• Two to TravelTwo to TravelCoronavirus Pandemic
    Mothers Church with Pikes Peak in the backdrop — Colorado Springs, CO.
    Frozen creek @ Rock Ledge Ranch — Colorado Springs, CO.Love the reflection on the pond with the ice breaking up — Rock Ledge Ranch ... Colorado Springs, COGalloway Homestead Cabin (1867-1874) — Rock Ledge Ranch ... Colorado Springs, CO.Outhouse @ the Galloway Homestead — Rock Ledge Ranch ... Colorado Springs, CO.Chambers Farm Barn (1867-1874) — Rock Ledge Ranch ... Colorado Springs, CO.Barnyard animals @ Chambers Farm — Rock Ledge Ranch ... Colorado Springs, CO.Orchard House (1907-1910) was built by the founder of Colorado Springs — Rock Ledge Ranch ... COS.Garden of the Gods ... Pikes Peak peeking out between the red rocks — Colorado Springs, CO.A "we are here" selfie @ Garden of the Gods — Colorado Springs, CO.

    When “Plan A” Fails ...

    December 25, 2020 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 50 °F

    Sunshine, blue skies, and temps ranging up to 58F ... best to get out and make the most of the day before the next cold front arrives after the weekend ... possibly with snow to follow.

    We set out mid-morning to do a hike at Sondermann Park, described as being “so well hidden that it feels like one of the State’s best kept secrets.” So accurate. We found one entrance to the park, but there was nowhere to park the car. Neither the GPS nor Google was able to get us to a better access point.

    So, we went to plan B.

    Red Rock Canyon Open Space is a very popular hiking area. It’s off US-24. We’ve driven by it several times. We know exactly where it is. But neither the GPS nor Google could route us to the parking area from where we were ... without going out of our way a considerable distance.

    So, we went to plan C.

    Garden of the Gods, with its beautiful red rock scenery, is a very popular place in Colorado Springs. We figured it would be hopping today with locals showing it off to their Christmas visitors. We were right. Vehicles were backed up from the road all the way to the parking lot for the Central Garden ... at least a mile.

    The good news? The GPS routed us the back way, well away from the crowds. Parking on the road by Mothers Church — near Rock Ledge Ranch Historic Site — our plan was to do a perimeter trail at Garden of the Gods. When we noticed that the grounds to the ranch were open — and free since the buildings are closed due to COVID-19 — we detoured to wander around there first.

    The ranch is a living history farm and museum that depicts life in the Pikes Peak region from the time the American Indians lived here (1775-1835) to the early 1900s when the founder of Colorado Springs purchased the land. In between, homesteaders and ranchers eked out their living here.

    Our meandering walk eventually took us across the Garden of the Gods entrance road. Following the Foothills Trail, we cut across to the Dakota Trail, which connects to several other paths. Kludging together a bunch of pathways to keep ourselves away from the crowds, we eventually connected to the Galloway Trail, which took us through the ranch and back to our car.

    All told — we hiked some 3.6 miles and enjoyed a warm winter day walk.    Read more