Some Dreams Really Do Come True, Part 3

 

Saturday, June 8, my second full day in Colorado, I awoke to a distant buzzing sound that seemed to be approaching. Rolling out of my tent, I spotted a paramotor sailing high over the reservoir. It has been a few years since I've seen one. Kinda cool concept, but I doubt I'd ever willfully try it. I don't feel like strapping an engine to my back while hanging from a parachute. Still, it was fun to watch this guy doing it.

Once breakfasted, I set out to meet up with my hosts and adventuring companions. On the way, I decided to finally stop and get some pictures of the Pueblo reservoir dam. The road into the campground goes below this dam, which I reasoned could spell trouble in the event of flash flooding. Still, this is southern Colorado. It never rains that hard in the summer, right?

Today's expedition would be Colorado Springs. Long have I had the zipcode memorized for this infamous city (Shotout to all my fellow Adventures in Odyssey listeners!), but today I would be seeing portions of it in person.

Like traveling southwest to San Isabel, traveling north was a drastic shift of environment away from Pueblo's brown dirt and desert shrubs to tall green trees rising dramatically against red granite mountains.

The first stop of the day was the Seven Falls Canyon. This required taking a shuttle bus from the visitor center to the canyon itself. The last couple pictures were taken on the shuttle, as well as one poor quality shot of the Cheyenne Mountain Complex and some random strangers' heads.

Arriving at the canyon, there is a short walk through it to get to the actual waterfall. And there was a lot less green here. But the red granite is so beautiful.

The end of the canyon has two sets of stairs. One going up the side of the waterfalls, and one across from it, going to an observation deck. The intrusive thought popped into my head that I was going to do both staircases. So up the observation deck I went, to get some pictures of the canyon from an eagle's perspective.

 

Now, you might ask... Where are the seven falls? I only see one? Well, I thought so too. But somebody who evidently had some influence decided that every individual drop would be it's own waterfall.If you try counting them, there are two very small ones hidden from the angle where I was standing. One halfway up, and one at the top.

So after spending a while on top of the observation deck, I decided it was time to mount the falls themselves. There were four in our group, including me, but only one decided to join me. The other two had climbed enough stairs for one day.

And let me tell you, the steps are no small feat. 185 to the top of the observation deck. 224 to the top of the waterfall. And you have to come back down the same way you go up. Trying to do both was a workout, even for me!

But it was worth it. I got a blurry (cuz my phone camera has horrible zoom) photo of the observation deck, and my climbing buddy was very willing to get some pictures of me standing on the edge of the falls. I also got pictures of him, but they are on his phone.

 Our climb having been conquered, we victoriously took the 224 steps back down to the canyon floor, regrouped with the rest of the party, and took the shuttle back to the visitor center.

The next stop was the historic tourist town of Manitu Springs. Originally built in 1872, Manitu Springs was intended to be a scenic health resort, centralized around a number of natural mineral springs which the Ute Indians had been drinking for years. These springs are still running, and the water is free, however signage warns that the water is high in manganese and not advised for certain people who may be adversely sensitive to the high mineral content.

I did not try any of the water, not because of the minerals, but simply because of the unpleasant appearance of the spigots, tarnished and covered in limestone buildup.

Also, I did not get many pictures of the town itself. But basically, multiple streets of old historic buildings renovated into a variety of shops, loaded with overpriced merchandise to catch the eye of tourists with loose pockets.

On the way back to Pueblo, we stopped at a pizza shop for supper, I got to prank call one of my friends who had not come on this expedition, and our group had a long evening of fellowship and conversation about life.

And that was the end of Saturday. Back to my campsite, back to my noisy neighbors, and off to sleep. Tomorrow would be the mid-point of my trip, tipping me farther from the beginning and closer to the end. This, I was not ready for. But the next few days, I was determined to make the most of my limited time. Part Four coming soon!