Colorado Springs, CO. This is where I grew up. Where my first memories of chasing fireflies, my brothers setting off illegal fireworks, digging snow tunnels, watching lightning storms, and discovering the new and the old, the natural and supernatural that life has to offer began. Sometimes I think I would like to live there now. I could take my family to these same places that I adore in my heart on the weekends. I could push my babies in a jogging stroller along the Santa Fe trail.
If you are a runner, correction if you are a distance runner you must know of the Sata Fe trail. First of all, I don't know if I could run it now without weeping. I would run there almost daily, every inch of it is filled with the hopes and dreams of my 18-20 something self. Initially I would drive on to the base, park near the high school and run North. Then one year after 9/11 they tightened up security, for a while they would let me on but things got stricter and stricter, forcing me to find an new start point. So I ventured to the Woodmen exit and ran North, or to the North Gate entrance and ran North or South. I love every inch of this trail from Palmer Lake to a bit South of the Woodmen exit. Sigh... I wish I had pictures. There were horses, train tracks, pioneer graveyards, forrest, lakes, planes, deer, snakes and bears.
While we are on running trails, Waldo Canyon loop was one of my favorites, I've heard that it burned down and is still closed currently. It was a 7 mile loop of sheer beauty, wonder, and awe. Also there is the incline, the old rail road up Pikes Peak, that exercise extremists have made into a strange thing that you do, I've even heard other towns making fake inclines. When I was in excellent shape I ran it, when I wasn't I walked it, some day I still dream that I will make the record time up it. When I used to go it had a no trespassing sign, not sure how it is anymore.
While we are there near Pikes Peak and Manitou Springs, I will tell you about Gold Camp Rd, back in my day we would go there at night. I knew just the right boulder to watch a lightning storm from. We would also go to the tunnels and put your car in neutral. Legend has it a school bus of kids died up there and they will push your car out. There are also tunnels now closed, and hiking up to them at night proved adventurous and sometimes creepy. Manitou Springs is knows for its witch population and we would often run across some rather interesting people. Gold Camp Rd was also a make out destination, so I wouldn't recommend shinning lights in any of those parked cars.
Manitou itself has some cool places. From the natural healing springs popping out of walls to taste to the Miramont Castle. My favorite memories are again, at night, wandering around, popping into grand historic building and exploring every inch of them.
The Broadmoor, we enjoyed walking the lake as a family, I remember bushes with tunnels that I enjoyed crawling through as a child. I loved stopping in the Olympic Ice Arena and watching figure skaters train. As I got older, I enjoyed exploring the architecture of the building as well walking around the lake.
Starr Gideon Kempf, we happened upon this one night with my oldest brother. Google Starr Kempf, he made these amazing huge metal sculptures that move gracefully with the wind. That first night I remember a bird that moved over the edge of the fence. I had no idea it was such a heated topic when we discovered them. Once again I enjoyed seeing these at night. I loved ogling over the fence at them. That first night we went I remember someone yelling at us and after researching the topic online the other day it turns out that many of the artforms have been removed or laid down on the ground, which I think is really sad, but I guess it boils down to an uncooperative daughter.
The Punch Bowls, another place that may have burned down. It was the most magical place to hike down to and camp or sit atop of these bowl like waterfalls and see the stars in their bright light. Well it almost looks like I should name this blog post top things to do in Colorado Springs at night. So I will leave you with a couple more things to do at night. A trivial thing we never quite accomplished was projecting the bat signal onto the kissing camels, try as we might we could not find anything thick enough and big enough to be long lasting, although I do remember partial success one night, credit for that awesome idea goes to Natalie Bogoini. My last night memory I will leave you with tonight is the bridge over I-25 by the art museum I think it is, I don't know, I just know where it is. It had a quirky park next to it, but if you lay on bridge just as a semi drives under it, you are in for a rush.
Well I'm too tired to go back and edit, this night spew of memories, it anyone is still reading enjoy, if you are from Colorado Springs you will probably enjoy it more. Sigh...
No comments:
Post a Comment