Red Rock Canyon Open Space

So I lied. Truth is, with snow in the forecast this week and my back killing me, I didn’t think we’d do anything travelogue worthy the rest of the month. Here’s a post I feel like I owed Colorado Springs. We did a bunch of hiking in the area over the summer but I never got around to writing about it.

If you like hiking, this is a great city to live in. It’s a small city, not quite a half million, but not exactly Ma and Pa Kettle. Damn, that’s dating me. I barely remember those movies but I do recall one scene that made me laugh. They’re going to the big city and Pa straps one of these ancient change makers around his neck. Seemed like everywhere they turned he was cha-chinging out tips. When he used it in a restaurant I laughed. I guess you had to be there (and be ten years old).

Anyway, Colorado Springs has a nice little downtown with loads of shops, restaurants and bars making for a sometimes raucous night life, you know, gunfire, people run over. It also has its share of homeless and, this is Colorado and Colorado Springs is not immune, people who shoot other people – remember New Life Church, no not that asshole Ted Haggard, the 2007 shooting (please read this if you’ve got jusome time: http://www.5280.com/magazine/2012/12/jeanne-assam-still-waiting), and the walking killer of Halloween morning 10 days ago. But there are psychos everywhere so don’t take points off for that. In Colorado we let them have guns.

The weather is pretty great here overall. Scenery is beautiful with Pikes Peak looming over the gorgeous Garden of the Gods (free city park), Seven Falls (expensive rip-off), and the entire city. The Cheyenne Mountain Zoo sits up on the side of the mountain that housed the former home of NORAD. Nice view. Lots of giraffes. And if all that isn’t enough, legal marijuana is just a shout away in Manitou Springs. Just about on the border between Manitou and Colorado Springs is Red Rock Canyon Open Space, not to be confused with Red Rocks, the state park and concert venue up in Morrison on the west side of Denver.

Red Rock Canyon is all about hiking, biking, and rock climbing. Though most are very easy, some trails gain 800′ of elevation. It’s also a nice place to walk your dog. They even have off leash trails. The pictures attached are all from yesterday’s easy three miles.

The second picture features a rock climber. The third peaks back down the rather wide trail we took to the west side of the city. The next few zoom in and out on Garden of the Gods in the distance – those big rocks bulging out of the ground.

Colorado Springs, nice place to live. Now how about a few bucks for the promo, mayor?

Last thoughts – I’ve been sleeping late and the dreams keep coming. This morning the last dream was me sitting at a table with a few people (unknown) discussing the previous dreams of the morning. That was pretty weird. All very vivid. Kind of like a double rainbow – WHAT DOES IT MEAN?