I’m so excited about the day ahead. I have no idea what we will be doing. I’m very touristed out at this point, but I am enjoying the beauty of my surroundings. I love just sitting in the fresh air, with the mountains all around me and writing. Ron’s going to play pickle ball and give me time to do just that. Ron and I did have a very difficult conversation, I don’t like pickle ball as much as he does. I just don’t find it fun like him. I don’t mind playing every now and then, but not nearly as much as he enjoys it. He’s sad, he was hoping we’d play together. Overall, a nice way to start a long week of driving.
We went to Colorado Brewing for lunch. The first thing we saw was the massive fireplace, my eyes immediately honed in on the three crosses. I find that very interesting in the midst of the chaos.
The Venison Egg Rolls were delicious as an appetizer. Ron didn’t want to get them. I persuaded him by asking, “When have you ever seen Venison Egg Rolls on the menu before?” He let me order them and he enjoyed every bite far more than he wanted to admit. The Blueberry BBQ was incredibly delicious, surprising actually. Our waitress Alexis reminds me of our friend Kelly back home. She has the same sweet smile and pretty face.
Ron had the Cobb Salad, I had the Southwestern Salad with Chicken. They were huge, neither one of us finished ours, we’ll be eating the leftovers for dinner. Delicious!
We debated about going to the Ghost Town Museum, Ron really didn’t want too. However, it was across the parking lot and seemed silly not to take advantage of the opportunity. Ron was satisfied when it was only $6.50 per person, and $11 for the t-shirt. I loved it. I love taking steps back in time and see how people used to live. Ron made the comment, 100 years from now they’ll have things memorialized from how we live. People in the future will think we lived as crudely as we do the people of the 1800’s. I learned how to type on a typewriter when I was in high school, one more advanced than these, but far from the laptop I use today. I could feel the problems that had been solved in the country store, men standing around after a long day’s work debating them. Sometimes, I think they’re the lucky ones, they didn’t have all the distractions of today to deal with like we do.
The sweet lady in church yesterday told us Glen Eyrie Castle is a must see. She made it sound so appealing, we ditched Pike’s Peak. The truth is, neither one of us were in to Pike’s Peak. You can drive up there or take a shuttle. Ron didn’t want to drive the truck up there, not knowing what the roads would be like. I’m not big on a shuttle and sharp drop off’s when I’m not in control. They’re working on the tram, we decided we’ll wait until next time and take it. By the way, Ron is reading my blog just to see what I say about him, I think it’s cute. Another gorgeous weather day.
The Glen Eyrie Castle‘s mission is to inspire wonder by “knowing Christ and making Him known,” now I know why she recommended we come see the place. Ron said it’s a great place for a woman’s retreat, I agree. The castle is actually a hotel. We couldn’t go inside because they had so many events going on. There were smaller meeting houses around the grounds. Definitely an air of serenity and peace here.
We drove by this house several times in our travels. How would you like a boulder for a back yard? I zillowed homes in the area. The cheapest we saw was $164 thousand, going upwards to $310,000 for an average home. This was the only one we saw with a boulder for a back yard.
We went for a bike ride along the Pikes Peak Greenway Trail. All flat, followed along the creek, easy ride. The trail was much longer than the part we road. We did find a homeless population at the end of it, which made my heart ache. I tried to make eye contact, but they were diligent in not meeting my gaze. They were very settled in, I could tell it was their home. They weren’t begging, they weren’t doing anything wrong, they were just living their lives. I have not worked with the homeless much in my life. I do not know a lot about them. I am learning there are a lot of wonderful programs that are available all over the country. I’m also learning, some people want to live that way. I always assume it’s economic circumstances that cause people to be homeless. I’m learning there are a lot of other reasons why people are homeless as well. I’m still learning and researching, it’s a very difficult topic, with lots of opinions. I just want to make sure I’m following God’s lead on all of this.
We went to Mother Muff’s in Old Colorado City, we passed Beth’s Boutique on the way. I have a feeling I probably wouldn’t shop much in Beth’s Boutique, my wallet probably doesn’t agree with her prices, but this is an assumption. We did not stop. We just wanted to have one last drink in Colorado Springs. We’ve had a wonderful vacation, but we miss home, we’re ready to head that way.
And then there is this gentleman. Honestly I didn’t notice he had shuffled by with his walker until I saw the waitresses help him sit down. I heard one waitress ask if he wanted a margarita, to which he responded “Yes.” He must have been a regular, the way he was being treated. I noted the Korea Veteran hat he was wearing. I immediately thought of the Korean Vet I met in Asheville, NC at the beginning of this trip. He was 86 years old, had been drafted in 1952. I didn’t get to buy him a drink, but we bought this Vet one. I asked the waitress to put in our bill and keep it anonymous.
We decided to pick up a bottle of wine for dinner, since it’s our last night. We discovered in Colorado Springs they have drive through liquor stores, that was interesting. As we were waiting at the light the gentleman with the flag walked by. I saw him yesterday when I was sitting outside working but didn’t have enough time to get a picture. I’m very curious what his story is, I’m sure it is one that could fill pages.
I almost forgot, shout out to all my peeps in Tidal, PA. I thought of all of you when I saw the sign below.
