The Cat's Meow

This large cat sculpture can be found outside the Terrance Patterson gallery/studio on Pecan Street.

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One last pretty moment from our drive on Rampart Range Road. This section isn't far from Woodland Park. Lucky us for having places like this to enjoy, only minutes away.

The Summit, I Suppose

I figure this must be the summit of Rampart Range Road. There's a a spot to pull your car over and take in the magnificent view, and there's also this placard. The inscription reads: "Rampart Range Road, Constructed by U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service and Civilian Conservation Corps. Dedicated to your use and enjoyment, June 19, 1938." It's also got a ton of graffiti scratched into it. I don't understand why anyone would see this and say, "Gee, it would look so much better if I scratched my initials and some stupid message onto it." But there you have it -- many have apparently done just that.

Where the Elves Are

From the viewing platform shown in yesterday's post, if you can tear your eyes away from the mountains and cast them downward, you'll be looking at Highway 24 snaking through Ute Pass. The buildings with the colorful roofs are the North Pole and Santa's Workshop. That's right, the North Pole is in Colorado, not the top of our planet, silly! Okay maybe it's not the real North Pole but it's a fun place to bring your kiddos year round. They'll even get to meet Mr. and Mrs. Claus.

Random Viewing Platform

If you drive far enough up Rampart Range Road, you'll eventually come to a viewing platform that looks like it's been there a long, long time. It's located at a spot that gives you an absolutely stupendous view of the mountain (Waldo Canyon Fire destruction in the foreground notwithstanding). Just be careful not to fall off! I'm kidding. The drop off looks dramatic from this angle, but it's actually more of a slope than a cliff.

Sunday Style!

Last week I posted a few pictures that I took in the Garden of the Gods while on a location scouting mission. As we were heading back to the car I came across this hiker with shocking red hair. Wow! Of course I stopped her and asked for a photo. I wish I could remember her name, but her hair is definitely memorable! It really stood out.

A New Perspective

I hope you've been enjoying my little series this week on Rampart Range Road! Pat and I have never driven all the way through to the end of it, in fact we've only made occasional forays of maybe a mile or two along its winding route, so we were blown away by the astonishing views of snowy Pikes Peak that just kept getting better and better the farther we drove. It's like you could almost reach out and touch it. We were practically at eye level with the summit, or so it felt. We stopped several times to take pictures. So beautiful.

Remnants

Driving on Rampart Range Road will take you directly through the path of the Waldo Canyon Fire so you can see up close the destruction it wrought. It's very sobering to see how perilously close it came to destroying the Garden of the Gods. For those who aren't familiar, this is recent Colorado Springs history and it resulted in the destruction of over 350 homes, including those of two of my friends. The photo below shows where it breached the foothills and raged downhill (which is practically impossible) into the Mountain Shadows neighborhood. It's hard to describe exactly how traumatizing it was for our city. Nearly nine years later, it still brings painful memories. You can read about it HERE, and if you click on the Waldo Canyon Fire tag below, you'll see every post I've made about it, including the ones I made in real time as the fire started, spread and quickly grew out of control.

The Back Side of the Scar

We drove up Rampart Range Road after taking the pictures that I've been featuring the last few days. This winding dirt road originates in the Garden of the Gods and takes you all the way to Rampart Range Reservoir outside Woodland Park. It's a very scenic drive. Lest you think all of our views are pristine and beautiful, though, let me bring your attention to our infamous scar. See how the top of this ridge is suspiciously flat? I don't mean level, I mean flattened instead of jagged and rocky, as it should be. That's because it was a large quarry for decades, and it left a giant scar just north of the Garden of the Gods that's highly visible from practically anywhere in the city. I just spent the last half hour going through every post on this blog that features the Garden of the Gods or our famous view from the overlook, and not a single one of them shows the scar, because I always reflexively shoot around it or crop it out in post. It's not exactly scenic, at least I don't think it is, and unfortunately it's hard to miss!

Since the quarry has closed, the site has grown over with a few stubby trees and undergrowth, but it's never going to look normal. As you drive on Rampart Range Road you'll eventually go past the back side of the scar, and you can clearly see where the natural shape of the foothill ends and the manmade destruction begins. I don't know whose idea it was to put a quarry in such a highly visible spot, but there's not a lot we can do about it now. The next time I go to take a picture of our view I'll purposely include the scar so you can see what it looks like from the front. But first, I'll be continuing my series on Rampart Range Road for the next several days.

Tourism on Four Legs

I caught these tourists exploring the Garden of the Gods on horseback a couple of weeks ago. Pat and I once took this tour and it was such a fun experience.

Bird's Eye View

This little bird perched motionlessly at the tip of this rock formation for several minutes. I guess he was enjoying the view of the mountain.

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I got my second Covid shot today and am feeling a little under the weather, but I planned for this possibility and have a number of pictures ready to go for the entire week, starting with this nice shot of some giant rock formation or other in the Garden of the Gods. I have no idea what this one's called, but I think it's blogworthy.

Have you had your vaccine(s) yet? The side effects for me have included extreme fatigue, generally feeling lousy and wimpy, and headache. Little spells of feverishness and chills have been coming and going. I spent almost the entire day in bed (hence the late hour of this post, which I am sneakily backdating because it's after midnight and technically now the 20th, not the 19th), and no doubt tomorrow will be more of the same, but I'm sure I'll feel fine in a day or two. Anything's better than being on a respirator. I'm excited to have some level of immunity and very much looking forward to getting back to normal!

Sunday Style!

Yes, I've been stalking people in the grocery store again. I like this lady's cozy, oatmeal-colored cable knit sweater, and those boots are nice too.

South Platte River (Part 6)

Here's my last in the South Platte River series! We came across some incredible rapids at a bend in the road and took a few minutes to take some pictures and video. How beautiful.

South Platte River (Part 5)

Our driving adventure along the South Platte eventually brought us to this place, which was a fun surprise. We always take the left fork in the road when we wander through these parts, and I'm glad we decided to go right this time. This old building was a neat discovery! HERE's a picture of what it looked like in its prime in the 1920s (check out the ten gallon hat on that guy on the right!). And HERE's some more recent history on the place.

South Platte River (Part 4)

Not to much to add to this pretty scene, so I'll just put it right here and let you admire it.

South Platte River (Part 3)

Another serene moment along the banks of the South Platte River.

South Platte River (Part 2)

The South Platte has areas of whitewater and stretches that are shallow and calm. This was a great spot to just hang out and enjoy the sounds of the water gently lapping and the trees rustling in the wind.

South Platte River (Part 1)

After taking a few minutes to explore Painted Rocks Campground (see Saturday's post), Pat and I went for a scenic drive along the South Platte River. Here's a picturesque bluff overlooking the roadway. It'd be nice to have this view in your backyard! More pictures to come all week. I'm sure you'll enjoy them.

Sunday Style!

I spotted this casually well dressed shopper downtown a couple of weeks ago.

Garden of the Gods in Miniature

My friend Liz lives near the Painted Rocks Campground, north of Woodland Park. She's been telling me about it for months but I've never been able to find it. Finally I just asked her for directions, and it turned out to be laughably easy to locate. Very pretty place and I can't wait to explore it more (this is just a sampling). Do these pretty rock formations remind you of another place?

Which Way?

Pat and I went for a long drive in the mountains last week. First we wanted to check out the Painted Rocks Campground in the Pike National Forest, north of Woodland Park. After you drive past the rock formations (I'll show you those tomorrow), you find yourself in a neighborhood of sorts, but the homes are on large lots and most aren't visible from the road because of all the trees. What a beautiful, secluded place to live, even if it does require you to have a reliable 4x4 and you may still get snowed in from time to time! Here's a sign post pointing the way to all the neighbors' homes. You can't go any farther than this -- it's all private roads, and strangers aren't welcome.

Bringing Awareness to Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women

This mural downtown replaces one that's been there for years and years (HERE, for the curious), and I must say I prefer it for its symbolism. If it looks vaguely familiar, see my 2020 Photo of the Year. The red hand across the mouth honors the more than 6,000 Native American women that have been murdered or gone missing in the last few years and represents how their voices have been silenced. To read more about this very important cause, visit the National Indigenous Women's Resource Center.

Welcoming

Last week I did a series on the Old North End, and I just realized that I forgot about this image! Here's the front door at 18 W Buena Ventura. According to my nosy research, this home was built around 1897, has four bedrooms, five bathrooms, about 3,300 square feet, and is currently worth over $850,000.

Close Encounters of the Wacky Kind

Pat had a truly weird experience last week. He was driving west on Pikes Peak Avenue where it intersects with Chelton Road when he heard a loud screech and saw a GMC Yukon plow into a small white sedan. Car parts flew everywhere. Ever the concerned citizen, Pat pulled over his car to make sure that everyone was all right. A man emerged from the passenger seat of the white car, staggered around for a moment, then suddenly started running straight toward Pat. Of course this was very puzzling for Pat, but puzzlement soon gave way to alarm when two police officers rounded the corner on foot, chasing after the guy! Only a few feet from Pat's car, they tackled the fleeing man in someone's front yard and handcuffed him. Crazy! Pat came home pumped full of adrenaline and told me the whole thing, so naturally we drove back over to the scene of the accident so I could get pictures for the blog. I got a couple of snaps through the car window as we cruised past. It turns out there was a third small car involved and it was just as crushed as the white car (the ginormous Yukon definitely fared the best), but I didn't get a picture of it. It looks like no one was hurt but I'm sure it ruined everyone's day -- especially the guy who's sitting in the pokey right now.

A Transformation, and Not in a Good Way

 

Saturday's post featured the beautiful 1906 home of children's author Sidford Hamp, and today's features the neighbor directly to the north. As you can see, it's had a drastic makeover. I'm inclined to be a little forgiving of mindfully tweaking beautiful old homes to give them modern touches, but this is, well, hideous. What a terrible mistake. Although this circa 1898 home was never quite as grand as its neighbors, it certainly had charm and it fit right in. (If you're curious, you can see what it used to look like HERE.) Now it sticks out like a sore thumb, and not in a good way. Alas, I don't think there's much you could do to fix what's been done to it. What a pity.

Sunday Style!

Black leather jackets will never go out of style. I own three of them, including the biker jacket that I wore every day of my life in the '80s during my punk and goth years. I have a new biker jacket now, but that's because I often go on motorcycle rides with Pat and he insists on it for my safety. But I sure love my old, beat up one.

Another Beauty

Here's another gorgeous old home on Wood Avenue, my favorite street in the whole city. According to my nosy research, it was built in 1906 by children's book author Sidford Hamp; it has six bedrooms, six bathrooms, over 7,000 square feet and is currently valued at $1.17 million. It's a historic beauty!

Don't Fence Me In

Here's a lovely fence around a lovely house whose address I can't remember, but I'm pretty sure it's on Cascade Avenue. Many of the old homes in the Old North End neighborhood have similar wrought iron fences.

A Sign of Spring!

Goodness, the winters here are long. We may get mild weather for days at a time but those warm-ish stretches are interrupted by regular snowstorms, month after month, and just when you think spring has sprung, sometime in May we we will inevitably have one last winter hurrah. It happens every year. So seeing this plant bravely poke up out of the ground on March 25th in front of a house in the Old North End made my day. I think it may be a kind of hosta, but it's hard to tell at this stage. Maybe in a few weeks I can go back and see what it's grown into.