CoSprings: Peek @ GotG

A week ago today we disembarked Nieuw Statendam, changing states from Florida to Atlanta to Colorado that afternoon. It’s been a quiet week since then. Not by choice. Mom contracted an upper respiratory virus the day before we disembarked … as well as conjunctivitis. She’s slowly getting better but has been pretty miserable since we came home.

Having been mostly stuck at home for a week, we were all ready for a change of pace ... a breath of fresh air. Even if it was a short one. So, this morning we took advantage of blue skies and sunshine to take a car ride. Though the high temp was only up to 53F, it felt much warmer in the sun … warm enough to go out and about without a heavy jacket.

First, we went to the Garden of the Gods — the GotG in the title of this footprint. Of course, this place of red rocks is best enjoyed by hiking the trails, but that was not on the agenda today. We drove around a bit, made a few quick stops for photo ops, and moved on to another spot we wanted to show mom and Aylin.

Mui and I found the America the Beautiful Park purely by chance when we were in Colorado Springs in 2018. A great big circle in a wide-open greenspace — visible from the highway — caught our eye and piqued our curiosity. Turns out the circle is part of a fountain installation and it frames Pikes Peak if you walk far enough away at the right angle. The park also has a memorial to the poet who wrote the song, "America the Beautiful.”

We wrapped up our brief get-some-fresh-air outing at one of our favorite casual eateries in Colorado Springs — Il Vicino. Tasty Italian food.

Not sure when we will go out again as it depends on how mom is feeling. In any event, I hope to have some fun things to report in the days and weeks ahead.Read more