How we spent our day off

© 2011 Lydia Hinshaw

Blowing snow visible on the flank of Pike's Peak

Balance Rock, in Garden of the Gods

Step away from my fence!

 MANITOU SPRINGS, CO -- After five days on the road, we'd reached a beautiful spot, so Prince Charming and I decided to take Wednesday off to enjoy a bit of Colorado.  We are in a fine campground within walking distance of most things in town, so we avoided using the car except to reach the Pike's Peak cog railway terminal.

 It looked like a perfect day down here in town, but things were not so wonderful on top of the mountain.  High winds had buried the tracks in snow, so the train wasn't running all the way to the top.  We were able to get about six miles up and see some dazzling and dizzying scenery before turning back.  The good news was that we saved some money -- there's a discount if the train can't go all the way.

 Next we came back to the campground for a picnic lunch before hiking up to Garden of the Gods, just a short distance away.  We spent most of our time there in the vast gift shop without buying anything.   Garden of the Gods is mostly for driving around to see various rock formations, and since we were on foot, we saw only a small part of it.

 The comic part of our walk was our encounter with a watch-goose.  We were walking along a residential street when we heard honking, and spotted this fowl noisemaker charging across the yard toward the fence.  He (or she) soon lost interest in us and started menacing a woman with a toddler in a stroller.

  Between the campground and Garden of the Gods, we spotted a building that smelled suspiciously of chlorine.  On the way back we investigated more thoroughly and discovered the city's recreation department indoor pool.  It has a reduced rate for senior citizens like us!

  So I swam 1,500 yards worth of laps, and finished off with a soak in the hot tub.

  Later, we walked down the street to have dinner.

  Thursday, we will be on the road again, but feeling refreshed. We have less than 700 miles to go, and four days to do it.  Life is good.