Colorado, Part 1

Arrived in Trinidad, Colorado this morning, rented our car (well, it's more like a mini-van, but that's the only thing they had available -- I'll post pictures later), and drove out to Colorado Springs to tour the Garden of the Gods.  (Another good website here.  Lots of photos.)

This is a drive-though park, with no admission fee, easy walking trails, and dozens of red and white rock formations.  Some can be seen from the road, others only from the trails.


The formations made this area a landmark, not only for the Ute and other local Native Americans, but also for people moving west to prospect for gold.  It was dubbed "The Garden of the Gods" in 1859 by a young man named Rufus Cable, who thought it too majestic to be a mere "beer garden", as one of his friends called it.

 At right, if you look closely, you can see the red and blue of a rock climber.  Several people were climbing this afternoon, which is allowed as long as you have the proper equipment. 

At left is one of the rock formations along the Perkins Central Garden Trail.  This one can only be seen if you walk the footpath.  The stones were formed millions of years ago as sediments settled to the bottom of the ocean that covered this region at that time.  Later, the rock was pushed upward by geological forces.  Wind and water wore the softer parts of the stones away, leaving the formations you see here.

Several stones, also along the Perkins Trail.  More information on the history of the area can be found here.
 

 




The Balancing Rock.  Weather and water have eroded the stone's sides and base.  (And no, there are no blue shapes on it -- that's a camera issue with the sunlight's angle.)






Mom promised people "waves" from various places along our trip, so here's the first.  Please note that none of us are providing the laughter you hear in the background before the clip ends; my camera's microphone just picks up everything.