Saturday Morning

Garden of the Gods RV Resort
Colorado Springs, CO
July 19, 2014

Old Colorado City is a national historic district in Colorado Springs. It was founded in 1859. The name Colorado was chosen because the goldmines of the Blue River were at the headwaters of the Colorado River. At the time, this area was still part of the Kansas Territory ( Colorado was granted statehood in 1876.). Gold mine business was slow in the 1860s so commerce shifted towards serving the agricultural needs of Colorado's eastern plains. It wasn't until 1891, when a major gold strike was made in Cripple Creek, that Colorado City had its big boom. In 1917, Colorado City was incorporated into Colorado Springs.

Today, turn of the century brick buildings, quaint alleyways, and a rustic territorial charm provide the setting for boutiques, galleries, and restaurants. Of course it doesn't hurt to have Pikes Peak as a backdrop either.  

Saturdays and Farmer's Markets just seem to go together. The Old Colorado City market has been taking place in these streets for over 20 years. I was surprised at how big it was. I read there are 24 full time vendors and numerous temporary booths each week.
 
Have you ever seen or tasted a purple bell pepper? I haven't!

purple bell peppers

  
Local farmers provide fresh produce... sweet corn, squash, cantaloupe,  beets, onions, pickling cucumbers and much more.

One thing that really appeals to me at these markets is the colors...so vivid and such a variety.

Local food vendors provide a variety of options too...pies, breads, cheese, pastas, honey and sauces. The pasta vendor was so busy, I couldn't get a picture. I have never seen so many different kinds and shapes of homemade pastas.

 

 

 And this Georgia girl was tickled pink (or maybe that should be peachy)  to see this sign...

Yep, got me a bag full of some sweet smelling peaches. They are juicy, ripe and quite tasty too! I enjoyed every bite of the two I have already eaten.

Our morning ended at Bon Ton's Café (in Old Colorado City) where "it is breakfast all day on a cute patio with lunch options too, daily 6 am to 3 pm." 

 



Bon Ton's Cafe

Joe says he enjoyed the best chicken fried steak and gravy ever!



Our weather this past week has been a mix of sunshine, cool days, warmer days, really bad (as in severe) thunderstorms, hail, and even some strong winds. My attempt to photograph the hail bouncing off Pearl didn't turn out. There was a lot of it, but luckily it was small and we had no damage. 

I was glued to the window when the winds came thru. We are under giant, humongous cotton wood trees!  Thank goodness there was no "oops" then either!

Thanks for stopping by.  So until next time,

 

One of the many murals in Old Colorado City

 

happy trails!

Narrow, Twisty and Fun!

Garden of the Gods RVC Outdoor Destinations
Colorado Springs, CO
July 6, 2014

Narrow, twisty and fun...Schubarth Loop is all that and more.

Not far from Colorado Springs it's a great moderate 4X4 trail in the Pike National Forest.

From Hwy 24, to get to the main trail, you first travel thru a meadow with private roads and land on both sides.

Its quite beautiful and peaceful...

 

We also passed thru an aspen regeneration area monitored by the Air Force Natural Resources Dept. These quaking aspen need full sunlight to thrive so logging trucks have cleared areas (mimicking natural disasters like fire, windstorms and other disturbances) for seedlings to grow. The areas are fenced in to keep deer and elk out, but fences will be removed as the trees mature. I'm not sure how many acres were cleared in 2000 and 2002, but the sign states that there are as many as 13,000 new seedlings per acre.

Narrow was fun...lots of "woohoo"s here. 

Ronnie, Carol and Shannon squeezing thru the rocks.

Twisty was fun too...tummy tickles here! 

 

Jade twists thru the turns.

Air Force Academy from the overlook

The views were impressive at the overlook. 








We found some areas had washed and had deep ruts. Even that adds a bit of excitement!





The rocks...huge outcroppings all along the way.

Rocks make a nice backdrop.

I had my first "up close" with a Columbine on this trail. What a beauty...








And our only wildlife for the day...  

Turkey Vultures

We  thought this was a great 13.7 mile loop. It is family and pet friendly with lots of places to stop for pictures, climbing, or for a picnic.


Shannon and Cooper...

I hope everyone has a wonderful week. Colorado Springs is expecting thunderstorms and much cooler temps in the next few days. We are hoping to get a couple more hikes and maybe another trail ride in this week. Think sunshine!

So until next time,

 happy trails!