A visit from my good friend inspired me to explore south of Denver: Colorado Springs and the surrounding area.

Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument (FLFO)

Stop 1 on the trip was the Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument. The site contains a few moderate loop interpretive trails with some really cool petrified tree stumps, and several longer nature hikes. We opted for the longer interpretive loop and enjoyed the ample sunshine. Unfortunately the archaeology museum was closed when we visited.

Highlights:

• This arid alpine valley used to be a lake!
• In a location that could not feel less like Juneau, it was fascinating to think that it once had a forest of giant trees. What will Juneau look like in another several million years?
• The modern history is pretty interesting as well as it has been a destination for scientists, then tourists since the 1870s!
• Men tried to cut off a piece of petrified wood from a giant stump to take to the Chicago World’s fair in 1893, but the stump won. Part of the blade is still stuck. Oops.

Colorado Wolf and Wildlife Center

On the way to FLFO we passed a sign for the Colorado Wolf & Wildlife Center and decided we must investigate on the way back. Unfortunately the wildlife tour tour timing didn’t work with our plan for the day, but we watched as a group of about 4 people went into a wolf enclosure and gave two wolves head and back scritches like they were dogs. We figured out this was a private tour. Putting a pin in this place to return if someone wants to shell out for the chance to hang out with the wolves.

Manitou Cliff Dwellings

This was another drive-by discovery on the way to FLFO. We stopped by on the way back into Colorado Springs before lunch. I left with mixed feelings about the experience.

I can only compare it to Mesa Verde National Park (MEVE) cliff dwellings (which, it turns out, is where these structures lived originally before being relocated in 1904). At MEVE tours are supervised and guided by rangers, limited to group sizes, and enforces strict no-impact rules (no touching, climbing, eating, water, etc.). The control, care, reverence and respect surrounding the structures in MEVE is intense compared to this hands-on, commercial site. There was a small museum on site, surrounded by a massive gift shop. I’m not sure who benefits from the proceeds, and hope that it’s at least roughly aligned with the ancestral puebloans who built the structures in the first place.

I guess I get it – MEVE has accessibility issues – it’s far away and hikes require ladders, navigating cliffs, climbing through tunnels etc., so I suppose this site is a good way for people, especially little kids, to experience the structures more easily. My ethical jury is still deliberating on this one.

Lunch in Colorado Springs

We stumbled upon an excellent coffee shop / restaurant The Exchange with baked goods, GF and veg options, and generous portions. We perched up on the top floor to be extra creepy people watchers.

Garden of the Gods

Our final stop on the way back to Denver was Garden of the Gods. It’s a nice smaller park (compared to national parks) with cool sandstone rock formations. We opted for the paved scenic hike through the central part of the park where we saw lots of people, dogs, a few deer, and rock climbers. Oh, and lots of people taking engagement / senior / wedding photos during the golden hour. It was a beautiful day.

I gotta get out of town more! Who’s next to visit?