After checking Google Flights, and debating over various locations, we decided that the best choice for us was to fly from IAH to Denver, Colorado. Because of the location of the Houston airport, we stayed in a nearby hotel the night before. On the way there, we had a layover in Phoenix, AZ; and on the way back, we had a minute layover in Dallas, TX. Once in Denver, we rented a car and headed to Manitou Springs.
As soon as we had decided on Colorado, I turned to Pinterest to search kid-friendly places to visit. We'd had a decidedly mild winter here in Louisiana, temperatures, rarely dipping near freezing, and my daughter, 7, had no real memories of snow. I wanted to change this. One of the best sites I found on Pinterest was that of the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo's giraffe cam. I was able to check the weather in real time.
When we got to our hotel, Comfort Inn in Manitou Springs, we checked in, headed back out for some allergy meds (the altitude was messing with my sinus pressure), and picked up a pizza at Domino's. Then we made the most of the cozy hotel room and inside pool and hot tub.
The next morning after breakfast, we headed out to the Garden of the Gods. This is a Colorado park and costs nothing. The land was donated with the specification that it would always be free to the public. And it is a magnificent sight to behold. Start at the visitor's center. We were surprised that with few exceptions (like the bighorn sheep and the buffalo (bison), there were several native Colorado animals that were also native to Louisiana. We explored the visitor center and the gift shop before driving across the road to the garden. There are a few places to rock climb, but overall, most of the rocks are off-limits, especially to novice climbers. Here's a tip I didn't know: there are several parking lots around the garden. I parked in first one I came to. We walked around for about half an hour before heading back to the car. We did not realize the incline, and there may not have been much of one, it just may have seemed that way to us. I say that because we were going from a home elevation of sea level to 6,358' elevation. Also, because an elderly man was pushing his wife in a wheelchair ahead of us with no problems, but my very athletic daughter and I were huffing and puffing.
Remember I wanted to make sure my daughter saw snow? I needn't have worried about this. There was snow on the ground in several places, but I had wanted to make sure, so I had booked the only train that runs during winter, the Broadmoor Cog Railway. In the winter, the railway only goes as far as they can go, that is, as far as the track can be cleared. We were able to go a bit past the halfway point and were able to stop and get out at one point. We were able to play in the snow, which my daughter and I both enjoyed. We could see Pike's Peak, but we did were no able to summit the mountain, however we knew we wouldn't be going to the summit well in advance. We literally stopped when we met a wall of snow. The train ride was very informative, as well. Did you know that America the Beautiful was written by a woman? I didn't. Turns out Katharine Lee Bates wrote the lyrics after being inspired by the sights that lay before her from Pike's Peak. And I can see why. When we came to a certain area, an entire side of the train collectively made a sound of awe. Seats are assigned randomly, but if you happen to be on the side with 3 seats, you're on the side with the best view.
We headed back into Manitou Springs for a quick, late lunch at Sahara Café. Now, the first thing my daughter noticed was that one of the employees went into the basement. Again, we live at sea level, which means, she's never seen a basement before. She was ah-mazed. The café has Greek food, coffee, and ice cream. It doesn't seem like that should work, but it does. The best part, other than the food, though, was that our server ended up being from our general area.
Then it was time to head to the Cave of the Winds for our 4:00 tour. I think our tour guide's name was Sara. She was really entertaining. I'd seen stalactites and stalagmites before, around San Antonio, when I was around 4, so it'd been awhile. Seeing remnants of explorers' ladders and tunnels and one of the darkest places on earth were all amazing things to share with my daughter. By this time, I'd also exhausted the battery on my phone and left my camera in the car, so at the end of the tour when w were given the option of buying a USB with our picture (taken at the entrance of the caves) that included other pictures and videos), I jumped at the chance. This was probably my favorite souvenir.
The next day I woke up not feeling well, so before we went anywhere, we headed to an urgent care in Colorado Springs. One thing about driving in Colorado: roads are well marked and signs are easy to follow. One thing that was truly baffling for a state where marijuana is legal and mountain roads are plentiful: the lack of guardrails.
For our last full day in Colorado, we spent a few hours at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo. Remember the link I posted earlier? We sent it to several family members, found the camera, and were able to wave to them over the world wide web. Not only were most of the exhibits unique, but everywhere we looked there was a simply stunning vista. There is also a ride that looks like a ski lift that was only open on the weekends ( I missed this online or I would've gone the day before). You can also drive into the zoo up to the Will Rogers Shrine of the Sun, which I didn't know either, and honestly I wasn't feeling well at this point. If they upgrade the parts of the zoo that are still in the "old-school" style, this zoo will truly be one of the best in the country, along with being the only mountain zoo.
After leaving the zoo, we headed to Denver, spent the night near the airport, and spent the next day exploring Denver before flying out at 4. Around 2, it really started snowing, so not only did we get to see snow on the ground, we also got to see it coming down, as well. Denver and the general airport area were both easy to navigate, everyone we encountered was friendly and welcoming, and we had a wonderful time. Honestly, it felt a bit like Louisiana in the mountains.
-Till next time, Colorado!
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