Manitou Springs, Colorado

August 11, 2006

James, Chris, Kathy, Kari, & Sophie

Pike's Peak

After being pretty much constantly on the go, it has been great to take a break and relax with family here in Manitou Springs for the past couple of days. Kathy’s brother Chris and his wife Kari and children Sophie & James have been awesome hosts and already we have been able to shake the road weariness that was affecting us.

Upon arrival in Manitou Springs we have driven a total of 10,491 miles through 24 states. The most recent trip was from Monte Vista to Manitou with brief stops in the town of Salida and at the Royal Gorge in Canon City before heading to see the Kilroys.

Salida, known as “The Heart of the Rockies,” is a cool little mountain town on the banks of the Arkansas River, it boasts 14 nearby peaks with elevations greater than 14,000 ft. and is known for it’s hiking and white water rafting. The only hiking we did was around town after enjoying a nice lunch at the First Street Café. We walked down to the river and watched kayakers shoot the rapids and then drove to Canon City to see the gorge.

The Royal Gorge is home to the world’s highest suspension bridge. Spanning the huge gorge over 1200 ft. above the Arkansas River, the bridge is an incredible sight. We opted against paying the $21 to visit the “park” and walk across the bridge, but we did get a great view which the photo below does absolutely no justice to.

Royal Gorge Bridge

We arrived in Manitou, which is located just at the base of Pike's Peak, just in time for a torrential downpour, but it did not dampen our spirits and we are thrilled to be here. We have spent our time here basically just hanging out and it has been a welcome respite from being on the go. Not that we have just been hanging about, we went to a skate park yesterday, to watch James as he biked and skated through the twisty hills of the sculpted concrete. We also spent a wonderful afternoon at the Wilson Ranch, a local swimming pool with all sorts of nifty slides, a lazy river and this cool whirlpool which looked suspiciously like a giant toilet flushing, but was a lot of fun to swirl around in.

Sophie & Kathy

James

One other bit of excitment was witnessing a bear as it attempted to get nto the garbage behind the house, a nightly occurance for the Kiloys but one of rare interest to us. We also got a chance to drive by the home we purchased last year here and were pleased to see that our tenants have done a wonderful job of making it look beautiful. We are back on the road today, heading to Boulder to go see a Nanci Griffith concert and spending the weekend in Denver before returning here.

Our Colorado House