Colorado Springs Colorado

After leaving Amarillo, Texas we drove to Colorado Springs, Colorado and stayed on the Air Force Academy in their FamCamp which is the Air Forces name for their RV parks.  The Peregrine Pines FamCamp was a nice place to stay while in Colorado Springs.

One of the reasons we decided travel to Colorado at this time was due to my oldest son attending a military course at Fort Carson and so we made sure we were there the week he was.  We only got to see each other one night, but Will came over for dinner and then we visited for a while.  All his younger brothers and sisters just love it when they get to see their big brother Will.

All the kids with their big brother Will.

It is always good when you get to visit with family especially since we are always away from West Virginia and most of our family.

Probably the best place we visit while in Colorado Springs was the Cadet Chapel on the base.  We were lucky to go to their protestant service the Sunday we were in town.

The Cadet Chapel is one of the most unique churches in the United States and is very beautiful.  We were very happy to be able to attend a service there and worship the Lord.  I know there are more extravagant churches in the world, but if you are in Colorado Springs then you need to visit the Cadet Chapel.

One thing you will notice about the stain glass and colors in the chapel is that they are darker at the rear of the sanctuary and progressively get lighter toward the front towards the altar in the sanctuary.  This it to represent getting closer to God.

The Lively Family at the Cadet Chapel on the Air Force Academy.

The front of the Cadet Chapel.

Inside looking towards the altar.  Notice the lighter colored stain glass.

The pipe organ in the back of the sanctuary.  Notice the darker colored stain glass.
 

The right side of the sanctuary.

The left side of the sanctuary.

A side shot of the Air Force Academy Cadet Chapel.

Another landmark we visited while in Colorado Springs was the Garden of the Gods.  Admission is free due to the wishes of Charles Elliott Perkins who wanted it to be open and free to the public.  He bought the land back in 1879 to build a railroad, but decided that it was too grand not to share with the public.



Entering Garden of the Gods.

Tower of Babel.

Side view of some of the formations on the eastward side of the Garden of the Gods.


The next place we explored was Pikes Peak which is 14,115 feet above sea level.  There are two ways to get to the summit, ride the Cog Train or drive up the 19 mile scenic highway to the top.  We chose to drive up because that only cost us $54.00 versus $199.00 to ride the Cog Train.

 

One issue with driving is make sure you have plenty of gas since you will use a lot more driving up the mountain and then make sure you have good brakes when coming back down.  We geared down and let the engine do most of the braking so the brakes did not get too hot.

 

 Road up to Pikes Peak.

Another issue is that we only made it up to around 12,500 feet because a storm blew in and they closed the summit.  They will also stop the trains too, but I heard you have a better chance of getting to the summit on the train during bad weather than driving.

 The snow storm that kept us from going to the top of Pikes Peak.

Kids getting out at around 12,500 feet elevation to play in the snow. 

 

 

A beautiful view of the valley below from Pikes Peak. 

 

 A closer picture of the lake below from Pikes Peak.

Watch for Big Foot!

 

 



Kids playing on the rocks at around 12,500 feet elevation.

Big Foot Spotted!

We were disappointed that we did not make it to the top, especially since we wanted some of their famous donuts that are the only ones that are successfully baked at 14,000 feet elevation, but we still saw some beautiful scenery and had a good time.

We hope you liked our little tour of Colorado Springs and some of its attractions.  There is much more to see, but we only had time for the above.  Our visit with our son Will made it worth the trip and we were also able to visit our cousin Lloyd Kelley, and a good friend Ivette Orozco, so even better.

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Until next time God bless and safe travels.

Thanks!
Don, Misty, and Kids...

Twenty one states visited so far.