We are camped in a private campground in the city of Colorado Springs. It has two pools, one for adults only. Maybe we will get to use them. We visited the Air Force Academy and the Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame on the 27th. The academy is very different from Annapolis and West Point, spread out over miles of terrain. The academic and residential core are totally inaccessible to the public. Although we found it to be a visually stunning place, particularly the chapel, it is rather antiseptic, almost like a movie set that has been abandoned; you don't see anybody. It must be awfully isolating for the students, because it is far away from the city; one wonders when the students have any interaction with civilians.
For easterners like us, the hall of fame was pretty interesting, particularly the part that goes through the history of equipment development (saddles, ropes, boots, clothes, chaps, hats, etc.).
We drove Pikes Peak the next day, and it was spectacular. We took a short hike along the trail the more ambitious use to climb the mountain; you can see Sue sitting on a rock outcropping in one of the attached pictures. We then drove the Garden of the Gods, a red rock park right in the city that is very nice. We also took a short hike there. During our stay we also visited the Ice Skating Hall of Fame, which has an extensive collection of skates from wooden ones developed in Holland in the 16th century to the present, plus lots of pictures and videos of figure skating performances. The Broadmoor Hotel was impressive, much like the Coronado in San Diego or Homestead in Virginia. We joined friends from UUCF for dinner who had moved to Co. Springs in the late 90s, Gerry and Merle Stryker, and caught up on their news. Our last day we did something unusual for us; we stayed in camp in the morning and lounged around the pool and the sauna for a nice relaxing break. Very nice.
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