Manitou Springs

The forecast was for a day colder than the 60F or so we had yesterday. And it was to be breezy ... very breezy. On the other hand, it was also to be a blue-sky day with plenty of sunshine. Sun! That’s the magic word around here as it makes all the difference to one’s comfort level ... even when the temps are downright frigid. So, off we went this morning to enjoy another “family outing” with my mom, brother, sister, and BIL.

Our day started at Urban Egg, which bills itself as “a daytime eatery.” The menu is mostly breakfast items, plus a few salads and soups. Our meal was somewhere between breakfast and lunch. On this Sunday morning, we had to wait about 10 minutes for a table for six as the restaurant’s policy is to NOT combine smaller tables. Turns out the food was worth the wait. One thing us ladies all agreed on — the portions were way too big ... next time we would order a combo of sides instead. The men had no complaints!

After breakfast, we headed into the mountains to visit Manitou Springs. Before going into town, however, we stopped to visit the Manitou Cliff Dwellings. The site is quite small, but claims to be one of the most accessible examples of cliff dwellings. That’s probably true as you can practically drive up to and park just steps away from the dwellings that were once occupied by the Anasazi. Frankly, if you’ve visited some of the grand dwellings — like the ones in Mesa Verde — the site is not impressive. But if you’re short on time, or this is your only opportunity to visit ancient dwellings like these, then the site serves as a good introduction.

We wandered through the small number of structures, stopping to read the signs explaining what each was. Those of us brave enough to do so, climbed up a short ladder to the second floor of one of the dwellings, squeezed through a small opening, climbed down another short but steep ladder, and then squeezed ourselves out of another small opening. All in good fun.

Afterward, we made our way to the pueblo that was built on the site in 1898. According to the brochure, local Native Americans lived in the pueblo until 1984. Since then, the buildings house the museum, which has some interesting exhibits and a couple of small dioramas depicting the daily life of the people. The gift shop is also in this building ... quite a large shop that is mingled in with the museum exhibits. Although we don’t usually buy trinkets from such places, the ladies all found something to take back home.

From the dwellings, we drove the short distance into Manitou Springs ... the town. Finding two on-street parking spots on a Sunday afternoon turned out to be surprisingly easy ... and inexpensive at $1/hour. It certainly beat parking in the free lot and waiting around for the shuttle for transportation.

We didn’t have any special plans in mind, so we just wandered down one side of the main street ... and up the other side ... popping into a few shops along the way ... just window shopping. The side of the street that was in the sun was delightfully warm and cozy. The side of the street that was in the shade ... well, downright chilly would be a good description. We all appreciated the chance to pop into a café for hot beverages before we made our way back to the cars. We skipped the chocolate shop this time 🤪

We’ve been busy since the beginning of the year. So, tomorrow is planned as mostly a day of rest ... though we do have some errands to run that will take us out and about. Who knows what else we might find to do once we leave the house 😉

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