Pikes Peak

Monday 8/4/08

On Monday, we had 9am reservations for the Pikes Peak Cog Railway. The train climbs to 14,110 feet above sea level to the summit of Pikes Peak. We had a pretty clear day so we were able to see the peaks of the Continental Divide, four states, Denver, Manitou Springs and Colorado Springs. There are times that the train is going up a 25% grade. Don’t put anything on the floor or you will lose it! At the top, the temperature was 46 degrees but we had been warned and had brought jackets. The ride was about 3 and ½ hours round trip. When we got back to the station, we were very glad we had an early morning ride because by now there were so many people at the station and the weather was turning cloudy.
After the train ride, we went to Focus on the Family. We were able to take a tour of the facility and saw a short film on the origins of Focus. Even though we didn’t have any children with us we went downstairs and visited Whit’s End and had some ice cream. We then spent some time in the very extensive bookstore. The whole complex is much larger than we expected. We then headed back to camp for dinner and preparations for leaving the next morning.

A Full Day

Sunday 8/3/08
Ed got up early in the morning and went back to Garden of the Gods to take pictures in the early morning light. Lynn stayed at the campsite and took a long walk around the park. When Ed returned we ate breakfast and set out on our day of sightseeing. The first thing we noticed was that, while it was still hot, there wasn’t the humidity we had been having. It felt wonderful.
Our first stop was the Manitou Cliff Dwellings. These Anasazi cliff dwellings, built more than 700 years ago, are preserved under a protective sandstone overhang. We wandered leisurely through the preserve and explored the ancient Anasazi architecture. The dwellings are 2-3 story structures that housed multiple families. Pretty close quarters for families plus some turkeys and other animals. There is also a Pueblo that was built on the property in 1898. This is now a museum and gift shop.
We moved on the Manitou Springs and wandered through the Garden of the Gods Trading Post. Bus loads of people were there so we looked around and decided to move on.
From there, we headed out to the Air Force Academy. We toured the Visitor Center Museum and then walked over to the Chapel. That is really a beautiful building. We were going to dinner in Denver that night so we left the Academy and went back to the campsite.
Ed had found an Argentine restaurant in Denver that he wanted to try. Denver was about an hour and a half from where we were staying. We made our way to the Buenos Aires Grill and arrived a little early for our reservation. When we drove past the restaurant, we didn’t see anyone inside so we decided to drive around. As we arrived in Denver it started raining, so we didn’t get out to walk around. We found the capital building but it was closed because it was Sunday. We looked at the sights from the truck and then drove back to the restaurant. It was still empty so we drove around some more. We finally decided to go in and there was one other family in the restaurant. We had a very nice dinner, it passed Ed’s test for authenticity. By the time we left, there were quite a few diners. You have to remember that the dinner time in Argentina is 9pm and we showed up at 5.

Garden of the Gods

Saturday 8/02
As we got closer to Colorado Springs, we began to look in our camping book for a place to stay. We found one that sounded good and called to make sure they had a spot for us. They gave us the Okay so we made a bee line for this campground. When we got there we could see that the RVs were parked like sardines, one next to the other so we didn’t even stop. We located a KOA nearby and they had a spot for us for the three days.
As usual, after setting up camp we took off to see an attraction nearby. We went to see the Garden of the Gods in Manitou Springs. The Garden of the Gods is one of the most popular attractions in the Pikes Peak Colorado Springs area. The park has an abundance of plant and animal life. We were fascinated by the magnificent red sandstone rock formations, for which the Garden of the Gods is most famous. We walked along the foot paths taking pictures and looking at these great rock formations. When it got dark, we headed back to the campsite.

More of Kansas

8/02/08

Again we got up early and started off for another long day on the road toward Colorado Springs where we are planning a three night stay. Kansas continues to be flat and boring. The only thing we had to amuse ourselves was reading the road billboards as they passed along. We also didn’t see Toto or Dorothy.

Somewhere in Kansas

8/01/08

We left St. Louis in the morning and drove and drove and drove. We could have stopped in Abilene, Kansas to see the Eisenhower Center but it was closed when we were in the area so finally we stopped in Salina, Kansas for one night. The camp was out in the middle of nowhere but it had full hookups. When I was checking in the guy behind the counter took a layout of the park, drew a circle around the campsites and told me to go park in what ever site I wanted. After setting up all we did was go swimming to cool off and relaxed for a while before turning in for the night.

I know you'all want to see pictures but we are having problems uploading them. Just try to imagine a stright road with flat land as far as the eye can see and you got Kansas.

We are now at a place where the internet connection is good so here are some pictures of Kansas.

St. Louis

Thursday 7/31/08

We left Branson heading for St. Louis, MO. We drove all day stopping at a campsite about 3 in the afternoon. We did some set up and then went off to see the Gateway Arch. During the drive, Lynn had been looking through the AAA book to see if there was anything else to see in St. Louis. She noticed the Ulysses S. Grant National Historic Site nearby so we headed for that first. What we found was the Grant home as it was before the war and his presidency. This home was Julia Grant’s family home. This is where Julia and Ulysses met and fell in love. The Grant’s were eventually married here and lived with Julia’s parents for a time. In the 1850’s, they raised their family and farmed the land at White Haven. In the 1860’s the Grants purchased the land from Julia’s family. After the war and the presidency, the Grants never lived at White Haven again full time but visited often.
Now a few miles down the road we headed for the Gateway Arch. After parking, we walked down to the roadway next to the Mississippi River. What we noticed first was that the river was very high and there was debris floating down the river. There was a sign describing the travels of Lewis and Clark and if you looked in the water there was a statue of either Lewis or Clark. We couldn’t tell because it was under water all the way up to his neck. We were told that the levee was flooded. Normally there was parking on the levee but it was all under water.
We walked on to the Arch. It is a very impressive sight to see it rising from the ground. We went in to buy our tickets. We wanted to take a tram ride and a riverboat combination but the riverboat was closed. We bought tickets for the ride and headed for the tram. The tram ride is in a little pod that holds 4 to 5 people. There is one little window in the door. We were in the pod with another couple. Ed says “it is kind of a small window to see out”. The rest of us were all kind of shocked because we were under the impression that we would be getting out. The other girl is dying because she’s thinking “I want out of this thing”. Sanity prevailed and we all decided there was no way they would keep us in this pod at the top. The ride came to an end we were let out of our little pod. The windows are little but the view is tremendous. On one side is the Mississippi River and Illinois and on the other side is downtown St. Louis. We spent some time looking out the windows and taking pictures. Ed noticed the couple that rode up with us did not stay long and the girl would not go near the windows. We took our ride down in the pod with a guide and Ed asked if these things ever get stuck. She said yes, unfortunately, quite often. We made it down without incident and headed back to camp.

Branson, Missouri

Sunday 7/27/08 – Wednesday 7/30/08

We took a break from the RV for a few days and stayed in a Time Share in Branson, Missouri. It was a nice break and we were able to get caught up on all the laundry. We had a nice place with lots of room and a TV that got actual channels. On a couple of days, we found ourselves going to the pool at 9 at night. It was still warm outside and the pool was crowded.
On Monday, we went to a dinner and preview of some shows in Branson. We didn’t see anyone there that we really wanted to see. We did get some free tickets for a couple of shows. We saw a show called Legends in Concert. This was a show where the singers were impersonating other singers. The “legends” we saw were Shania Twain, Johnny Cash, the Blues Brothers, Elvis, and the Temptations. They do a pretty good job. We thought the Temptations were the best. We also saw a show called the Duttons. If you saw the TV show America’s Got Talent, they were in the top 8 of that show. It is a family where everyone plays violins, fiddles, banjos, etc. and sings. It was a very lively entertaining show.
One day we drove out to the Table Rock Dam and Lake. We took a walk on a lake trail. In the shade by the lake it felt pretty good. The temperature was in the 90’s and with the heat index it felt 105. We did some other walking by the dam but because of the heat it wasn’t too comfortable. When we got back to the room, Ed decided to do some geocaching. If he had thought of it earlier, Lynn would have gone but she had done enough walking and opted for the pool instead. Ed found one of the two caches and came back very hot and tired.