Flower Power

love that blue-greyish color combined with the red!

Ready, set...go!

@ Olympic Visitor Center

Bath time

Today was bath day for this elephant lady at the Mountain Zoo. She surely enjoyed being scrubbed, and showered and pampered by 4 people. Lucky her!

Praxis

Love this quote, written on the wall of the hall of fame in the Olympic Vistor center.

Where's the pott with gold?

We get rainbows here pretty frequently. It was also here, that I got to see a doppel rainbow for the first time in my life. Will post that picture soon. Aren't rainbows just one of those things that will never lose their magic and always put a smile on one's face?!

Summer time

Let's meet up for a cool drink on this warm summer night. You get the money from the ATM, I'll drink the mageritha ;o)

furry tree lover

I took my son today for a stroll around the Prospect Lake at Memorial Park. One thing we both love there, is the squirrles. They are such playful little creatures that it makes me smile, and my son squeaks in delight, each and every time we see them. They are so tame, that some of them actually pick the seeds out of my hand. We can stand there forever, so it seems, watch them playing and chasing each other in the grass, up the trees. I caught a snap of one of this little fellows

Giant Flowers

Flowery art work in downtown. Now if they would only smell, that would be neat ;o)

Hot town - Summer in the city

With temperatures suppose to hit the 100s tomorrow, it's good to have a little shaddy sanctuary, like this one in downtown

Colorado's Wild life

This mountain lion was killed in Colorado Springs, when a truck accidentaly hit it. It now can be seen at the Visitor Center of the Garden of the Gods.

Much of Colorado, including the Front Range, is prime mountain lion country. The mountain lion, commonly known as cougar, panther or puma, exists only in the Western hemisphere and is one of North America’s biggest cats. The Division of Wildlife estimates there are between 3,000 and 7,000 lions in Colorado, with the number most likely in the 4,500 to 5,000 range.
A lion’s natural life span is probably about 12 years in the wild and up to 25 years in captivity. Lions are very powerful and usually kill large animals, such as deer and elk. Natural enemies include other large predators such as bears, lions, and wolves. They also fall victim to accidents, disease, road hazards and people.

Mountain lions vary in size and weight, with males being larger than females. Adult males may be more than 8 feet in length and weight an average of 150 pounds. Adult females may be up to 7 feet long and weight an average of 90 pounds.

People rarely get more than a brief glimpse of a mountain lion in the wild. Lion attacks on people are rare, with fewer than a dozen fatalities in North America in more than 100 years. Most of the attacks were by young lions, perhaps forced out to hunt on their own and not yet living in established areas. Young lions may key in on easy prey, like pets and small children.

Make a wish

close your eyes, gently blow, and make your wish while watching the little parachutes of the dandelion dancing off in the wind

Celebrating Art

A wall mural in towndown, designed for Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's 250th birthday in 2006

Cog Train on Summit of Pikes Peak

The Pike's Peak Railway is an Abt rack system cog railway, climbing the well-known mountain Pikes Peak. The base station is in Manitou Springs near Colorado Springs.
The railway is the highest in North America by a considerable margin. It was built and is operated solely for the tourist trade.

One of the tourists who visited the Pikes Peak region in the late-1880's was Zalmon Simmons, inventor and founder of the Simmons Beautyrest Mattress Company. Mr. Simmons rode to the summit of Pike's Peak on a mule, partly to enjoy the view and partly to check upon one of his inventions: an insulator for the telegraph wires which ran to the Army Signal Station on the summit. The arduous, two day trip on a mule was the only way to reach the top in those days. Mr. Simmons was awed by the scenery but determined that the views should be experienced in a more civilized and comfortable manner. He was relaxing in one of Manitou Springs' mineral baths after his return, when the owner of his Hotel mentioned the idea of a railway to the top. Mr. Simmons agreed with the concept and set about providing the capital needed to fund such a venture.
In 1889, the Manitou & Pike's Peak Railway Company was founded and track construction began in earnest. Top wages were 25 cents per hour. Six workers died in blasting and construction accidents. Of the original six locomotives, only #4 is still in operation and along with a restored coach makes infrequent trips short distances up the track.

A new era began in the late 1930’s with the introduction of gasoline and diesel powered locomotives. Spencer Penrose, owner of The Broadmoor Hotel, had acquired the Railway in 1925 and efforts were begun to build a compact, self-contained railcar, which could carry fewer passengers during the slow parts of the season. These efforts culminated in No. 7; a gas-powered, 23-passenger unit, which made its first run on June 16, 1938. It is believed that No. 7 is the first rack railcar ever built in the world. The experiment was a huge success, and within a year of No. 7’s introduction, No. 8, the world’s first diesel-electric cog locomotive, was delivered from the General Electric Company.

Today the railway operates througout the year. It takes around 1,5 hours for each trip up and down the mountain.

Helen Hunt Falls

Helen Hunt Jackson (1831-1885) a famed author moved to Colorado Springs in 1873. She wrote many poems and stories about the Pikes Peak Region. She started a letter writing campaign to promote the preservation of North Cheyenne Canyon as a public park.

She became outraged by the unfair treatment of American Indians. She was outspoken in defense of the Cheyenne and Arapho people after the Sand Creek Massacre (1864) and the defended the Utes (which are the Indians that used to live here) after the Meekere Massacre (1879). In order to increase the awareness of the injustices suffered by the American Indians, she wrote her 2 most important books: "A century of dishonor", and "Ramona".

It is said that there is paranormal activity going on around the area of the falls. Maybe the spirit of Helen...still trying to protect what she used to love so much?

I myself, drive up there pretty frequently. It's a very nice place.

Flower shower

Downtown

Intersection in downtown with view of the Antlers Hilton Hotel and the mountains as backdrop

What's the time?

love this clock in downtown

Blue Crystal

beautiful mountain lake on the way up to Pikes Peak

Olympic Strength

This guy is part of a gigantic statue, called "Olympic Strength" and standing in front of the Olympic Commitee Center.

Chapel Inside

This is how it looks like inside the chapel. The colored glass makes sure for a great game of light and color. It's certainly one of the most interesting chapels I've ever seen

Cadet Chapel

Soaring 150 feet toward the Colorado sky, and located at the Air Force Academy this chapel is an all-faith house of worship designed to meet the spiritual needs of cadets. It contains a separate chapel for each of the three major religious faiths represented in the Air Force ‑ Protestant, Catholic and Jewish ‑ plus two all-faiths worship rooms. There are two main levels, with the Protestant nave on the upper level. The Catholic and Jewish chapels and one all-faiths room are located beneath it. Beneath this level is located the larger all-faiths room and two meeting rooms. Each chapel has its own entrance, and services may be held simultaneously without interfering with one another.
The aluminum, glass and steel structure features 17 spires. There is no significance to this number. Original designs were judged to be too expensive, so changes were made, among them a reduction in the number of spires. The changes did not alter the basic design or the interior square footage of the chapel, however.
The shell of the chapel and surrounding grounds cost $3.5 million to build. Furnishings, pipe organs, liturgical fittings and adornments of the chapel were presented as gifts from individuals and various organizations. A designated Easter offering was also taken at Air Force bases around the world in 1959 to help complete the interior.

Tomorrow I will show you the beautiful inside of this chapel. A great game of color and light!

View from Pikes Peak

The views from Pikes Peak are just beyond amazing. For hundered of miles one will see nothing but the Rocky Mountains...snow toped in the distance. Yet if one turns east, for miles there are only lakes, forests and green meadows. It's stunning!

Driving into heaven

Driving up to the summit of Pikes Peak sure looks like driving right into heaven

America the Beautiful

This memorial is on the summit of Pikes Peak. The words from Kathariae Lee Bates, which became the song "America the Beautiful". Standing up there and overlooking a great deal of the Rocky Mountain, is indeed, very inspiring

Blowing in the wind

Flags at the Olympic Commitee

Book trade store

Love the painting above the store...and by the way: Happy 4th of July!

My house

...or so I wish *lol* This private palace is located in the upscale neighborhood Broadmoor. I seriously wonder though, when I see houses like this, what do they do with all this space??!

The legendary Broadmoor Hotel

The Broadmoor Hotel is a 5-star/5-diamond luxury hotel and resort set on 3,000 acres at the base of Pikes Peak in southwestern Colorado Springs. It's been said it ranks in the top 10 of best Hotels in the whole US. Built in the early 20th century as the "Grand Dame of the Rockies", it was one of the finest resort destinations along the Rocky Mountains during the age of railroads. It continues to be a popular conference destination for businessmen and government officials. It also offers a tennis facility rated #3 by Tennis Magazine and its gigantic golf course will be hosting the US Senior Open in 2008.

The Broadmoor is able to serve many guests, as it has over 700 rooms, and 15 restaurants and cafes. It also has 3 golf courses, and includes a world class spa. The Penrose Room, named after Spencer Penrose, is the pinnacle of fine dining at the Broadmoor.

fountain fun

We went to the downtown park with our son today. He loves the fountain there. Usually you only see the blue top over the fountain. But about every 30 minutes, music turns on, and the blue top slowly lifts up. Revealing the spinning puppy and saxophone player. The water then keeps splashing from everywhere and the kids have so much fun! Best of all: It's FREE! ;o)