower - the rose.   The house was built between 1891 and 1893 at a cost of $100,000 dollars.   It was beautiful, and nearly all the furnishings, wall and window treatments, decorative arts and paintings are original to the home.   It has Tiffany chandeliers throughout the house.   Even though large, it FELT like a family home.   

We got home from Pueblo about 1:30 and decided to visit the Miramont Castle Museum in Manitou Springs,  a short drive north of Fountain.   The castle was built in 1895 by Father Jean Baptiste Francolon as a home for himself and his mother.   Father came from France to assist the Archbishop, however due to ill health moved to Manitou in 1892.   By 1900 the Francolons returned to France, and the Sisters of Mercy purchased the castle in 1904 .   A sanitarium was run in the castle until the 1920's after which it became a boarding house for the wealthy.   Later it was used for retreats and as a vacation home for the Sisters.   In 1976 the historical society bought the property, as it was in the process of condemnation and would have been razed.  

Our final sight seeing excursion was on Wednesday afternoon when we went to the Manitou Cliff Dwellings.   They are a rare historical treasure.   Preserved under a protective red sandstone overhang, the Anasazi cliff dwellings were built more than 700 years ago.  We were able to walk through the pueblo as it is one of the most accessible examples of cliff dwellings anywhere.  The Anasazi are also known as the Ancient Ones, or the Ancestral Puebloans.   These people lived between 1100 and 1300 AD.   The site was opened in 1907.   There were signs explaining the purpose of each room.   Also on site was a small museum.

From here we'll travel to Tulsa, OK.    We aren't certain what we'll find there, but we'll share our findings!