It was overcast and foggy much of the three days, so we did not go to the Garden of the Gods. There were a number of other places to go, but we really didn’t have the time to ride the cog railway or run around checking out every tourist attraction in the area.
But – Terry & I decided to do some touristy things, like visit the Manitou Springs Cliff Dwellings. Sounded good, but one we were out of the car and meandering through, something seemed “off.” Maybe it was the mortar or the excellent state of preservation or maybe it was the fact that you could touch and climb and there were no park rangers breathing down your neck… But it was “off” enough that as soon as we were by a computer again, Terry looked them up.
Not so authentic, but interesting anyway.
Well, that was fascinating, but very disappointing in that we had to find out via the Internet that it wasn’t exactly authentic (there could have been some sort of disclaimer on site).
We decided to go check out historic tourist-trap Manitou Springs
next. Originally known for the mineral water springs, Manitou Springs sported a hospital for terminally ill patients (many tuberculosis cases) and a myriad of different springs that reputedly tasted slightly different from each other. Eventually the springs dried up (some say they were cursed by the local Indians who felt it was wrong to charge for the healing powers) and the hospital closed. Today, several of the springs are capped and walled in in some artsy motif (different for each spring) and the town boasts a number of tourist shops, mountain biking, and a general feeling of having stepped into Middle Earth. I’m certain we saw Gandalf the Grey’s younger cousin walking around town, but I hesitated to ask him if I could snap a photo. I was afraid he’d ask for money.
I only counted four springs, but I think there were more.
There were a lot of lovely old houses with turrets and gables and stairs (the town is built in a narrow canyon). Manitou Springs was a lot more interesting and fun than the cave dwellings, plus it was free to wander around.
I dragged Terry into the dulcimer shop. The guy who owns it repairs old musical instruments and builds new ones, too. Very cool.
The residents were very friendly, too. Think this guy owns the street?
Terry and I drove around Colorado Springs and looked at historic houses. There’s something about the architecture of the late 1800s that is just inviting. Since I live in a historic little town where many of the homes are on the National Historic Registry, I found it interesting that not so many of Colorado Springs’ homes were so marked. Maybe we just didn’t notice. Or it could be a difference of 50 years: Oregon City was established in 1829 and Colorado Springs was established in 1871.
There are several colleges in Colorado Springs and while it is a larger community than Oregon City by about ten times, it seemed to be a livable area.
I thought Colorado Springs was every bit as friendly and lovely as Portland and about the same size of city. It was easy to navigate (something Portland is not) around and the streets were (get this!!) wide. Now that’s a real switch from driving in Portland where the streets are often narrow and paved with cobblestone.
I like where I live, but I liked Colorado Springs, too.
I have one more photo to share. My favorite “sculpture”:
Jaci Dawn 
And she politely leaves out that I decided to “explore” a couple of Manitou Springs via truck. We found several streets that were “two way” but just wide enough for my truck alone. Good thing there was no other traffic. And I’d hate to try them in the snow or ice….
I just felt like I ran out of room, Terry. There were so many cool places in Manitou Springs and the town deserves more exploration. But the back street driving was a great adventure – much more fun that driving around Austin, NV (where the streets are just as narrow, but you can see other people coming…). 🙂
Gotta love small town America!
I love that bag (or whatever it was) that was made with the 50s cowgirl pinup material – in the picture behind the cat.
That was a cool shop, too, Jodi. We didn’t go in because it was a chick shop, but the bags hanging outside were really cool. I think the cat belonged to that particular shop.
very cool that you were able to visit here! I went a few years back and found it to be very interesting.
[…] I still haven’t been able to wander around Old Colorado City. The area was open but we just didn’t have the time. Manitou Springs opened up after a few days, but we ran out of time for that, too. But I have at least been able to wander around there: I blogged about it when Justin was a wee babe here. […]