Colorado13

Colorado Trip

We visit our nephew Austin and wife Edie at their 2nd home in Salida, Colorado. This group picture is taken on a trip up the mountain.

Their house is where the 2 cars are parked. There are 4 homes in this area. Theirs has 3 bedrooms, 2 1/2 baths and a great porch that overlooks the Arkansas River and the mountains. From the windows, you have a 360 degree view of the surrounding mountains.

The plantings are beautiful and are kept up by the HOA.

The first day, Austin and I walk to the river and small lake.

The lake is filled with friendly ducks and geese.

The lake is so pretty! You can see their house at the top of the hill. It's the one on the right.

Some views of the river

We are in downtown Salida. It is such a quaint town. The "S" on the mountain top lights up at night.

A view of the town from where John gets coffee each morning. We enjoyed attending their church, which is 120 years old. Each denomination had beautiful, old churches. The town is filled with small, old homes, which have been beautifully restored. What a quaint and fun town! Everyone is so friendly.

This is a panorama picture of the lake in the mountains.

We have a great lunch here. (It was the best Taco Salad I've ever had.)

We eat dinner at night on their patio. Great view, great weather and great food!

This deck is huge. It is a semi circle that opens from their Living and Dining areas.

We see this sunset every evening!

The deer are abundant in the woods by the river. This doe has 2 fawns. One is still hidden in the brush.

Ducks in the lake

The lake is so clear that you can see the fish swimming!

The mountains are beautiful as we drive to Colorado Springs.

We stop at Wilkerson Pass, where we can view the surrounding mountains.

We enjoy the views.

We drive up to the Cave of the Winds, which is on top of this mountain. We actually saw some people hiking on this pass below! Trust they were able to come into the pass from below somewhere. Nancy couldn't resist taking a tour of the cave. She had been warned that there were 200 steps, but not that some of the passages were so narrow that she could barely squeeze through and some so low that she was almost bent double. Not the place for the claustrophobic! The cave has 7 miles of passages and was discovered in the 1880's. People could take tours then as they entered from below.

Another view from the top - See the winding road that we drove up!

We stopped at various highlights. (That is the top of the cave above - not the sky!)

Another stop

On the left is a fascinating structure and on the right is a stalactite that is crooked.

We drive into the Garden of the Gods at Colorado Springs and see this magnificent structures.

We saw this mountain on the highway.

We drive out to the Air Force Academy, but are unable to see much.

This is the Athletic Complex and the famous Chapel is on the right.

This picture was at the Airport and shows the cadets marching by the Chapel.

This is a view from the road inside the grounds. Nothing is visible from the highway!

This plane is closer to the entrance.

We had a little time at the hotel before we left and so Nancy walked the 2 blocks into the "Old Town" and window shopped. (Did buy a blouse though!)

What a fun trip to take in the middle of the summer!

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