Colorado Day #2

Day #2 of our Colorado adventures started out with a trip to the Seven Falls near Pike's Peak.  Someone back home had told me that it was neat.  I told Jay the night before when we passed the sign for it that we would have to go back so he obliged.  It was WELL worth it.  Again, we had no idea what it was, just that we needed to go.  We paid the admission and headed up the hill. 

As soon as we parked the car, the kids found a little chipmunk/ground squirrel that would let them touch it and followed them around like a kitten or something.  As we explored the area, we realized that was because they had feeders everywhere and the little boogers were used to being fed!  It was cute though.

Walking up to the main attraction area, it was obvious this was going to involve a lot of climbing.  Madolyn & I were eyeing the elevator, but Jay & Lane started up the steps to the Seven Falls Lookout, all 184 of them.  It was pretty tough for this old gal, but we all made it.  After taking in the beauty of the falls from afar, Madolyn & I took the elevator down (should've done this the other way around) and the fellas took the stairs.  Then we went over to the actual falls and climbed those 227 steps.  I considered not going, but decided that I would probably never be back there again and I just had to go up.  It was quite a climb, but well worth it. 

There was a very peculiar smell all around these falls.  Madolyn said it smelled like Ravioli.  I don't know that that was the exact smell, but something was stinky.  What was weird is that it didn't smell everywhere.  It was a beautiful water fall and we were not disappointed.  I should've stretched my calves before climbing 450+ stairs though, but I survived.  We have decided that pictures just don't capture the beauty out here, but I did my best.
We then headed south to visit the spectacular Royal Gorge.  Again, we didn't really know what we were getting into.  My coworker "Kathy" and her crew visited this place a couple years ago and said we absolutely had to come.  She also suggested we do the Skycoaster and after figuring out what it was actually, NO THANK YOU...I can't believe her family did it!  They must be nuts :)  We crossed the magnificent suspension bridge that crosses the Royal Gorge.  It was sorta sickening.

All along the suspension bridge are state flags.  The family stopped for a pose next to the great state of Illinois flag.  It was sooo windy and you could feel the bridge swaying.  It was kind of like being on a boat or something.  I was not a huge fan of the feeling...neither was Madolyn!

This was the view from the bridge.  You probably can't see them, but there were gobs of people river rafting down below.  So the Skycoaster was this harness thing you got in and then it shot you out over this gorge.  I know crazy, right?  No way...Instead we decided on the little tram that went down to the bottom and the aerial tram.  We rode down to the bottom in these little four-person cars.  It was pretty cool.  Not too scary.  It took us down near the river and the railroad. Nothing like that insane Skycoaster!

Next, we tried the aerial tram.  (I think that's what it was called.)  Lane was not at all sold on this adventure, but we forced him to go.  Do you see that teeny-tiny red dot in the picture on the left?  That is the box that we rode in across the gorge.  Crazy, right?  I know, I couldn't believe I did it, but I knew I had to...What are the chances that the cable would snap with us on it?
So we told Lane he could just stay in the middle and not look out the windows.  I must say it wasn't that bad at all.  I was pleasantly surprised.  In fact, I thought walking across that suspension bridge was much harder on me than this tiny car dangling across the gorge.  Everyone agreed it wasn't as bad as we thought it would be.  We hopped off the aerial tram once we got to the other side, got on the tram, drove past some Elk, Buffalo and Long-Horn Sheep. 


We finished up at the Royal Gorge and got in the car and head even further south to Pagosa Springs.  The drive was gorgeous.  My favorite comment of the day was from Madolyn.  "You know, I have never even thought that there were places out there other than Martinsville."  Oh, there's a whole world outside our little town!  I was hoping we were proving to her that the best part of the trip wasn't the airplane.  I was looking foward to going in a tunnel...I got my wish finally.  It was a short one, but it shut me up:)  After a pretty long drive, we made it to our home away from home for the next four nights.  Ahhh, we were pooped. 

We were also hungry so after we checked in, we went to a local Taco Bell/KFC combo.  Yum (ugh).  As we were leaving, an older couple asked where we were from and we did our usual explanation, "We're from Illinois and we live right along Interstate 70 in a tiny town.  We're between St. Louis and Indy, but we're just 30 minutes from the Indiana state line."  They laughed.  The lady was born and raised in GREENUP, and the fellow was born in a tiny town, he knew we had never heard of, Dundas, Illinois.  He laughed when we said we knew right where it was.  Funny.  Then they said that their Sunday School teacher there was from Casey.  It really is a small world!