Colorado Springs.
I love the Southwest. The mountains, the colors, the vast, blue sky. Tonight's La Quinta is nestled beneath Pike's Peak, so we got an early start this morning and managed a quick visit to Garden of the Gods before the clouds rolled in.
This is a collection of huge, red rocks scattered across the lush foothills that rise to the west. It's apparently a city park, and amazingly, it's free. Plus, they allow dogs on leashes. You can hike, or bicycle, or even ride a horse through the park. We drove. Bao got out at the first Scenic Vista to lift his leg, but after that, he stayed in the car and watched me take pictures. Scenery just isn't his thing.
Pike's Peak was named after Zebulon Pike, who was supposed to be looking for the source of the Mississippi River. Pike saw the mountain, and described it in his journals, but he never actually climbed it. In 1893, Katharine Bates was so inspired by the sight of Pike's Peak that she wrote "America the Beautiful." It truly does dominate the surrounding landscape. The Utes called it, Sun Mountain Sitting Big, and I'm glad I got to see it in all its towering majesty. Even as I was taking this photo, you can see how the summit was being obscured by clouds.
After lunch at Ruby Tuesdays, Bao and I were both uncharacteristically tired.
I hope I'm not coming down with something, I said the girl at the desk.
She replied that it was probably the altitude. The city of Colorado Springs is 6,035 feet above sea level, and Garden of the Gods sits above the city. I probably shouldn't have had that second glass of wine with lunch.
Tomorrow, Santa Fe.