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

Friday 5 July 2002, continued

The Garden of the Gods is a collection of very large rocks dropped into a bed of red dirt. Really large rocks. Worn cliffs. Cactus. Hot sun. A vacation paradise :-)

As you can see, Isaac really liked crawling under the balancing rocks. It was a bit disconcerting seeing him under so much rock...

Every place he ran was another place from which to notice something else. Here he was pointing at the rest of the ohana (Hawai'ian: family).

And here's some of the ohana looking down at us:

Those who didn't climb up above us kept us in their thoughts:

Isaac loved the desert flora. Crawling around this tree kept him busy for five minutes, a long time in the life of a three-and-a-half year-old boy.

Speaking of crawling, he got himself into a nice little hiding spot under a huge overhang. I think he had second thoughts.

He really loved crawling around the rocks, paying no mind to the drop-offs all around us. We had a great time in the noonday sun.

We drove along to the next stop in the circuit and started to climb up to the local maxima. Adam & Felicia took along a stroller, but that wasn't really the thing for the ups and downs of desert hiking.

It was hot, really hot. I went through three liters of water, one of which was used to keep the kids' hats, heads, and faces wet. Rose was having fun with Omi Marga's gift to Lila, the laughing doll.

We returned from the Garden of the Gods in mid-afternoon, hungry. We drove back through Manitou Springs, stopping off at A SANDWICH SHOP. I got the Belly Buster, of which I ate half, and then took a fussy Lila to the SPICE SHOP NEXT DOOR to pick up the makings of masala tea. Cardomom, cloves, and black tea made their way into my fanny pack.

Then we headed back to the Timber Lodge, for an afternoon swim in the pool. It was Lila's first time; she loved it. Ziggy Mo got cold and unhappy very quickly in the cold water.

We had reservations at a distant restaurant, so as dusk approached we prepared to head out to a restaurant a half-hour north. While still at the cabin we noticed the darkening clouds and choppy winds. We knew a thunderstorm was rapidly approaching. We put up the convertible's top before we put the car into drive. The three cars cars headed out in a caravan, with me in the lead. I started to follow the most convoluted directions northward, leading us parallel to the Garden of the Gods. A bit of mist made the road slippery, but the best was yet to come.

Lightning bolts begun to light up the sky. Thunder rocked the car. The storm was right above us. A bolt drove to the ground about fifty feet to our left. The light and sound hit us at the same time. Felicia and Adam said it hit a telephone pole and caused a shower of sparks. Another bolt struck the high-tension wires on top of the hill a mile or two ahead; more sparks. Then the rain really started to fall. The roads became flooded; small rivers flowing across our path. We left huge showers of rainwater as we drove through the quickly-deepening puddles. The pouring rain sounded even louder on the ragtop. From time to time the spray from a passing SUV covered our windshield, reducing our already impaired visibility to zero. More than once I had to quickly stop to avoid possibly rear-ending someone. We passed one car which stalled (or worse) after driving through deep water. But for all nature's obstacles, poor directions, and a fussy baby girl, I never lost the two cars behind me. With a few last-minute corrections, we arrived at our destination.

In the evening we followed the most convoluted directions to the India Garden restaurant, where we had a most delightful meal. I had the chicken makahni and Rose had the coconut lamb. The masala tea was good, as was the keema nan, but the lassi was incredible.

Isaac was full of energy, and wanted to play with his trains and run around the restaurant. So we moved it outside, and into the gaming shop next door. Isaac saw model-makers and people playing role-playing games. We watched more lightning from inside and outside the shops. I explained to isaac that thunder can't hurt us; it's the sound of the lighning we previously saw.

I opted for a more direct drive back, but of course got lost momentarily at Union & Platt, recovered, dropped everyone off, shopping for goodies at Safeway, returned to the Timber Lodge, read bedtime books to isaac, slept untill 0300, and then got this travelogue up to date.

Then, with the skies getting brighter, I got a few more hours of sleep, in preparation for our visit to Royal Gorge.

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