Mark and I took a much-needed vacation in May of 2003 in Colorado Springs, CO (with a day in Denver). It was my first time in Colorado, other than a brief stopover on our flight to San Francisco. Mark rented a minivan (Dodge Grand Caravan) and drove across Kansas and about a third of the way into Colorado. It took us about a day both ways. We had three full days in Colorado, May 18th-20th. It was a great vacation! Just what we needed and well worth the trip! The mountains were breath-taking. I got a tad nauseous (altitude sickness, I assume) the first few nights, but nothing horrible. Mark and I had a wonderful time!

May 17th: Drive to Colorado


We started out about 9:45 AM Central Daylight Saving Time. We arrived at our hotel in Colorado Springs at approximately 8:45 Mountain Daylight Saving Time, so it took us right around 12 hours, including several breaks.
Mark Driving


I started taking pictures to amuse myself and to keep myself awake (many, many pictures). These are some of the shots I took from the car in western Kansas on the way to Colorado. I was fascinated by the oil derricks and irrigation machinery. I don't get out much! The pictures don't show it terribly well, but all of the irrigation machinery I saw seemed to be anchored in the center and go around in huge circles on wheels.
Oil Derrick
Oil Derrick
Irrigation Machinery
Irrigation Machinery in Pieces


More scenery from the trip to Colorado. I kept trying to get a shot of tumbleweeds, but the darn things are hard to capture! This picture was the best I got. In one portion of western Kansas we saw signs proclaiming two little towns "Stone Post Country," so we took a shot of some stone posts. Apparently, trees were so rare in the dry plains of western Kansas and/or too expensive that stones were used for posts in lieu of wood. Kind of the same reason as for barbed wire in hot places like Texas. In far western Kansas and eastern Colorado, we started seeing permanent "Road Closed" signs on highway on-ramps. I assume that is in preparation for SNOW.
Tumbleweeds Stuck in a Fence
Stone Posts
Road Closed Sign


This is little Luvvy on the trip to Colorado. Unfortunately, Jazmyn is not one for traveling, so she didn't get to come alone. Luv spent almost the entire trip sitting on Mark's lap. She insists on being in the driver's seat, literally and figuratively! She was quite the trooper though she did get cranky toward the end and spent the last hour or so pouting in her litter pan. The first one is of Luv in her patented "SuperBirman" position on Mark's lap. The last four are of Luvvy during a brief stop at a rest stop in far western Kansas. She was not amused!
Luv Driving to Colorado
Luv Licks Her Chops at a Rest Stop
Luv Yowls to Protest Her Mistreatment
Nervous Luv Backing Up
Luv Takes a Few Tentative Steps on Her Leash


Here are the "Leaving Kansas" and "Welcome to Colorado" signs. We were so happy to see those, though the trip across Kansas was more interesting than we had expected.
Leaving Kansas Sign
Welcome to Colorado Sign


This is the view from the Pikes Peak Colorado Springs Drury Inn parking lot. Our hotel room's window has pretty much the same view. Really beautiful. We set up the chair in front of the window for Luvvy every morning before we leave. And she is always there when we come back in the evening.
Pikes Peak from the Hotel Parking Lot


May 18th: Butterfly Pavilion and Estes Park


We went to the Butterfly Pavilion just north of Denver (Westminster, CO) for our first excursion and have absolutely no regrets! Yes, those are my very own little paws with a tarantula on them (5-year-old female named "Rosie"). The Butterfly Pavilion also had a few shallow aquariums where people can gently touch aquatic life such as the Leather (or Spiny, I'm not exactly sure) Star and Horseshoe Crab pictures below.
Me With Rosie
Rosie Sitting in My Hands
Rosie on the Guide's Lap
Leather (or Spiny?) Star
Me "Petting" a Horseshoe Crab


While we were at the Butterfly Pavilion, we were able to see newly "hatched" butterflies being released into the misty garden. The first shot is of pupa about to burst forth. The second and third shots are of the newly hatched moths and butterflies in a wire cage just before the guide releases them into the garden. When the guide takes a butterfly or moth out of the cage, he briefly places it on his shirt and talks a bit about it. The fourth shot is of the guide with a butterfly on his shirt. After he chats about them, he either gently flings them into the air or places them on a tree. The fifth picture shows a big, newly released moth and some butterflies. The last shot is of the same tree with some newly released butterflies on it.
Pupa
Butterfly Cage
Butterfly Cage
Guide with Butterfly on His Shirt
Newly Released Moth (One with the Big, Fat Body) and Butterflies on Tree
New Released Butterflies on Tree


One of the newly released butterflies, a rare Kenyan butterfly, actually landed on my shirt and stayed for quite a while. Eventually, the guide took him off my shirt, though I certainly wasn't complaining! This butterfly is apparently a very aggressive butterfly with other males of its species. It actually dogfights in the air and tries to slice the wings of any other males trying to breed.
Rare Kenyan Butterfly on My Shirt


Mark took these pictures of flowers and butterflies. It is harder than you might imagine to get a good shots of the flutter-bys. We took 333 pictures and 40 minutes of video today. Hooray for the digital camera! The last shot is of a couple of butterflies feeding on a banana.
Butterfly Pavilion Sign
Unusual-Looking Red and Yellow Flowers
Black, White, and Blue Moth
Greenish Butterfly
Black Butterfly
Orange Butterfly
Small Red Butterfly
Red Butterfly
Butterfly Feeding on Banana


On our way to Estes Park, we stopped at a business park atop a hill overlooking Boulder. The business park was aptly named "Superior Pointe."
Superior Pointe Sign
Sun Rays Breaking Through the Clouds on the Mountains
Sun on the Mountains


We stopped at a hill just south of Boulder and took this shot.
Scenic Point

We drove through Boulder and the Roosevelt National Forest to Estes Park, where the first three pictures are taken. I think the third picture is actually looking back at the Roosevelt National Forest. Notice the snow on some of the mountains in the first two pictures. Gorgeous. It was really cold and windy out there!! We drove back through Denver and had a LATE dinner at the T-Wa Inn, Denver's first Vietnamese restaurant. The food was so good. I should've taken a picture of it! Har.
Estes Park Sign
Estes Park (That's Mark Videotaping Near the Sign!)
Green Mountains
Roosevelt National Forest Sign


May 19th: Manitou Cliff Dwellings, Florissant Fossil Beds, Van Briggle, and Seven Falls


These are pictures we took of and from the Manitou Springs Cliff Dwellings. The Cliff Dwellings are actually authentic Native American cliff dwellings, but aren't necessarily originally from Manitou Springs. Most, if not all of these cliff dwellings, were transplanted somehow.
Manitou Springs Cliff Dwellings Sign
Cliff Dwellings
Cliff Dwellings
Mountains Surrounding the Cliff Dwellings (There Is Actually a House on the TOP of one of the Mountains)
Close-Up of Cliff Dwellings
Mark at the Cliff Dwellings
Me at the Cliff Dwellings
Mark Peeking Through a Second-Story Window in One of the Cliff Dwellings
Mark Coming Through a Hallway


These pictures are mostly of petrified trees from the Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument. The Second Picture is "Big Stump," I believe.
Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument Sign
Petrified Tree Stump ("Big Stump")
Trio of Petrified Trees That Had Grown Out of Dead Tree Stump
Petrified Tree Stump Dug Out of Ground
Mark Ponders His Place in the World and How Much Longer the Petrified Trees Have Been Around


For those Van Briggle fans out there, here are some shots of the Van Briggle showroom. We were able to visit the Van Briggle Factory in Old Colorado City, which is actually in the middle of Colorado Springs.
Van Briggle Lorelei Vase (from the German Myth)
Van Briggle Showroom
Van Briggle Showroom


This is the front of the Van Briggle showroom/factory. Self-guided tours are available before 4:30, which is, of course, when we arrived. Ah, well!
Van Briggle Factory


I kept seeing this distinctive scalloped pattern (often in alternating colors) on houses in and around Colorado Springs. I don't know anything about the history of it, but I thought it was interesting.
Colorado Springs House


This is a picture Mark took of the famous (and famously expensive) Broadmoor Hotel. We were accosted by the security guard in the driveway, so we couldn't get too close. Next time around, we hope to have time to "brunch" at the Broadmoor.
Broadmoor Hotel


We ate "Mountain Pizza" at Beau Jo's in Old Colorado City. Very nummy!
Beau Jo's


We capped the day off by visiting the Seven Falls. It was almost dark and incredibly COLD, but worth the effort. Mark got this excellent picture from the top (we took the elevator instead of CLIMBING the stairs!).
Seven Falls


This is the Mountain Elevator to about the middle point of the Seven Falls.
Seven Falls Elevator


Luv in a bag we brought home. What can we say? She is a party animal!
Luv Enjoying Her Vacation


May 20th: Mining Museum, Pikes Peak Cog Railway, and Garden of the Gods


We started our last full day in Colorado at the Western Museum of Mining and Industry. I got to pan for gold a bit, which takes more patience than I had imagined. I wouldn't have made a good miner!
Mining Museum Sign
Guide Showing Us How to Pan for Gold


We spent the afternoon on Pikes Peak and the Pikes Peak Cog Railway. The train trip up takes about an hour and fifteen minutes. We were allowed half an hour at the top and then we rode the train back down again. It was a cold, incredibly foggy day. The train ride was amazing, but we couldn't see anything from the top. Which was actually a good thing because it was so bitterly cold that we wouldn't have wanting to be outside taking pictures anyway! Remember, sip on some water and breathe deeply to avoid altitude sickness. The Summit restaurant on the top of Pikes Peak (obviously) sells really nummy doughnuts.
Cog Train Sign
Cog and Track
A Little Place on the Way to the Top Called Windy Point
Mark at the Summit
Me All Bundled Up at the Summit
Our Cog Train at the Summit
Snowy Rocks Near the Top of Pikes Peak
Stream Near the Bottom of Pikes Peak


Our next stop was the Garden of the Gods. It was getting late in the day, so many of the pictures were too dark. Argh. It was gorgeous, though, take our word for it!
Garden of the Gods Sign
"Kissing Camels" in the Red Rock
"Kissing Camels" from Far Away
Rock Spires
Crazy Guy Climbing Rock


May 21th: Homeward Bound


Sadly, we did have to go home ...
Leaving Colorado Sign
Luv Telling Us Her Troubles
Luvvy on Her Way HOME
Luvvy Squinting in the Sunlight
Mark Drives and Drives and Drives


Hmm, on the agenda for our NEXT trip to Colorado (whenever that may be--I always plan ahead)...
Brunch at the Broadmoor Hotel, Train Trip Across Royal Gorge, Drive to Mount Evans, Visit a Mining Town (Idaho Springs, Cripple Creek sans Gambling, etc.), and Pikes Peak in the SUMMERTIME on a CLEAR day!! Maybe the Denver Aquarium, Denver's Botanic Gardens, and the Old Colorado City Ghost Town in Colorado Springs. Definitely have to eat at the Tynaun T-Wa Inn (Denver's First Vietnamese Restaurant) on Federal Boulevard again! The Vietnamese egg rolls and crab-stuffed quail were to die for.