Chaco & Toesock's Self-Propelled Adventures: Garden of the Gods

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We now no longer camp as for a night, but have settled down on earth and forgotten heaven. ~Henry David Thoreau

Today we stayed in Colorado City so we could visit Garden of the Gods Park. It is a free city park and has many unique rock formations, hoodoos and balance rocks. We wanted to go up to Pikes Peak but the road is closed at 12000 feet due to high snow drifts. We also checked on the Cog Train and it was only running up to 12000 feet for the same reason. We decided that it was no use going unless the summit was open so we settled on Garden of the Gods Park for today. The park has an great trading post and visitors center and alot of the trails are paved to make it more accessible for many people. As much as I despise the hords of littering, loud and annoying tourists and their young primate offspring that don't know how to act in public, never mind refusing to stay on the marked trails and trample all the surrounding vegetation making the paved pathways even more of an eyesore, I understand that these place belong to everyone and I guess must accomodate even these hords of locusts swarming in every season to spend their money! Its getting harder and harder to find truly wild natural places anymore. Oh to have lived 100 years ago! Anyways....we did manage to see some spectacular scenery of red rock landscapes with snow covered Pike's Peak in the background within a 15 minute drive of downtown Colorado Springs. Tomorrow its on to Canyon City to see the Royal Gorge bridge and I am sure....more tourists! And to think we visit these places in the off season.....I would jump off the Royal Gorge Bridge if I had to come here in the summer.