Author: Mark Dizon
April 3-17, 2022
I flew to Colorado Springs, Colorado last Sunday for Space 200 training at Peterson Space Force Base. Mayra left a week earlier to visit her family in Tucson, Arizona. The first week of training was mostly lectures on space effects and how we can integrate space forces with joint warfighters. Training days were long and we were in class from 0730 to 1630 and some days until 1700. The whole class looked forward to the weekend.
I planned to explore Colorado Springs on Saturday and my itinerary consisted of the Manitou Cliff Dwellings, Manitou Springs, Garden of the Gods and Glen Eyrie Castle. I also met up with friends for dinner and drinks to end the day.
Manitou Cliff Dwellings
The Manitou Cliff Dwellings Museum is located in Manitou Springs, Colorado right off Highway 24 and is only fifteen minutes from downtown Colorado Springs and thirty minutes from Peterson Space Force Base. I booked my ticket online ahead of time and it only cost me $12. I arrived fifteen minutes after they opened and there was barely anyone there which made a great opportunity to capture images of the place. It took me about an hour and a half to go through the whole place. I stopped by the gift shop on my way out and purchased a gem stone bracelet for Mayra and a patch to remember my visit. Here is a link to their website: https://www.cliffdwellingsmuseum.com/
Manitou Springs
After my visit to the Manitou Cliff Dwellings, I crossed Highway 24 over to the mountain town of Manitou Springs. It was a five minute drive over and I did not have a hard time looking for parking. Most of the parking here are paid parking spaces but it is cheap compared to California. I paid $2 for a one hour stay.
Manitou Springs is named after the natural mineral springs that flow here. The water is free to drink but I did not try it. I saw people bringing empty gallon containers to get filled up. The town reminds me of Grass Valley up in Northern California and there are plenty of shops, cafes, bars and restaurants to keep people entertained. I walked up and down the main street to check out the town and I ate lunch at the Manitou Brewing Company. Their lager is pretty good!
Garden of the Gods
The drive to the Garden of the Gods from Manitou Springs is short and took me about five minutes to get to the South entrance. It was already almost noon by the time I got to the Garden of the Gods so the place was packed full of visitors. The light was pretty harsh as well so I didn't really go out to take pictures but since my reservations at Glen Eyrie was not until 1400, I decided to take a quick hike towards the Siamese Twins. The trail head was easy to get to and the hike is super easy. After the short hike, I drove around the garden then headed towards Glen Eyrie Castle.
Glen Eyrie Castle
I arrived at Glen Eyrie really early. Garden of the Gods was right next to it and even with the detour due to road construction, I still arrived about an hour before my scheduled tour. I didn't mind arriving earlier because it allowed me to walk the grounds and get a cup of espresso and rest for a bit. It was pretty windy and cold though. The tour began at 1400 which was led by our tour guide Bob. He is a biologist and he was extremely knowledgeable of the history of Glen Eyrie and the Palmer family.
This tour was the highlight of my Colorado Springs exploration. I love history and historic landmarks. Glen Eyrie was built by General William Jackson Palmer in 1871! He was the founder of Colorado Springs and led Union troops during the Civil War. The grounds of Glen Eyrie is beautiful and blended very well with the surrounding nature. Turkeys, deer and big horned sheep roam the grounds as well. I will definitely be back here with Mayra.
This was a long day full of adventures for me. I ended the day with a visit to my friends Josh and Haley at Monument, Colorado. We went on a hike up Mount Herman followed by dinner at "105 Social House" in Palmer Lake. The food was pretty good and we ended the evening with drinks of moonshine at "3 Hundred Days" distilling.
I spent Easter Sunday resting in my hotel room. I developed a cold over the last few days and I felt it hard Sunday after being out all day Saturday. I made reservations to hike the Manitou Incline but I decided to just take it easy and rest. I still have another week of Space 200 training and I do not want to be sick the whole week.
