2024.07.29 KOA Holiday-Colorado Springs- Our site was ok but the amenities needed cleaning and updating. We didn't use any of them.
2024.07.30 Pikes Peak
Reservations
are required to drive your personal vehicle to the summit from May 26 –
September 30.
Pikes Peak is the highest summit of the southern Front Range of the Rocky Mountains in North America. The ultra-prominent 14,115-foot mountain is located in Pike National Forest. It's the 39th highest peak in the USA.
Exploration: In 1806, Lieutenant Zebulon Montgomery Pike was sent on an expedition to explore the new Louisiana Purchase territory, including Pikes Peak, which he named "The Great Peak". Pike and some of his men attempted to climb the mountain in November 1806, but turned back due to heavy snow. Pike swore this mountain would never be climbed by man.
In 1820, botanist Edwin James became the first person to
reach the summit, and American explorer Stephen Harriman Long named the
mountain "James Peak" in his honor. The mountain was later renamed
"Pike's Peak" in 1890 by the United States Board on Geographic Names.
Tourism: In 1915, the Pikes Peak Highway was built to promote tourism in the area, and the first Pikes Peak Hill Climb Race took place shortly after. The famous race, known as "The Race to the Clouds", is challenging due to the road and changing weather conditions.
By the mid-20th century Pikes Peak had been conquered by
tourists from all over the world – by car, motorcycle, bicycle, train, mule,
horse, and on foot. The spectacular view from the summit inspired Katherine Lee
Bates to compose the famous lyrics to America the Beautiful in 1893.
Today, Pikes Peak is one of the most visited mountains in the United States and has modern facilities for tourists, including a road and cog railway to the summit.
One of the most-visited mountaintops anywhere in the world is also home of world-famous delicious donuts, the only ones in the world made above 14,000 feet. Because they’re made specifically at this altitude, if you try saving them for after you leave the summit, you’ll be very disappointed by donuts that have lost their fluff. Donut aficionados will be pleased to know that the doughnut-making machine did make its way into the new building. But at 1,500 pounds, it was so large it had to be brought in before the doors were framed.
One of the
more well-known sightings of Bigfoot on Pikes Peak were witnessed by an 11 year
old boy and his 9 year old brother. The boys said they spotted the creature
moving swiftly through some tall grass. The bigfoot creature, upon realizing it
had been spotted, took off in the opposite direction of the children.
Interestingly enough, the bigfoot never tried to threaten, harm, or consume the
children as a snack.
Bigfoot
or Sasquatch?
In North
America, Sasquatch and Bigfoot are used interchangeably. The name Bigfoot
originated in 1958. According to the History Channel, a reporter from Eureka,
California published an article about loggers discovering enormous, 16-inch
human-like footprints they attributed to a large, mysterious creature they
believed was causing all sorts of mischief on-site. The reporter compared the
mystery to the lore of the Abominable Snowman of the Himalayas.
The name
Sasquatch originates from the Halq’eméylem word sásq’ets. Halq’eméylem is the
language of the First Nations peoples of the Pacific Northwest (present-day
British Columbia and northern Washington State). The word supposedly means
“hairy man.”
A Legend
Is Born
The tale of
a giant, hairy man-like creature roaming the landscape is much older than the
grainy VHS clips that were so popular in the 1980s. Sightings are also a global
phenomenon. Notable outlets like the BBC have spent a significant amount of
time delving into the lore across the pond and sharing somewhat credible
stories about alleged encounters with Bigfoot. Wikipedia even reports that
Bigfoot images have been painted on the walls and ruins where early indigenous
peoples once lived. It seems that wherever humans live, there’s always a hairy
mystery monster dwelling nearby in the shadows. Bigfoot is a big deal — always
has been, always will be.
Where to
Find Sasquatch
In North
America, Sasquatch likes to hang out in the PNW (Pacific Northwest). Cool
temps, lots of water and, most importantly, lots of trees! The ‘Squatch is
definitely more of a cold weather cryptid. It makes sense a creature rocking a
massive pelt might prefer avoiding prolonged exposure to heat. Sasquatch
reports aren’t restricted to Canada, Washington, Oregon and California,
however. Maine also has a lot of reports, as do many portions of the northern
United States spanning coast to coast. That includes Colorado, if you’re
wondering.
Across the
world, you can find Yetis, Sasquatch’s stark white cousins, living it up
(literally) in the Himalayas. A Yeti can also be referred to as the Abominable
Snowman. Like Sasquatch, the latter name is more casual. It is a lot scarier
than Bigfoot, though.
Yeti sightings
occur on the Asian continent in the Himalayan mountains. Yetis seem to have
fewer sightings than Sasquatch. We suspect that’s because they blend in better
with their environment and because most humans don’t want to live where they
can barely breathe.
Famous
Southern Colorado Bigfoot Sightings
You can find
a lot of websites dedicated to cataloging Bigfoot sightings in every possible
location. Yes, most of the sites look like they were designed in 1998. However,
they offer a wealth of data, including who saw the cryptid and under what
circumstances. Here are a few notable “Class A” sightings recorded by the
Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization:
Teller
County Bigfoot Sightings
In 1977,
hikers reported seeing the creature west of Pikes Peak. Since this is
designated a Class A sighting, it means the hikers were able to see the
creature clearly and identify it as an unknown animal.
In 1981, the
BFRO reports that a miner saw the creature while working the late shift.
In one of
the most credible Teller County reports, a hunting guide saw the cryptid in
Pike National Forest in 1998.
El Paso
County Bigfoot Sightings
Bigfoot has
even deigned to descend to our lower, more populated elevation over the years.
In fact, El Paso Country beats Teller County’s Class A sightings 6-5. It’s not
much of a lead, but it counts. The BFRO reports a number of sightings around
Fort Carson in particular.
1986 — Bigfoot was sighted during a nighttime Marine training exercise near Fort Carson. This was likely near the training site located along Highway 115 which means a stray ‘Squatch may have wandered along the Arkansas River and gotten off course.
Lest you
think these reports are the result of soldierly pranks, a trucker reported a
Bigfoot sighting in 1999 near Fort Carson. Like the training exercise, BFRO
notes the sighting was at night.
In 2001,
BFRO has cataloged a sighting by a tourist on Pikes Peak. Looks like those
Bigfoot crossing signs are posted on the Pikes Peak Highway for a reason!
Of the 16
sightings reported across the Pikes Peak region, a whopping 11 have been deemed
as very credible, which means this area commands 10% of the Colorado sighting
reports. Not too shabby!
Celebrate
Sasquatch Day
National
Sasquatch Awareness Day is on October 20, 2024. The day celebrates the
Patterson-Gimlin Bigfoot film, which was captured on October 20, 1967.
THE MANITOU
CLIFF DWELLINGS ARE COMPRISED OF ANCESTRAL PUEBLOAN RUINS THAT DATE BACK 800 TO
1000 YEARS OLD.
The 40 room
site was originally located near McElmo Canyon, which is in the southwest
corner of Colorado. The process of relocating these
cliff dwellings began in 1904 and was completed in 1907 when the preserve was
opened to the public. Virginia McClurg, the original founder of the Colorado
Cliff Dwellers Association, hired William Crosby and the Manitou Cliff
Dwellings Ruins Company to begin this process. They wanted to preserve and
protect the Ancestral Puebloan architecture from looters and relic pot-hunters.
Over a
several year period, the stones were collected, packaged, and finally moved by
oxen to Dolores, Colorado. There, they were loaded and shipped by railroad to
Colorado Springs, and finally brought to Cliff Canyon by horse and wagon. Crosby’s men then faithfully reassembled the
dwellings in dimension and appearance to those in the four corners region,
instead they used a concrete mortar in 1907 as opposed to the adobe mud/clay
mortar the cliff dwellers used. This
preservation process allows individuals to walk inside and tour through our
dwellings. The Manitou Cliff Dwellings is a preserve of these ancient
dwellings, here to protect them for future generations to visit.
My Video Below
Below is a video from YouTube with more information you might enjoy.
2024.07.31 Garden of the Gods
The Garden
of the Gods in Colorado Springs, Colorado has a history that dates back
millions of years and includes many different groups of people who have visited
and used the area:
Prehistoric
people: Archaeological evidence shows that people visited the area around 1330
BC.
Native
Americans: Many tribes, including the Apache, Cheyenne, Comanche, Kiowa,
Lakota, Pawnee, Shoshone, and Ute, camped in the area around 250 BC, likely
attracted by the wildlife and plant life. Local stories say that the tribes
considered the area sacred and would lay down their weapons when entering.
Many explorers and fur trappers visited the area and in the 1700s, and one Frenchman named Wll. Ketner carved his name and the year "1731" into a rock in the park.
Captain Zebulon Pike led the first American expedition to the area in 1806.
Surveyors M.
S. Beach and Rufus Cable: In 1859, these surveyors were exploring the area
while looking for a place to start a townsite called Colorado City. Beach
suggested the area would be a good place for a German beer garden, but Cable
exclaimed that it would be "fit for the Gods to assemble" and named
it the Garden of the Gods.
Charles
Elliott Perkins: In 1909, Perkins donated the land to the city of Colorado
Springs with the condition that it would remain a free public park forever.
We did a Trolley Tour and our guide was excellent. Wild Bill was an excellent narrator. He pointed out everything in the Garden of the Gods park as well as that Cheyenne Mountain has a mile deep tunnel inside and was used by NORAD up until NORAD was moved 6 miles from there. Now the tunnel and cave is used by Space Force.
And a furry
wedding.
He said if
you see a squirrel and stop to take a photo, then everyone must stop to take
the photo.
My video of the Garden of the Gods. We didn't do any hiking here. It was very hot and we were at a point of wanting to come home...so we did the Trolley Tour instead.
My Video Below
The video below is from YouTube. There is lots of information (and better video) on it if you're interested.
If you google search NORAD and then click on 'Images" you will see the entrance and tunnels inside.
NORAD
At the
height of the Cold War in the late 1950s, the idea of a hardened command and
control center was conceptualized as a defense against long-range Soviet
bombers. The Army Corps of Engineers supervised the excavation of Cheyenne
Mountain and the construction of an operational center within the granite
mountain. The Cheyenne Mountain facility
became fully operational as the NORAD Combat Operations Center on April 20,
1966.
https://thememoryhole2.org/blog/inside-norad
Norad moved to the East in the plains of Colorado Springs and Cheyenne Mountain now houses Space Force.
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Time to go home...
We were going to boondock our way home but it was just too hot and we needed hookups so we stayed a night in Kearney, Nebraska at a nice little campground called Kearney RV Park. Ironically enough, we crossed a river called The Republican River that Starts in Colorado and is 450 miles long!
24.08.03 We left Kearney early in the morning and stayed a night at Griff's Valley View RV Park in Altoona Iowa. I LOVED this little park on a farm! The sites were huge! Seriously, they were big enough that another camper could fit between each site. The common areas were new and beautiful. I'd stay here and relax a while next time we pass through.
24.08.04 After a few long days, we arrived home on Sunday afternoon. We made it back in time for Cashton's 12th Birthday! YAY!!!
