July 7 2011: So we're now in beautiful Colorado Springs! Yesterday was a fun-filled drive across 103-degree Kansas. It was all going so well until the last hour where we hit rush hour traffic in Colorado Springs. The kids picked that moment to get stir crazy from riding in the car all days, and so after 10 hours on the road, we made it in plenty of time to set up camp. After all that, dad's camper picked that moment to have the right slide break (this is now 1, count it 1, slide break on the trip). While dad was fixing that and Mark was stretching the sewer hose to its breaking point, Liz made a run out to pick up McDonald's. Unfortunately, they forgot Mom's salad. So Dad went back, told them they forgot the salad, they say Fine, here's a salad, and he says But my food is cold by now, don't you think you should give me my money back for the salad? And they say But I'm not a manager and he says So get me a manager and then the fry-cook comes up and says Oh, mister, I'm so so so so so so sorry, I'm not a manager, I'm *sob* just the *snif* fry cook and *sob* if you want *snif" your money back then *sob sob* I'll give you your money back, but *snif* I'm just the *sob* fry cook. We were going to go back this morning and see if there was a sign out, Help Wanted for a fry cook.
This morning we got up and were actually able to go outside. It was wonderful. We strapped on the ol' hiking boots and went to Garden of the Gods, a very cool park with these massive red rock fins sticking up out of the ground.
Sometimes there were cracks in the rocks, just right for kids. Izzie, Kieran and Gabe all enjoyed squeezing in rocks that by all accounts should not have let them pass and getting back in crevices farther than any adult could follow them. Alex free climbed up and through one crevice until he put he hands in what we think were abandoned rock swallow nests. After we got him down, he just stared straight ahead, slowly rocking back and forth. All he could do was whisper that they were "full of 'debris'".
Garden of the Gods is a beautiful place, but since the trails are short, paved, and handicap-accessible, there were a lot of other people. But just being out of the camper and in nature - even paved nature - made it a great experience.
We came back to back for lunch and naps, but I was chomping at the bit to get on my bike. I've taken almost a year off for various reasons, and have slowly been getting back in shape. When we decided a few days ago to come to Colorado Springs, I immediately got out the ol' Colorado mountain biking bike and found the perfect ride, a 15-mile not too technical ride around Rampart Reservior. The book said it was only 20 miles from here. So I grabbed my bike and gear and jumped in the car. In my mind, I figured out how long it would take to get to the trailhead (about 25 minutes) and then how long I'd have to ride. Unfortunately, the book mentioned street names and distances, but not elevations or terrains. It became obvious that I was driving up a lonely mountain road, but I just kept repeating to myself: "You can't put a reservoir at the top of a mountain… You can't put a reservoir at the top of a mountain…" Um, apparently you can. Don't ask me where the water comes from. So it took an hour and 5 minutes to get all the way up the pitted, steep, twisting, dirt mountain road to the reservoir. And when, after all that time, I finally came out of the trees, there was a very special surprise waiting for me: A massive Rocky Mountain thunderstorm, complete with lightning, massive amounts of rain, hail, high winds, and a thirty degree drop in temperature. It hit about 10 minutes after I arrived, and when I got to the gate I asked the guard if he thought it might stay south and miss us. His cheerful voice said, "Hey, it just might!", but his face said, "Hey, it's your funeral, moron." It was clear I wasn't going to get to ride, but I thought maybe I can just go that far… through those trees and back before the storm hits. I got my cyclegeek cycleshoes on, opened the hatch on the Big Truck (booyaa!), reached for my bike, and watched as a massive blue streak of lightning hit the center of the lake.
Even I can take a hint.
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