Are we there yet? 2013: June 19, 2013 Garden of the Gods & Manitou Springs

Today we start some real sight seeing! We are going to visit both The Garden of the Gods & Manitou Springs! After breakfast we pack our picnic lunch so we can start out! Garden of the Gods is a park that is truly pet friendly & it's free!

Elliot Perkins,former executive of the Burlington Northern Railroad was the first owner of the property we know as the Garden of the Gods. It was his dream to build his home & make a park on the property. When R.E. Cable visited this area 1859, he remarked,"Why this place is fits for the gods to assemble-a garden of the gods!" Thus the name as we know it now. Unfortunately Elliot Perkins passed away in 1907 before he could fulfill his dream. His children donated the land to the city under the condition that it always be FREE admittance. Today almost 2 million visitors each year enjoy the stately monuments, plant & animal life of the Garden of The Gods!!!

Because it was Pet Friendly, that meant other dogs were walking about with their humans, which makes Otis think he has to act aggressive!?!

I don't know about Otis, but Lennie & I enjoyed walking around this Natural park looking at the different formations!

This formation is called The Kissing Camels!
Rock climbers, with permits can climb some of the rocks in the park.

That is if you're brave enough or skilled enough???

Lennie & I had our own level of rock climbing!!!!

Even Otis gets in on the act!!!!

On the way our of the park, EVERYONE stops for a picture of

Balanced Rock!!!!!

We definitely enjoyed Garden of The Gods, but we're moving on to visit Manitou Springs. Manitou Springs is between Garden of The Gods & Pikes Peak. Nine named mineral springs throughout the town are fed by the snows of Pikes Peak. But first before we look this historic town over....it's picnic time!!! There's always a park just when we need one!

After our picnic lunch, we went street side to wander the shops. There are benches outside the shops for those who prefer to sit while the other one shops, or like us for the person strapped with a dog!!! There wasn't any shade street side, so real quick Lennie & Otis walked back to the park. There was quite a few shops, but with Lennie & Otis waiting "patiently" I didn't lag too long.

It was a quaint little town but we should have come without Otis!!!

Okay heading back to the RV Park to relax!

Does this look like a dog suffering!?!

After dinner we start to take Otis for his nightly walk. The sun is just starting to set. I tried to capture the picture but the TRUE colors just didn't show up. The sun was fireball red! I heard later on the news that the sun looked so read because it was glowing through the smoke haze????

Lennie & Otis stopped off at the RV's Dog Park, & I continued walking thinking I could get a better shot of the sun setting. i set out hoping to get a good sunset scene, which I didn't get, but I got a bonus!!!! Walking in the RV Park I counted 8 deer! They were NOT people shy either!

This was the first one I spied, then his "Friends"!