Family Reunion

Wildfires

SFO -> LAX

LAX -> DEN

Independence Day

Cave of the Winds

Underground

Breakfast at No. One

Garden of the Gods

Royal Gorge

Bowl of Cherries

Masala Tea

Seven Falls

Native American dancers

Broadmoor Hotel

The Creek

Helen Hunt Jackson

Castaways

DEN -> LAX -> SFO

Timber Lodge

Eats in CO

NORAD

Sunday 7 July 2002

In every trip I've taken there's always that rest day. This was ours.

Sadly, we started with an underwhelming breakfast at the Mountain Shadow in Colorado Springs' "old city" (in which there's little old but much that is crass and commercial and new). Much like the miserable Garden of the Gods visitor center, which is really three shops and a plastic buffalo (really!), this neighborhood seems designed to part visitors from their money. I found Manitou Springs (three minutes down the road) much more interesting.

Why, you might be asking, does everyone in this picture look all used up? Well, perhaps it's because we waited almost an hour for short-order cooking. The cheese steak was okay, the fries were soggy, and it was really hard getting coffee refills. Just the way I want to start my day.

But at least it gave Omi Marga a chance to interact with Isaac. Here she's telling him how children look when they're being cantankerous (while he's admiring the reflection of a crayon in her mirror). Funny thing is, I remember this interaction in Germany, when I was a child. She can still do the faces, bless her.

Here's that plastic buffalo! There's another one just out of the frame, in a resting posture on the floor. Isaac loved the buffalo, asking me to put him on top of this one. The high point of the vistor center, unless you crave overpriced tourist crap and hokey crafts.

The view from the balcony gives a good view of the central rocks, around which we'd walked.

There's a table display of the entire area, which I found interesting, and an antidote to feeling tiny against the backdrop of big rocks.

Here's a close-up of the rock formation called the Kissing Camels.

This plaque says it all. I guess the visitor center is the price we pay :-)

There are the red rocks and these whiter ones. A geologist wasn't handy. I'll look up what's going on here someday.

I was really impressed by the flora, and took a few pictures specifically for use as desktop backdrops for my computer.

I thought the erosion and the fluffy grasses was interesting. Texture, texture, texture. Not as many ground-dwellers as I recall seeing on my Arizona trips.

Here's a pile of the desert equivalent of driftwood, jumbled together at the base of the boulder, the result of a water run-off. Things seemed much greener today, after the thunderstorms of a few days ago. I didn't notice any wildflowers, or even the flowering jumping cholla, as I did in the Royal Gorge.

The rocks are public use, including hiking, bouldering, and rock climbing.

This picture doesn't capture the desperately hot desert scene, but you'll have to take my word for it. Again, I saw lots of floral niches being exploited, but far fewer animal and inserts out and about (or at least visible to me).

I loved the juxtaposition of the spiky plants and the ordered mindfulness of the split-rail fence.

The more I looked the more the entire scene tickled my sensibilities. I'm not sure for what purpose the fence is there, since I didn't see any domesticated animals anywhere near the Garden of the Gods.

This rock formation I found eerie, in an Edward Munch's Scream kind of way. Campfire scary. Or is it just me?

Back at the Timber Lodge, we indulged in a cool lunch, including cherries. (I wish I'd had the forethought to take the whole milk from Fel's cabin so I could whip up some masala tea.) The black pot at left is Isaac's finger bowl, so that he can clean himself when his fingers get sticky, a frequent complaint of late. A nap not being imminent, we took another dip in the pool.

In the evening we have reservations at the Craftwood Inn; San Francisco prices with a mountain view. The food was wonderful (but overpriced). A nice event, but not to be repeated. (As opposeed to the Stagecoach Inn, a few hundred feet away, as the crow flies, to which we've made multiple visits.)

Here's the clan. I'm enjoying the Oasis Stout, a great beverage if you like those old-world drinks. Mom chose the Black Opal Sirah, 2000, which we all shared.

Both Isaac and Lila fell asleep just as we arrived, so at least part of the meal was in adult peace and quiet.

Of course both woke up as the main courses arrived. Isaac ate a bit of everything, from his pesto ravioli to Emil's mashed potatoes to Rose's wild grains. I'm hoping we can avoid that stage of eating only spaghetti and meatballs or grilled cheese sandwiches I've seen other kids traverse.

Isaac got bored with the table-centric goings-on, and so Rose and I (okay, mostly Rose) took turns outside with the kids. Lila was unusually fussy too; she doesn't seem to like the darker, more romantic ambiance. Give that girl the bright lights :-) Isaac played on the lawns with a five-year-old, Sidney, who also was bored with table time. On the way back to the Timber Lodge I heard this conversation in the back seat:

Mama: Did you have a fun time playing with Sidney?
Isaac: She makes my motor feel well!

Well said, little man.

Isaac likes cars. Not as much as trains, but it's up there. Upon leaving the Craftwood Inn Rose asked Isaac if he could identify a Mitsubishi SUV parked in front of our rental car. His answer?

Isaac: Mee-tzu-beefy

And there you have it. There was nothing more to say or do, except watch the bats flying over the Craftwood Inn and then return to the Garden of the Gods - a few minutes away - for a twilight visit.

It was the next day that we tasted Masala Tea and visited Seven Falls and an old friend.

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