Leaving Cheyenne Mountain going to Lathrop State Park outside Walsenburg, CO

Photo essay today.  We drove for 2 hours through the mountains from Cheyenne Mountain to Walsenburg, CO.  It rained yesterday but only drizzly today.

the Aspen trees are in full color.

First we go left.

Then we go right.

A little fixer upper.

For all my California readers, look at all this water.

That is where we will be going tomorrow.  Photo taken from campsite.

Zoomed in on the Spanish Peaks.

Until next time.

Evie and Joy

Pikes Peak, Garden of the Gods and Cheyenne Mountain State Park

Pikes Peak

We decided to take the train up the mountain instead of renting a car.

Cog train at top of 14,000+ feet.

Track on outside cogs in middle.

Looking east to Kansas with Colorado Springs in the foreground. 

Looking south to the Sangre de Cristo Mountains with their snow capped tops.

What you might notice in this picture is that not only is mom wearing a hat but I have a knit band covering my ears and two sweatshirts on. 

Baby it was cold at the top.  32 degrees and about a 25mph wind.

It's all rocks and gravel above the timber line.

Next on to the 

There have been people here before us.

Look how small the trees look.  Those were some tall rock spires.

We're in Cheyenne Mountain State Park now..  What a special place this is.  Many wide open rv and camping spots with spectacular views.  But the kicker is that is on Cheyenne Mountain which is a very important place. Click  here  for the whole story that's fit to print.  In the past there was a NORAD facility here.  Wikipedia says they have moved.  It's still interesting to be able to get within site of such an important place.  Only two pictures.

Cheyenne Mountain

View from my window last night(hard to hold camera steady while it took a timed exposure).

It's raining now and has been all day and forecasted to continue for another day.  Might stay here another night or if it lets up some might drive on down to New Mexico.  We are looking into buying a car to tow behind the rv and there is one in Albuquerque that looks like it might work.  That is a big step and I'm really nervous about it.  Just like I was before we got the motorhome.   But we're having a blast and our only regret is that we didn't do this sooner.  So towing a car won't be to hard I suppose.  

Until next time.

Evie and Joy

Denver Botanical Gardens

There were a few interesting plants and flowers to see as well as all the Chihuly glass.

This was so interesting.  Out of the middle of the first flower grew the 

second flower and then the third and so on.

Two different flowers.

Next we move on to Colorado Springs and our trip up Pikes Peak on the Cog Railroad.

See you then.

Evie and Joy

Denver, CO

We went to see the Chihuly Glass exhibit at the Denver Botanical Gardens.  To learn about Dale Chihuly click here.

My cousin and mom.

Detail of above picture.

See how the grass has grown up around the glass.

Tomorrow I'll post pictures that I took of the flowers and plants.

Until then.

Evie

Rocky Mountain National Park

We spent 5 days at the KOA in Ft. Collins, CO. and rented a car to drive up to the RMNP.  We went on a saturday, which isn't our favorite day to go sight seeing but that was how this trip worked out.  It proved to be a good thing because a storm blew in on sunday and it rained for 2 days and snowed at the higher elevations.  Just one year ago the area below the town of Estes Park was hit by a terrible flood.  There is still much visible damage.  But the roads were fixed and open but so many homes haven't been rebuilt, so sad.

Horseshoe meadow.  It gets its name from the path that the creek takes.

We were just one of thousands of visitors making our way up to the 

continental divide at around 12,000 feet. 

Above the tree line.

Aspen trees.

After the storm passed we took another drive into the mountains on the Peak to Peak scenic highway.

Look mom, you might be able to see Kansas.

There are still flowers blooming.

We are in Denver for 5 days to see family and get the oil changed in the rv, and see the  Chihuly art glass exhibit.  Chick here to see more.

Until next time.

Evie and Joy