Colorado Springs, CO

After our exciting "adventure" in Denver, we were looking forward to getting on down the road to CO Springs. As the traffic thinned a bit, so did our stress. CO Springs is what Denver used to be before it got huge. It is beautiful and clean and the mountains are right out your back door. Of course it was raining and storming when we arrived (since that is all it has been doing since we left AZ) so we went to the movies. Yes, sometimes we do every day things like take in a movie. ;) The next day we were able to meet up for lunch with some friends from Boise who happened to be in town. Afterward we decided to drive up to Pike's Peak. It sits at 14,000+ feet and it can get cold. Of course the afternoon started out nice but by the time we got to the top, the clouds came in and it snowed....and snowed. We couldn't see a single thing but for the first time ever, Gary and I felt the altitude. It was a bit disconcerting. The next few days it continued to storm off and on so we tried to do things that were either inside or could be seen from the car. We were able to meet up with my brother for a drink and a chat. (Who knew we would see so many people in a town we've never been to?) We drove through Garden of the Gods and got out for a few pictures. We went to the Western Mining Museum which ended up being a very big hit with Gary. We enjoyed panning for gold and walking through a simulated mine shaft. The sightseeing highlight though was visiting the USA Olympic Training Center. We were so excited to be able to see where some of our athletes live and train. We found out they train 6-8 hours a day if they live there. It made me tired just thinking about it! We even got to see some of our athletes training for their various sports. So inspirational! Afterward, we hit the store to buy some merchandise and support our team. Our last day in town looked beautiful and clear so we decided to brave Pike's Peak again. We made it to the top and it was clear for miles on end. This time no altitude was felt and we got pictures upon pictures. :) It is called America's Mountain since Katherine Lee Bates was so inspired by the views she saw she wrote "America the Beautiful". I can see why she did. I am so glad we decided to try again. To top off that great day, we got to visit with 2 of my friends I have known since 2nd grade. It was a fun night catching up and a great ending to our time in CO Springs. We will definitely visit again!