June 25, 2013 Leaving Mountain Dale.......

This morning we leave Colorado Springs & Mountain Dale RV Park our destination is Idaho Springs & Cottonwood RV Park. It's only about a 2 hour drive so we're not rushing. We don't have a early take off, good, we can linger over breakfast! After breakfast we each have certain jobs to do getting the RV ready to depart! I take Otis for his last potty walk while Lennie is finishing up on the outside.

Otis really liked the dog park at Mountain Dale.

Lennie finally admitted taht he did like the Mountain Dale RV park & even our site wasn't so bad once we got it leveled up. When we checked in, we were told that was the only spot available??? I think they catered to regular weekender & I think they were depending on a full RV park but the nearby wildfires, I'm sure kept the would be campers away, the smoke was so thick, not to mention the major highway closed becaue of the fires?????At any rate, westill enjoyed the park, but now it's time to move on.....

Hey, looks like Lennie is done on the outside, time to bring the slides in! I said we each have jobs we do....except Otis, he just waits till we're ready to roll!

& now...we're ready to roll! Wait a minute.....who's driving this rig!?!

After an exchange of drivers, we leave Mountain Dale & head north down Hwy 25. We're on our way to Idaho Springs, like I said only about a 2 hour drive. During our drive we pass through a town named Castle Rock. I wonder how they came up with that name!?!

            This year we have certainly had a road trip full of scenery!!

Soon enough we arrive in Idaho Springs at Cottonwood RV Park!

Cottonwood RV Park is NOT your "typical" RV Park!?! I feel it's someone's property that they are 

using to make extra income. Check out the office!

June 24, 2013 Friendship Day!

Today is our last day at Mountain Dale RV Park. Usually on our last day we do things necessary in preparation of departing, you know like....laundry UGH, & such.....but today is different! Turns out Lennie & I both knew someone living in Colorado Springs! Lennie knew Kevin Smith, a guy from their Mac Tools days.I knew Janis Michelic Hahn from KINDERGARTEN (1955) & beyond!Today we are going to go visit our friends! Janis knew I was visiting the Colorado Springs area & we had already planned a luncheon. Lennie's visit to Kevin Smith was a total surprise! Lennie drove me to Janis' apartment, with the aide of our GPS, & Kevin's shop was not too far from there so things were working out! I guess I was so excited about seeing Janis after sooooo many years I forgot to take pictures of our get together!?! But I did snap the view she gets to see everyday from her balcony!

I don't know what she pays for rent, but her view was priceless. We drove to a little neighborhood restaurant for lunch, & talked & talked & talked!!!!We beat Lennie back to the RV! I guess Kevin & Len had more catching up than Janis & I did!?! After more talking together Janis had to head back to her apartment. I did get Len to snap our picture! Where was my brain while she & I were at the restaurant, our waitress was soooo friendly I know she would have gladly taken a pictures for us!?! It's not easy getting old!

Janis is wearing the ruffle scarf I knit up for her the night before! That makes over 60 ruffle scarves I've knit, but who's counting!!!!

 Thanks to Facebook & emails, I have been in cyber contact with Janis for awhile, but nothings better than the real thing!

It was good seeing old friends again!

June 23, 2013 Stocking up!

Yesterday was Otis' day(Camping World)

Today is our day! But after our regular breakfast routine when we told Otis he was staying at the RV, he didn't even act like he cared!!!!

Today we're going to Colorado Springs Flea Market & I hope to find some sort of treasure!

We're not really looking for anything in particular, tho Lennie is hoping to find a hat! This Flea Market, if it doesn't have anything else, it does have a view!

WE look at EVERYTHING & Lennie did spy a hat he thinks he wants but doesn't want to pay the price so he thinks if he keeps shopping he might find another hat, cheaper???

We saw other hats, but not like the first hat so we're going back so he can rethink the cost! $$$$$$

aah, there's the hats....& he's thinking, if he tries it on, the man has a sale!?!

                                    SOLD!!!!! One Happy Customer!
After fun at the Flea Market, Lennie was the only one going home with a treasure! Now we head to Sams Club to stock up on food supplies. This is necessary, but not fun!
After that shopping, back to the RV & Otis & a chance to relax! Tomorrow is another day!

June 22,2013 Busy day today!!!

Today is a special day for Otis!!! We have to go to Camping World & that's one store pets are ALLOWED! Otis loves camping world! "Hurry up & eat breakfast  Mom & dad I want to go to Camping World!"

          Okay Otis the breakfast routine is almost over then
                   we'll go to Camping World!

 Otis isn't walking with Lennie so

I can take pictures........

that's the way Otis likes it!

Camping World wasn't the only stop on our agenda this morning, just Otis' favorite stop! Next stop is The United States Air Force Academy!The Air Force Academy is the youngest of the US service academies. In 1954 President Eisenhower signed a bill of Congressional legislation to establish what has become one of the leading military & academic institutions in the country. The Academy operated at Lowry AFB in Denver before moving to it's present location in Colorado Springs in 1958.

        Lennie & I have been here before but it's been over 30 years!
                 We drive in anxious to view all we're allowed to view!

We didn't see much activity going on, I guess they were all on summer break!?!

                                 

How could they leave that view???

We went to see the Chapel, a private affair was going on, we assumed a wedding the way people were dressed, so I just snapped a pictures & we slipped away!

It was interesting to come back here after 30+ years, & we still had one kid tagging along with us...."OTIS"!!!

                                            that's a big bird!!!!

        I think I hear my tummy rumbling! Time to leave the Academy,

& head to lunch!

Today's picnic serves a dual purpose! We're going to enjoy lunch,

& I'm going to get at least one blog day posted while Lennie & Otis wait patiently on me!

But....our day isn't over yet!!! After our picnic lunch at the park, & my blogging!                                                       We drove to SEVEN FALLS......

a tourist attraction, not a National park, so we get in line to pay!

Seven Falls is the only waterfall in Colorado to make National Geographic's list of International Waterfalls! During the summer months, you can see the waterfalls come alive with color via a computerized color lighting show. Originally this was our plan, to see the falls at night, but.....the smoke from the wildfires is really thick at night. Our RV park is out in the country & we didn't want to try driving in smokey conditions & worry about deer! Viewing the falls in the daylight hours wasn't so bad!?!

You can ride this elevator up 14 stories to the Eagle's Nest observation deck, or.....

you can walk up 189 steps to the same destination!?! Easy decision there!!!

I'm not sure Otis is real thrilled about the tourist things we do, he just likes our picnics!?!

The falls were just one part of that park. Within the park you could also view the Helen Hunt Jackson(writer/poet)waterfalls.

                                  

           Otis is aways a little leery of water!

this has been a busy day but now it's time to go back to the RV!

Otis is hoping we'll stop & get a McDoubles on the way home, but he's wrong. We're just going to throw something quick together  call it dinner!

Before bedtime we take Otis out for his last potty walk & try our best to capture a picture of the SUPER MOON!

                              Okay bedtime.......see you in the morning!



June 21,2013 First day of Summer in Colorado Springs!

Today is one of those days when we're just going to take it easy. We take our time over breakfast. We decided we were just going to check out Colorado Springs today!?!
Every day we wake up to a smokey hazy day & in the evenings the smoke is even heavier. So sad that sooooo much natural beauty can be destroyed in just of puff......
With the morning routine done we head to the highway! This time Otis is staying at the RV & this time we didn't pack a picnic lunch! I'm happy now!!!

Even with the smokey haze, Colorado Springs still have a nice view! We didn't see a whole lot of downtown Colorado Springs! We wound up at a mall!

Lennie hates Malls or shopping period but it was his idea! He left home with 5 pair of brand new shorts from JC Penney's but he's lost so much weight(58 lbs!) that we exchanged the shorts once in Durango,Colo but before he had even worn the exchanged shorts, we had to exchange them again!?! Penney's is real nice about exchanging things! After exchange shopping we just walked around the mall, before you knew it, lunch was over & we hadn't eaten anything????
We drove to a Rudy's BBQ Restaurant. We were familiar with Rudy's BBQ from the short year we lived in Texas. We knew they were good & we were hoping it was the same restaurant!

It looked like the same restaurant from the outside!

One step inside & I thought I was back in Texas at good ole Rudy's BBQ! Now I hope this Rudy's still has that wonderful creamed corn I use to get with my order!

They did & it was still just as good as I remembered it! Oh yum!!!

Well Otis didn't get a McDouble today for staying home but he did get some McRudy's!!!!

No.....this is not another picnic! After we gave Otis his treat from Rudy's BBQ, we drove back into town,  so I could have Internet connection to post my travel blog & Lennie could do our banking!!! This time Otis came with us!

June 20,2013 Pikes Peak & Cripple Creek!

We're ready to get breakfast out of the way! Today these TOURIST (& dog)are going to view Pikes Peak! Breakfast is over, picnic lunch packed, dog walked, okay let's go!

We don't have a real long drive to our destination of Pikes Peak. that's how Lennie picks our RV parks, central to any sightseeing we want to do!

Pikes Peak, America's most famous mountain, is not a National park, so we're in line to pay!$!$!$

The ranger hands us our brochure & away we drive! The brochure reccommends that people drive straight to the top, then on the decent, stop & take pictures. I guess that's for traffic control???            So we'll do that!

we begin our drive!

        & we drive till we get to the top of Pikes Peak, elevation 14,110 ft!

   I can feel the difference in the elevation!!!

There's 2 ways to get to the top of Pikes Peak. Drive your car, or you can catch the cog railroad in Manitou Springs, which makes several trips a day.

                     You can't have a picnic if you choose the cog train!!!

                    The original summit house on top of Pikes Peak

While visiting Pikes Peak in 1893, poet, Katharine Lee Bates got the inspiration for the song we know as America the Beautiful!

This is the view she saw that gave her, her inspiration!

only being a poet, she penned the song in poem form & it was published in 1895 titled, PIKES PEAK! It wasn't until church organist, Samuel A. Ward put music to her poem & in 1910 Pikes Peak was republished as the song, America the Beautiful!

Times to go back down Pikes Peak so we can take some pictures!

This was the road we just drove up!!! 

                    We stopped at the half way point

for our picnic lunch!

         That table looks a little rough! As long as it holds our goodies!!! We continue our drive to the bottom, a few more photo opts before we leave the park.....

I'm glad Katharine Lee Bates poem was changed to America the Beautiful!

It truly is!!!

 We left Pikes Peak & decided to take a scenic drive. Our drive took us to Cripple Creek, Co. This was an old historic mining town.And you can still get a feel of the mining history in the town. There's a little ghost Town section. There's an old mine you can go down 1,000 feet underground! There's no gold left in this town but there's still money, if you're lucky. These historic old streets are now lined up with CASINOS just waiting for people to try their luck!!!

We didn't throw any money away in the casinos, but I did browse through some of the shops!

Lennie said he waited long enough...time to go back to the RV for dinner!

After dinner I tried again to get that spectacular fireball red sunset, but it just won't show up on the camera!?!

                                             Oh well....I tried!!!!