Not Without The Deity, Baby!

That's the Colorado state motto (without the "Baby" of course). I spent the past week in Colorado Springs where I attended a conference about the brain and how boys and girls learn differently and the benefits of single-sex education. Anyway, the mountains were so beautiful and the weather just lovely (warm, but dry and breezy, and cool in the evenings.) I have a ton of photos to post, so let's just get to it.

Here is the view from the conference which was held at the University of Colorado -- Colorado Springs:



This is the campus deer. There were multiple sightings of this guy. He was not afraid of the hustle and bustle of the campus (In addition to our conference, there was a girls' volleyball camp and a boys hockey camp!)



We had at least three meals here! When Ashley (a teacher at my school) and I arrived on Sunday, we were hankering for some chips and salsa (and margaritas!) We drove around until we found Jose Muldoon's and they did NOT disappoint!



On Tuesday night, the conference sponsored an evening outing to the Flying W Ranch for dinner and a Western show. So for $20 a person, they packed us into about a million picnic tables. A folksy cowboy (way up front on stage) proceeded to spend a good 30 minutes describing what we were getting for dinner and how we were to get it.



We basically went through a chow line where they put stuff on our tin plate (just like the cowboys!): BBQ chicken, baked potato, what they claimed to be famous beans which they said the cowboys called "whistle-berries." That one's for you, Gus!), applesauce, biscuits, spice cake, and lemonade. The food was good, but this is low overhead stuff. We sensed a LOT of profit going on! The show after dinner was a western band. It was ok. We left after about 10 minutes.



On Thursday, after the conference was over, we took a short drive to the Garden of The Gods. It is stunning, spectacular and beautiful. It's just unreal. This photo is from the visitors center. Can you spot the "Kissing Camels?"



This ominous sign greeted us on the trail that goes through the park:


















Friday morning was time to take the Cog Railway to the top of Pike's Peak. Pikes Peak is 14,110 feet above sea level. The Cog Railway only allows you to stay at the Peak for 40 minutes because of altitude sickness. On the railway, at one point our climb was so steep that the guide pointed out that if you fell down the central aisle from front to back, it would be the equivalent of a 3-story drop. Yowza!



Here is a Yellow - Bellied Marmot (whistle pig) that wandered up to the side of our train while we waited for a descending train to pass. He and a friend just wandered around the train, unafraid. We suspected that passengers must have dropped food out for them in the past for them not to be wary of us.



This is the Peak! You wouldn't want to overshoot this station stop! Yikes!











After our descent, we went to The Loop in Manitou Springs where we had a delicious meal. I had tacos -- these were yummy! Not like Taco Bell or Ortega! We also had what they claimed to be world famous margaritas with our lunch. Clearly it was too soon after our high altitude experience! After half a glass, I was definitely feeling a buzz (or Rocky Mountain High!) and switched to water!



Our last stop was the Manitou Springs Cliff Dwellings. It was kind of strange because it was right off the main highway and you could park right next to them. Not to mention that the redness of them made them look kind of fakey even though they ARE authentic. It was just strange.



I caught my 7 a.m. flight out of Denver the next morning, picked up my Owain, and returned to Baltimore! It was a good trip, but I was ready to get home.