Colorado Springs — Welcome to Colorful Colorado!
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 Jeep)
Biking: Um….sorta?!#
Bucket Lists: Red Rock Open Canyon
Beer: Bristol Brewing Company
Cheyenne Mountain State Park: A (Prairie) Doggone Good Time!
Cheyenne Mountain State Park, which opened just 15 years ago, features four different campgrounds located in the same general area (Swift Puma, Raptor Glen, Gobbler Grove, and The Meadow). We booked a site in the Swift Puma campground, but because the campground messed up our reservation, they moved us to an adjacent handicap site. All of the full hook-up sites are large, paved, and level; even the more primitive tent camping areas feature level sites. We were told the park was full, but aside from Memorial Day weekend, several full hook-up sites were not occupied during our stay. The weather was a little cold and rainy so that perhaps that could have been the reason for some empty sites.
The campground is set midway up the mountain so sunsets and sunrises are a real treat. The park’s main entrance is right across from Fort Carson, and there’s also a bird’s eye view of the military base from most sites. We were treated most mornings to Reveille around 6:30 am. I’m usually up with the sunrise because the dogs start making their own music, but for those who like to sleep in, that might be an issue.
A number of hiking trails wind between the various campgrounds and other parts of the park. We were able to walk the dogs and explore many of the trails during our weeklong stay. Dogs are not permitted on some of the trails so we had to make sure we stayed on the right ones. Frequent signs display the trail name, as well as GPS coordinates so that is not much of a problem. Deer, rabbits, and other critters are prevalent on the trails, but our favorite location for spotting wildlife was the fields of prairie dog mounds near the park’s entrance. On our first day, two little guys scampered out in front of our car. From then on, we would bring our cameras and binoculars and hunt prairie dogs for several minutes each time we would exit or enter the park, all while periodically exclaiming in our best BBC voice “Alan” and “Steve” like in this video.
Turns out, I fell in love with prairie dogs on this trip. And, like many things I find joy in, I get inspired to write a song about it. My little ditty is nothing like Bruce Hornsby rendition, btw.
RV Set-Up Checklist: Beer?
Our camping checklist set-up includes searching for a brewery that serves both beer and food. Pikes Peak Brewing started a few miles north in Monument, Colorado. Yet, the downtown Colorado Springs “lager house” appeared to be a true working brewery location as well. The brewery is part of hip communal restaurant space where different vendors offer everything from sandwiches to Korean street eats. People grab their beer, order food from vendor, and then sit anywhere in the space. There is also a performing stage and a cocktail bar in the shared space. I wish that other cities would adopt this type of collaborative food/drink environment. It’s the type of place I’d take someone for a date night or if I wanted to go out with a bunch of friends. I had the 300 Days IPA, and Kasie had the Pearl De Vere Cherry Lime Sour.
Pikes Peak Brewery - downtown Colorado Springs
A Colorful Bike Ride Through Colorado Springs
One of the reasons why I wanted to spend my milestone birthday in Colorado Springs is because the city contains plentiful bike trails and designated bike lanes. I was excited to spend 2-3 days exploring the city on our bikes! Among other things, Colorado Springs is home to the Pikes Peak Greenway Trail, which traverses much of the city from north-south direction, meandering along Monument Creek and Fountain Creek in the central part of the city. Google maps suggested that it would be a colorful ride. It was…but the color was black, blue, and then purple. Let me explain….
We started our ride at an unofficial trail head by parking at a Kohls department store located just off South Circle Drive in the southeast part of town. Less than 20 minutes later, we were crossing Highway 24 via an underpass near a large homeless population. A police officer was arresting someone, and both people were blocking the bike path. I slowed down and exited the trail to avoid them, but when I tried to get back on the trail, my front tire struck the trail “curb” and I went a combination of head-first and hands-first into the pavement. My helmet was a life-saver, but face and hands were bloodied.
Luckily, the police were literally already on the scene and immediately called an ambulance. They repeatedly told me that there would be no cost – presumably because the accident had happened on city property. I was a little wobbly and dizzy at times, but felt like I just needed to cool off, drink some water, and take a view minutes get over the shock of what happened. Inside the ambulance, the nice paramedics assured me that my vitals were good, gave me a souvenir washcloth and ice pack to take home, and told me to go to a hospital to get checked out further. When I inquired, they assured me that they were just legally obligated to say this no matter what. Meanwhile, another police officer accompanied Kasie to our Jeep (still parked at the Kohls), while another police officer watched over the bikes until we could load them on the Jeep. They were concerned about one of the homeless guys who had a hatchet, and thought the bikes might be a little tempting for him. “A Hatchet!?!” I exclaimed. She assured us that they were closely monitoring Mr. Hatchet Man, and helped us on our way. She also gave us some of her favorite hiking trails that the locals like.
I cannot say enough about how great the Colorado Springs first responders were.
Manitou Springs
We went back to the campground, regrouped, and decided that some food/beer would probably be a good next step to salvage our first full day in the Colorado Spring area. We accelerated our plans to see Manitou Springs by heading to the Manitou Brewing Company. After the brewery, we strolled around the touristy downtown area, and found several of the springs named for the area (many of which were not flowing). I wasn’t in the mood for that that many people so we decided to leave the area. People say wonderful things about Manitou Springs, but I just wasn’t feeling it that day.
Red Rock Canyon Open Space
The police officer who took Kasie to our Jeep recommended Red Rock Canyon Open Space for hiking. It’s located just east of Manitou Springs across from Garden of the Gods, but is not crazy busy. We easily found parking next to the Sand Canyon trailhead, which connects to the Contemplative Trail to form a loop that skirts some massive rock formations. The 1.75-mile hike includes numerous opportunities to exit the trail, climb a boulder or rest in a crag. The trail also includes numerous overlook vantage points, including some spectacular views of Garden of the Gods and neighboring homes. The best part about the hike was that we truly felt like we were in nature in the middle of a city. We encountered less than a dozen people during our mid-day hike. I couldn’t imagine anything better than this hike, and completely understood why the locals prefer it to Garden of the Gods.
Enjoying a beer at Bristol Brewing Company after Lana’s bike ride accident
Bristol Brewing Company
After the hike, we were hungry and thirsty. Some friends had told us to be sure and check out an old stone school that had been converted to a brewery, Bristol Brewing Company. When we plugged it into Google maps, we were a little surprised to see that the brewery was just few blocks from where the bike accident occurred. Although close in proximity, the homeless camp and the neighborhood brewery share little else in common. The brewery was a nice way to come full circle for the day on a positive note.
Bristol Brewing Company turned out to be one of my favorites of our Colorado brewery stops. You can read more about all of the breweries we visited in one of my other blog posts.
