Some Dreams Really Do Come True, Part 5

 

The sight you are beholding is the last colors of sunset, lighting up Nipple Mountain, 38 miles northwest of Pueblo, Colorado. It is also not my picture. My phone camera is terrible. Credits go to the hosts that invited me out to Colorado in the first place.

At the time of viewing this scene, I assumed this to be Pikes Peak. However, some calculating on Google Earth would later confirm this to be the wrong shape for Pikes Peak, and 14 miles too far south.

So how did it come about that I lucked into this breath-taking gorgeous view of our Creator's majesty?

It all started when I woke up on Monday, June 10, 2024, on my friends' couch, mildly confused as to what I was doing there. As I started working out the cramps in my neck from being curled up on the couch, I slowly remembered. Massive storm. Flash flooding. Encouraged to sleep on couch instead of trying to get to my campsite.

It was early enough that none of my friends were awake yet. I considered driving up to camp and making sure my tent hadn't blown away. On the other hand, Pueblo's dirt was like concrete. I had already bent two of my tent pegs the day I arrived, just trying to pound them into the ground. I was pretty sure the tent was going nowhere. Besides, Abba had delivered me safe thus far. Standing tent or destroyed tent, why worry too much about it?

A couple hours later, my car was rolling north to Colorado Springs for the second time. It was an unusually cold and cloudy morning, thanks to the torrential storm the previous night. But the thick cloud cover just made everything that more gorgeous. It even made the highway pavement look beautiful.

The first stop was Garden of the Gods, a small, but scenic area full of red granite and green desert shrubs.

The High Point Overlook area had multiple info boards, detailing which mountain peaks were located where. Though with the low clouds, it was tricky to tell them apart. But I believe the first image below is the infamous Pikes Peak.

I could see why Garden of the Gods was named as such. Minus all the houses and roads destroying the aesthetic, I can't possibly fathom Eden looking more beautiful.

 

 

Garden of the Gods is primarily known for its collection of towering rock structures. The one below, I forget the name. But it is actually a long, narrow ridge. I was viewing it from the side and a long distance, however, which gave the optical illusion that it was a small mound. 

 

Climbing on the main towering structures would be severely dangerous, and also severely against park rules. However, nothing prohibits clambering on the much smaller rock outcroppings right beside the parking lot.

I couldn't get the shape of that little pillar (actually a long narrow ridge) out of my head. Then it struck me. From my angle, that's a pointer finger and three knuckles. A giant granite hand pointing up to its creator!

We couldn't stay at the garden for too long. We had an appointment to make. A time-slot reservation at Glen Eyrie Castle.

Glen Eyrie has a really cool history. A Civil War General and brilliant inventor, William Jackson Palmer, visited the area and decided it was beautiful. Which it was. But he kinda ruined it by founding Colorado Springs and Manitu Springs. This is coming from someone who would be perfectly happy if he lived in Colorado Springs someday, but the land would simply be so much more beautiful without buildings and pavement.

Anyway, Palmer decided to build his own private home. Some of the stone used in the construction was quarried out of what would later become Garden of the Gods. And today, the castle is the headquarters for the Navigators organization, who give tours, as well as renting some of the rooms as scenic hotel getaways.

Palmer's engineering brilliance was well ahead of his time. The house has many unique design elements, including a primitive intercom system, an elevator, a steam-powered radiant floor heater, a coal-burning power plant, multiple fire hose stations, a lever-operated dual-chimney system, and many other "modern" technologies.

The home features unique fireplaces in almost every single room.

Gorgeous wood paneling

I confess, I have a weakness for exposed beam ceilings.

Most of the original hardwood floor is now sadly under carpet. But this little area remains in its original beauty.

Even the bathroom floor tile was exquisite. Those tiles are, in fact, carved to those puzzle-piece shapes.

One of the hallway doorways had a rolldown door. I thought that was such a cool and unique feature.

The best part of the castle was the massive banquet hall, which hosts many various events. Pictures can not do justice to how massive this room was. Wikipedia says 2200 square feet, which is as big as some entire houses. Capacity is rated at 240 people.

The area around the castle is beautiful, too. Although the surrounding hills were ravaged by wildfires in 2012, the castle itself was miraculously spared and the land has been making steady recovery.

After Glen Eyrie, the next stop of the day was Cave of the Winds. But because Monday was the most picture-intensive day of the whole week, I'm gonna split it up into two posts. To be continued!