Even though we've been very busy, what with
Scott now working full-time and helping Caroline with home
staging activities after-hours, we were feeling anxious to see
as much fall color as possible this year, before the leaves are
all on the ground. After working hard all Friday evening
to de-stage a home that we were informed on Thursday was
scheduled to close just over a week later (giving us only one
weekend to dismantle the job), we hit the road at 6:00 am on
Saturday and headed to Colorado Springs. We had been so
busy prior to departure that we didn't have much time to plan,
and so we didn't really know what to expect (isn't that half the
fun?!). But the weather forecast was warm and sunny
(unlike last weekend's thunderstorms, wind and rain) and hey,
how bad can Colorado be, we reasoned.
Upon leaving the New Mexico desert that we
call home and entering the mountains of New Mexico as we headed
north on I-25, the aspens were in full color and their
fiery-yellow leaves were simply ablaze in the warm, fall
sunshine. Pay-dirt! Our first stop in Colorado was
the top of Pikes Peak. Wow, just wow! Although it
was a difficult (and expensive!) drive to the top - Caroline had
difficulty breathing as we climbed in altitude - it was worth
it! The summit, where we ended up, is at 14,115 feet and
the vistas all around are so majestic and far-flung that it is
similar to the view from an airplane. Pretty cool.
After coming down the mountain, we took a very pleasant hike in
the Red Rock Canyon Open Space (thankfully free-of charge, as we
are on quite a budget these days), where we were surrounded by
beautiful red rocks and colorful fall foliage. After
briefly scoping out downtown dinner options, we headed to our
amazing Priceline score of a hotel, the Crown Plaza, a short
drive from downtown and at $42 plus tax, an amazing deal!
We had a wonderful dinner at the lively, but cozy Phantom Canyon
Brew Pub, which was very similar to the brew pub we dined at in
Alamosa, CO last year. This led us to believe that these
places are a dime a dozen, even in small-town Colorado (we don't
have them in Albuquerque), but the pleasant folks at the front
desk of the Crown Plaza seemed a little hard-pressed to come up
with any additional brew-pub suggestions for us. Hmmmm...perhaps
they aren't quite as ubiquitous as we thought.
After a good night's sleep, we hit the road
on Sunday morning headed for Florissant Fossil Beds National
Monument. The drive there on US 24 was gorgeous - winding
mountain roads and lots of fall color. We weren't really
sure what to expect at Florissant but it was on a scenic drive
route, and we could get in free with our annual National Parks
pass, so we thought we'd check it out. We're not that into
fossils but not to worry, since, as it turns out, most of their
famous fossils that were originally found there are now located
at museums all over the US and UK, so there weren't too many
fossils to see! The giant petrified redwood stumps were
mildly interesting, but we were more interested in the hiking
opportunities. Upon the helpful advice of the friendly
park ranger with a Boston accent, we chose the Boulder Creek
Trail, taking it through wooded forests and golden
grasslands (more bright yellow aspens!). This is where we
would be most likely to see and/or hear the elk that reside
there, the park ranger told us. Although our weekend was a
little late in the season, fall is rutting season for the male
elk, who can sometimes be seen locking antlers in violent fights
with one another, in an attempt to win mating privileges.
Also at this time, as part of the mating ritual, they can be
heard bugling far into the distance. Sadly, we did not witness
any of this; we only saw a lone female elk who ran from us
before we could even see her clearly and heard only gunshots in
the distance, presumably outside the park's perimeter, as this
was hunting season. But the trail was beautiful, so
peaceful and serene, and it was a perfect sunny, fall morning
(and the black, tufted-ear Abert's squirrels were kind of cute,
as was Scott as he chased them around with the camera).
While giving us some helpful information
regarding seeing the Royal Gorge Bridge, the park ranger we
spoke with earlier whet our appetites for seeing a giant gold
mine that was roughly on our route to the bridge. However,
after a bit of driving around and having trouble finding our way
on the tiny, unmarked country roads, we made a beeline for the
bridge as, sadly, there are only so many hours in a 2-day
weekend. We were initially intrigued with the thought of
seeing the bridge because they have a really cool-looking
retro-stylized drawing of it, reminiscent of the California
parks drawings, on billboards and in magazines that we had seen.
As it turns out, they have turned the bridge into a giant theme
park and they charge $24/adult just to get close to it.
They do have a parking lot somewhat nearby where you can get out
and take a look, but it was pretty underwhelming (not to mention
disappointing after a long drive). Although this gorge is
deeper and the whole thing appears a bit grander, we enjoyed the
similar bridge at the Rio Grande Gorge near Taos, NM much more
because it is styled more like a free rest stop where you can
park, get out and walk over the bridge, affording a wonderful
view down into the gorge from the bridge.
At last, it was time for the long, but
pleasant enough drive home, after a highly satisfying (gorge
withstanding) weekend!
Pikes Peak summit
On the trail at Red Rock Canyon Open Space
Caroline enjoys the crisp fall morning at Florissant Fossil Beds
NM
Mmmm - more eye-candy along the trail at Florissant!
An Abert's squirrel poses in profile, displaying its ear tufts
for us
Royal Gorge Bridge, perched high above the Arkansas River