Ahhhhh Colorado

After a restorative night's sleep, we go bopping out to conquer the world this morning and are shocked to find the temperature is 63 degrees! Wow! First stop today is Manitou Cave Dwellings. Gene had heard that they were not real and so had pooh poohed them. They are real, but were reconstructed and restored in 1907. I thought they were very interesting and well documented. Also they are at ground level so easy to access. You can walk into them and between them by internal passages as well as explore them from the outside. The grounds were well landscaped and there are signs telling the names of the plants and their usage, if any. There is a museum with examples of tools, descriptions of lifestyles, weapons, pottery and baskets. There is also an extensive gift shop that is well done.
Next it's back to Manitou Springs, get out of the car and walk the streets. They have a lot of interesting shops, historic buildings and historic markers. We saw only one vacant shop, so the economy is alive and well here. But we also found the origin of the name in four springs of carbonated water that are there. And, like Hot Springs, AR, and Saratoga, NY, this place became a tourist mecca because of the springs. In the olden days that spring water was bottled and distributed. There are a lot of interesting homes here in Victorian or Craftsman style. There are a lot of flower child young people in the area.
We lunched at a place that looked interesting, healthy and different. The interior decor and sitting areas were all very organic and different. A neat ambiance. They promoted a drink called Yerba Mate (google it) which is full of antioxidants. It seemed quite popular as many people came in to buy it or the raw material to make their own. Gene got some in a raspberry flavor and liked it. We noticed that the young women who worked there all had long hair and wore long dresses. Also the place is open 24 hours a day except on Saturday. The bathroom was papered in religious tracts of an origin I could not determine. As we walked out, I noticed a newspaper entitled The Twelve Tribes. Upon Googling, I found that this was a group founded in the 70's in Chattanooga that is controversial and has been called a cult. One of their beliefs is that the end time is near. They model their church after that of the first century and seem to be communal of a sort. Whatever they believe, they make a good sandwich and breakfast burrito.
We took a rest at our hotel and then ventured out again in late afternoon. The skies had cleared and the temperature on the car said 85, but it sure did not feel like it. We did some walking in the Old Colorado City area. This was the name for Colorado Springs when it was the capital of the territory. Seems the governor had financial interests in Denver and wanted it to be the capital and refused to go to Colorado City. The legislature went but the governor would not fund them, so long story, short...Denver became the capital.
We started up a road into the mountains, and unfortunately it was also the route for a bike race. So it was kind of disconcerting as there were bikers going up and bikers going down and a twisty narrow road. At one point we stopped at an overlook and I commented that the temperature still said 86. Within three minutes of being back on the road, it had dropped to 79 and felt like 70. There were lovely views. We went up until about a mile after the road turned to dirt. The picture at right was taken there and I am rather proud of it. Most of the really good ones are taken by Gene.
By now it is well into evening and we sought out an area of restaurants we had passed the night before. We settled on one called Sonterra Southwest Grill and it proved a good choice. I had a house margarita which was one of the best I have ever tasted and so large I only drank half of it. Gene was happy as they had his favorite draft beer. He got a salad and I had a coconut shrimp appetizer and both were to die for. Then we split a dessert called a chocolate tortilla tower which was also to die for. All this great food plus drinks and the tab was only $42. What a deal! And a pleasant way to close out our time in Colorado Springs. A short visit, but a good one. Tomorrow we meet up with Jake in Denver and start the Flagship adventure. Stay tuned.