Wednesday, July 16

It can be hard to keep track of  the dates....

Barnstormers have trouble keeping track of dates.  In case any alert readers noticed the error on the date yesterday, I have fixed it.  Whew,  now we can move on to today.


I was treated to breakfast in bed this morning.  Lester went out for a walk and brought me breakfast when he returned. It was quite the pampering treat! While he was out trolling the streets of Denver he happened upon the following plaque embedded in the sidewalk just around the corner from our hotel.

We finished up breakfast, packed, checked out and moved on to our next adventure.  Today's adventures started in Colorado Springs, a short hop south from Denver, at the US Air Force Academy.  The only thing the public is allowed to view is the chapel.  It is impressive. Imagine what it would be like inside if the sun had actually been shining. The blue you see in the pictures below is simply from the light coming in the chapel - and it was raining and overcast. Every aspect of the chapel is designed to look like a plane or a wing. The overall effect is quite impressive.

 

These triangular stained glass windows are in between each of the "fighter" planes that make up the Chapel

The Garden of the Gods was next on our to do list today. Nora visited this park with Elizabeth in May.  It sounded too good to pass up.  And, in fact, it was. The red rock formations are a sight to behold and must be seen to be believed.

The balanced rock

The Siamese Twins rock

I fear our pictures really don't do justice to what we actually saw.  The sights are so impressive pictures and words fail. 

Next stop, a gas station and having filled up we headed further into the Rocky Mountains for our final destination and pit stop for the night, Crested Butte, Colorado. Along the way we saw a lot of mountains.

Crested Butte was a last minute addition following dinner with Steve and Elizabeth.  They visited last week for the Wild Flower Festival - the city claims to be the wildflower capital of Colorado.  And, although we missed the festival, no one told the flowers that it was over so we are getting the beauty without the crowds.  We arrived in Crested Butte at dinner time so our viewing was limited today.  There has been some pretty nasty thunder, and presumably lightning, but the curtains are drawn so that is just an educated guess. We are hoping the weather passes through overnight so we can get out into the fields tomorrow and get a gander at the flowers. Apparently they are expected to peak the last week of July, so we should get a pretty good show.  Here is a preview of (hopefully) coming attractions

We are just in awe of the sights in this beautiful country. We are incredibly thankful that we have the opportunity to make this trip. We continue to be amazed that we have been traveling for just over 2 1/2 weeks and that we are approaching our turnaround point in a few short days. Colorado is definitely on our we must return one day list.

Crested Butte is high in the Rockies.  Our hotel is at 9,380 feet - and along with that comes colder temperatures, tonight is expected to be in the 40s.  The town is quaint and quirky. We are looking forward to exploring it more tomorrow.  In the meantime here are some of  the quirky benches found throughout town

and public art

And road signs

And ranting... please note we are NOT endorsing any of the opinions put forth by the drivers of Colorado.  And we note that this driver is NOT driving what seems to be the Official Car of Colorado, a Subaru of any variety.  In the event you can't read it, it's essentially just an anti-Obama rant which invokes a whorehouse.  America.

We hope for more wild flowers tomorrow and then on to Utah, the southwestern corner of which will be our turn around point. I'm guessing by Sunday we will be heading back east and south into hotter weather.

A&L