A Very Busy Day

We determined last night that we would get up early today so we could make it to the Garden of the Gods early and we did. At 6:30 we were both outside with Sandy when  Reveille sounded from Fort Carson.  We have heard it every morning.  We left our campsite at 7:00 a.m.  We began a day of visiting three very different locations.  We found a great parking spot and began to hike through and around some of the tall rock formations.  It was a great day for a hike.  The sun was shining and the temperature was perfect.  The first trail we took was a 2-mile paved  one.

Balancing Rock greets visitors at Garden of the Gods.

We walked around these huge rock formations.

This formation is called "Kissing Camels."  Can you see the camels?

This is posted on one of the large rock formations.

We took a second two-mile hike to a rock formation called "Siamese Twins."  It was not as flat or paved as the first hike and required a few rests.

This is called "Siamese Twins."

The mountain in the distance is Pike's Peak.

From the Garden of the Gods we drove to Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument.  It became a national monument in 1969 so it is a newer monument.   The park was once covered with tall Redwood trees in a valley surrounded by volcanoes.  The volcanoes began to spew ash and lava and trapped the Redwoods and the insects that thrived in the valley causing them to fossilize.

One of the petrified Redwoods.

Three Redwoods in a cluster.

We took another hiking trail which led us to several more petrified Redwoods.  This one is he largest and called "The Big Stump."

In the 1880's when this part of the state was being settled, people interested in making a quick buck would cut up parts of the Redwoods and sell them as souvenirs to tourists.  Someone attempted to cut a chunk from the truck and embedded his saw blade in the trunk.  It is hard to see but it is located in the center of the picture.  The saw pieces are black, one on each side of the white part of the tree.

The saw may be easier to see in this picture.  Look for the black square.

Flowers along the trail.

The valley we hiked through.

This was a homestead in the 1880's.  The woman lived here with her seven children and helped lead the charge to get this land set aside in government protection.

Our last stop was the Air Force Academy.   

The Cadet's Chapel is so beautiful inside and out.

Cadet dormitories.

The trail from the Visitor's Center to the Cadet's Chapel was only 1/3 mile but it was up a hill and down.  This fellow is retired Air Force and volunteers his time driving this four-wheeler up and down the trail picking up "older people" so they don't have to walk to trail.  We walked to the chapel but were very happy to accept the ride on the way back.

At the entrance to the north gate is a B-52.  Of course, this interested Carol because B-52's were SAC's Number One airplane.

Her name is "Diamond Lil" and she was in service from 1957-1983.  She had over 15,000 flying hours and is one of two B-52's credited with a confirmed MIG kill during the Vietnam War.

Along I-25 we pass this barn so I looked up information on it.   The mule train has been around for more than 50 years.   After Fort Carson ended its use of mules in the 1950's, three members of Al Kaly Shrine who were also Army Reserve members bought  28 of the mules fore $25 each to start a mounted mule unit.  The mule train is used to promote and raise funds for the 22 Shriner's Hospitals for Children.  They even took part in the John F. Kennedy 1961 inaugural parade.

Tomorrow we are going to pick up Bill and Erica at their house and go to Cripple Creek.  The drive to and from Cripple Creek is scenic and Cripple Creek is an old gold mining town.  It should be interesting.