Friends and Fun – September 8-10, 2023

After spending two LOONNGG days driving, we arrived in Colorado Springs at our friend’s new vacation home to spend some time with Ralph and Kandie. Their home is near the Garden of the Gods, and they have a beautiful view of Pikes Peak from their living room and deck.

While we sat on their back porch getting caught up on events, two large bucks came up to have their supper of leaves and grass. Kandie said they help to keep the shrubs trimmed so she is always happy to see them. It was amazing how unafraid they seemed to be of being that close to people.

We started off our visit with a wonderful dinner at the Rabbit Hole in downtown Colorado Springs which is a basement location that was once the city morgue. The place showed no signs of its previous use and was very lively with great food.

Next morning, we were off for a hike up to Helen Hunt Falls (no connection to the actress), with lots of beautiful scenery and some physical exertion to make up for all the days we spent sitting in a car. Ralph was telling us about a trail up to Pikes Peak they call the “Incline” that is 900 steps almost straight up, that he did one time and promised himself he would not do again. Parts of our hike felt like we were on the Incline, and I made myself the same promise.

At dinner time, we met some friends (neighbors) who had recently moved from Rivendell back to Colorado. The Club at Garden of the Gods is often host to weddings and this particular day was no exception. The bride and groom had perfect weather for their ceremony overlooking the mountains and, although we had to remain quiet during the procession, once all 14 people in the wedding party were in place, we were able to visit unincumbered with Rob and Deb. During dinner, along came more deer to drink from a water feature right next to where the wedding had taken place. First a buck with at least 9 points and then the doe and fawn followed within a short time. Again, no real concern on the part of the deer to be in close proximity to people and they actually seemed to enjoy the music being played by a solo female singer with a guitar. When she stopped, they would walk away and come back when she returned.

The next day, Ralph took us to the Cave of the Winds. Jim and I have been in several caves since we started traveling including Carlsbad Caverns, but this particular cave was less adapted for visitors with narrow pathways and low ceilings. A real adventure.

We ended our visit with a birthday party for Ralph that Kandie put together with several of their new neighbors. Of course, Kandie had a wonderful spread of food, and she even made him a three-layer German Chocolate cake.

This morning we left fairly early because we only have two days to travel over 1,100 miles to get to San Diego for Ryan’s graduation. We are so excited to see him and celebrate what he has accomplished.