Colorado Springs USA— America!
When: Wednesday May 26, to Wednesday June 2, 2021
Where: Cheyenne Mountain State Park (Colorado Springs, Colorado)
Cost: $41/night for full hook-ups plus $9/day vehicle pass (covers both RV and tow vehicle)
Bucket Lists: Red Rock Open Canyon
Beer: Brass Brewing (downtown Colorado)
Colorado Springs holds some significance for my small family because it was the place my parents first called home. My father was stationed at Fort Carson, and as newlyweds, my parents stayed at the now-demolished Chief Motel on S. Nevada for a few weeks (there’s a Chick-fil-A there now). Their first real “home” together was the Apollo Park Apartments on S. Circle Drive. Kasie also spent a couple of months in Colorado Springs during her early twenties as part of her Air Force service. When I was trying to figure out where to spend my milestone birthday, those past familial ties were one of the reasons I chose Colorado Springs. It’s a place that shaped the people I love the most.
As luck would have it, my uncle was going to be in the Colorado Springs area during our visit. Although my uncle is from western Kansas, he drives his “Flora de Lune” white van to Monument Colorado (just north of Colorado Springs) several times a year to sell flowers at the farmers’ market. He is a long-haired, bearded hippie hoot. His given name is Galen, but we’ve always called him Clyde. He carries a flip phone, but calls me using his computer every now and then. He starts out every conversation with a laid back “Greetings” followed by an excited giggle. That was how he greeted us when we surprised him at the farmers’ market.
After catching up with Clyde, we ventured a little south to the Air Force Academy. I wanted to go to the visitor center, but it was still closed because of covid-19. We took a nearby path to find that the architecturally wonderous chapel was undergoing renovations. A little bummed, we ventured first to the Commissary and then to the Exchange to see if we could score any good deals. We walked out of the former with some pickle popsicles and a jumbo bag of sunflower seeds exclaiming: “Treat yo’ self!”
Brass Brewing - Colorado Springs
“Military” Breweries in Colorado Springs
With our patriotic and capitalistic spirits renewed, why not spend some more time celebrating America? Luckily, Colorado Springs is home to two breweries that seem to cater to the military.
A veteran owned and operated brewery located on the edge of downtown Colorado Springs, Brass Brewing features a narrow sitting area with framed photos of military men and women. I have to salute the two extremely good and interesting beers we tried: the 2/10 Beserker Blond Stout and the Born to Run Watermelon Gose. That stout was probably the best beer I had during our stay in Colorado Spring. That is saying something.
Red Leg Brewing is located in an industrial area just off Garden of the Gods Road. The brewery’s name is a nod to the Civil War battlefields, where soldiers wore a red stripe on their pant leg to denote their location on the battlefield. The place is tastefully decorated with patriotic items. We enjoyed the Hoppin’ on Sunshine Grapefruit IPA and the Disturbing Tan Lines Mango Pineapple Wheat. That’s some great beer names! The beertender was very friendly, and offered up her thoughts on other breweries we might like to treat ourselves to in the area.
North Cheyenne Canyon Park - Columbine Trail
Cheyenne Canyon Park
Our tour de America continued with a nice hike through North Cheyenne Canyon Park. The 7.6-mile in-and-out Columbine trail generally follows the path of the North Cheyenne Creek and the North Cheyenne Canyon road. It was a beautiful trail. The only negative is that we could still hear road traffic at times. After walking the 2.2 miles “lower” portion, we entered the “middle” portion, convinced that a large waterfall was just around the corner (it was not). We kept going farther than we should have with our limited water supply and no cell coverage. Yet, we saw very few people on the middle trail so this is a great alternative for those wanting to avoid the crowds of places like Garden of the Gods.
Magic Town (Michael Garman)
Perhaps the most “American” thing we did during our stay in Colorado Springs was to visit the miniature city known as Magic Town created by Michael Garman. The free part of the building is basically a retail store for his sculptures. Yet, that area enticed us to fork over $7.50/person to enter Magic Town. There, we were transported to several rooms of both other times and dimensions. Constructed at 1:6 scale, the “town” is a series of intricate urban neighborhood scenes from the 1930s-1950s. Working men and women can be found on the street, at the bar, hotels, the theatre, and their apartment homes. The buildings are constructed with inviting windows for voyeuristic viewers. Some scenes are incredibly sad (e.g., a dog looking for food); others are quite titillating. Parts of the town are animated with mirrors and hologram-like images so that the scenes change to make the town even more realistic. One window flipped from a sculptor to a boy playing the piano – which we surmised was Mr. Garman himself.
Kasie at Michael Garman’s “Magic Town”
As luck would have it, Mr. Garman was there, and we were able to interview him for several minutes. He’s a positive person, but the grit of work shows reveals some darker experiences he must have had. He started Magic Town in 1975 and works on new additions to this day, and has dozens in the works at the same time. You can see his works and read about the town online. But there is nothing like seeing it in person. His sculptured cityscapes and people are as entertaining as any 2D movie I’ve ever seen. Simply put, add Magic Town to your “bucket list” and treat yo’ self by making a visit.
