The Long Drive Home Begins

2018-09-26
Garden of the Gods, CO

Today the trip homeward started in earnest. I will need to drive 8-9 hours east each day to get back to PA. However, a few days ago I discovered the Atlas Obscura which has cool places to stop. I managed to find good places to stretch my legs for an hour or two that didn't add more than an hour or so of driving time.

On today's leg between Southwest Colorado and Northwest Kansas I stopped at Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs. This park features a number of trails so I was able to hike for 3.5 miles. I will admit that I was more focused on the hike after driving for 5 hours than the scenery. They must have a real problem with people ignoring the trails here; they had a dozen ways to tell you to stay on the trail. Signs included (but were not limited to) "No Hiking This Side", "Reclamation Area; Please Keep Out", "Please Stay on Trail", "This is not a trail", and "Sensitive Wildlife Area; No Hiking."

The park is mainly about some pretty rock formations. I have to admit that after 3 weeks of looking at cool rock formations that I didn't focus on them; instead I was more interested in the walk which was enjoyable. I did take a few pictures of course. If you're out that way, it's a very pleasant way to spend a few hours.

For my climbing friends, note the folks at the top of the left formation.

Also, because it's a well-used park, the birds are less fearful of people than most. Here's a scrub jay considering whether to cross the path.

Hiking Distance: 3.5 miles