Manitou Springs 24, 25, 26 May

After a long day driving over Independence Pass and visiting Leadville, we finally arrive at our lovely hotel, Cliff House in Manitou Springs.

The only trouble was , at Cliff House we got the last of the cheap rooms with a very loud air conditioning unit outside our window and a view of a steep and ugly rock bank. So we "mentioned" it to the front desk and we were delighted to be moved to one of the really superior rooms with a lovely view. Just shows you!!

This was our room. Heated toilet seat and other such fripperies.

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Part of the view from our new room. Staff here were nice but a bit Basil Fawlty. Not in the dining room though. They do a lovely breakfast and have an excellent restaurant.

 

A lucky small bird with a very large worm in the garden.

 

 

It was joined by a hungry squirrel.

 

The first trip was to the spectacular Garden of the Gods.

 

They are very striking rock formations made from red sandstone.

 

 

The Kissing Camels.

 

Cathedral Rock.

 

 

The Three Graces.

 

 

 The Three Graces from another angle. 

Great views from up here.

 

 

Bill at Balanced Rock, giving it a hand.

 

Look Ma, I can balance again.

 

 

Back at the small attractive Victorian town of Manatou Springs. It was settled during the gold rush of the1850's and now has a bit of a “hippy” vibe.

  

It has nine natural soda water springs.

 

 

The water was quite nice, very carbonated.

 

 

Next day we went on the nine mile trip up to Pikes Peak on the cog railway. Pikes Peak' elevation is 14,110 feet and trains have been going up there since 1891. Teacher Katherine Lee Bates was so impressed by her trip up in1893, she wrote the patriotic song America the Beautiful after it.

 

Yes, that's it.

 

We started out warm and sunny at the bottom.

 

 

It wasn't to long before we were in the snow again. That's a lake in the background.

 

 

Oh no, we only got to about 13,000 feet and we had to stop because the track was buried in snow. So we never saw the summit and the reported wonderful views!!

 

 

Where we had come from.

 

 

The snow plough ahead.

 

 

We stopped for a while at 10,000 feet. All rugged up.

 

 

This is the incline - a old rack railway alignment that people scramble up for a challenge.

 

Independence Pass and Leadville

On our way to Manitou Springs we went over the breathtaking Independence Pass. We left with quite a bit of trepidation as there was a snow storm the night before and several cars had left the road. We were lucky the road was still open and we didn't have to go the long way around.  The sun was coming out, so that was reassuring.

A mining ghost town, accessible to explore when it is not covered in snow.

The trees look so lovely splattered in fresh snow.

The road was often narrow and steep with sharp hairpin bends. Very scary stuff, but so beautiful.

A massive snow bank on the side of the road.

At the very top of Independence Pass.

The top is on the Continental Divide, which runs down the USA. On one side the rivers flow east and the other side they flow west.

After a slow but beautiful drive and with a sigh of relief, we reached Lake Creek at the bottom of the Independence Pass.

Further along we passed Twin Lakes.

We took a slight detour to another boom and bust Victorian mining town, Leadville. It was once the site of the richest mines in the country. At an elevation of 12,152 feet, it is the highest town in the USA.

It has a mining museum, with an extensive collection of minerals and displays of mining equipment and techniques.

Model of a typical mine.

Some fluorescent stones.

Aspen 22, 23 May

We loved Aspen, the home of the rich, famous and beautiful. It is so pretty and there are lots of beautiful trails. We wished we had more time here.

 

We stayed in a lovely hotel and this is the view from our room.

 

An Aspen church surrounded by Aspens.

 

 

Heading for the hills. We learned to do our outdoor activities in Colorado by mid afternoon, as the weather often closed in then.

 

Our destination was the beautiful alpine area of Maroon Bells Lake, 17k from Aspen. Joy in front of a beaver dam.

 

The lake was breathtakingly beautiful.

 

We walked around the side of the lake, then went on up the hill, by the river, to the waterfall. It was very sunny (sun hat) but the air was cool (jacket).

 

 

Busy beaver work.

 

This is it's dam.

 

 

These two magistic peaks, over 14,00 feet high, are the Maroon Bells. 

Oh no, last nights snow blocked the path, but while other less intrepid trekkers turned back, we Aussies ploughed on (with the help of the granny stick). Actually the waterfall was a bit sad due to lack of water.

 

 

We were lucky enough to get a personal tour of the Aspen Wheeler Opera House. They have a big music festival in summer and many famous people feature and attend. Bill is making the best of it.

 

 

Fortunately the chandelier did not fall.

 

Spring in Aspen.

 

See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil.

 

 

This ski runs goes practically into town.

 

One of the many lovely Victorian houses in Aspen.

 

 

A stone house behind the Aspens.

 

 

The new Contempory Art Gallery, slightly wacko inside and out.