Wonders, Wolves, and Waterfalls of Colorado Springs

 Hey there! We spent a week here in wonderful Colorado Springs, actually, less than 1/4 mile from Manitou Springs, Colorado. The name of our campground was called Garden of the Gods RV Resort. It got its name because of the city park space 2 miles down the road. The park was donated by the founder of Colorado Springs in order that it be free to the public. People hike, bike, walk, and just admire the views. From far away, it reminds me of the scales of a Stegosaurus. Up close, it's pretty spectacular.

I borrowed this picture from the internet. I could never get a clear shot that far away ;)

This one is called Balanced Rock. The Goerke brothers charged 25cents for people to take your photo back in the early 1900s. That's worth about $6.50 today. Say whaaat???!!!

Another day we visited the Manitou Cave Dwellings. The price wasn't so bad ($12 pp) but when you drove up, there they were. It looked at first like it was the gift shop or museum because it's right in front of the parking lot. But nope! It's the dwellings! It took us about 10 minutes (that's a cost of about 20 cents/minute per person. These Coloradans know how to make a buck! 

                                   

                                      View from inside the dwelling looking out.......Wow!!

Another great adventure, and well worth the price, was the Colorado Wolf Park. They rescue wolves and take care of them. Most of them are Cannis Lupis (Timberwolves). The females and males are spay and neutered but mated for life. They can't go back in the wild. But they do train them for educational purposes. That's pretty neat. They also have a special feature, New Guinea Singing Dogs. They sing like whales sing to each other. That is super cool! We didn't get to hear them, but they are super-cute! 

This cutie is in training; she's 12 weeks old

New Guinea Singing Dog

Finally, waterfalls. These were actually free! They weren't spectacular, but hey, they were easy to access, which I liked a lot. One, called Rainbow Falls, only opened Friday, Saturday, and Sunday at 10am. We saw it from across the road. Not worth the parking. This one is called Helen Hunt Falls, named for a poet, author, and advocate for Native American rights. She died in the 1880s.

This was a waterfall near Rainbow Falls; I thought this was prettier.

So that was our foray into Colorado Springs/Manitou Springs. Definitely worth a trip here. There is Pikes Peak, too. It is not a national park. You have to pay to go up there. We decided to pass because of the crowds (you have to take the tram in the summer). Maybe another time. But I did get a good view of it every day from my campsite.