Because I was becoming quite tired (literally) of all my standups, I elected to just bid reserve for February. The idea was that I would have more time off and a chance to rest. How did that work out? I was immediately assigned a four day trip. Oh well... Our first stop was Colorado Springs. Previously, I had only arrived to COS at night, so I got to enjoy the scenery on the way--including this C-17 flying below us. We arrived at the hotel around noon, so I had all day. I decided not to sit in the hotel, and took a Lyft to Garden of the Gods.
I was not exactly dressed like a hiker. I took the epaulettes and patches off my leather flying jacket and went out like that. I looked more like someone who had misplaced their Harley, but it did the job. The temperature was in the low 40s and it was a nice clear and sunny day.
I walked from the visitor center to the main gateway trail. There were a small number of folks walking around the area, but nothing that one could call a "crowd." There were also a few ambitious folks climbing some of the rocks with their ropes and gear. I kept hearing rustling behind the brush. Billygoat? Nope. Just small birds. I eventually branched off to different, less traveled trails where I got some nice views of the area.
All in all, I had a nice time exploring the Garden of the Gods. It wasn't super close to the hotel by any means, but it was better than walking across the street to Denny's. I hadn't been to Garden of the Gods since I was doing Cross-Country running at the Air Force Academy which would have been the summer of 2002. Twas a long time ago. It was also warmer during my last visit... and more crowded. While Garden of the Gods is privately owned so that it can remain free for all, I hope similar state and national parks remain accessible and protected under the constant barrage of executive orders stemming from DC. And that is your daily dose of politics courtesy of Flyin' Brian. But this is 2017 and saying things like, "Everyone should be able to fly on my plane" or "I think we should preserve our national parks" is taking a political stance. Siiiiigh. Anyway, enjoy this panorama picture of Siamese Twins and Kissing Camels. (they are the names of the rock formations and I honestly couldn't tell you which one is which... or if they're even in my picture)
