You know you're retired when you get up and struggle to decide what's for breakfast, and do you want to have a big breakfast, clean up and get a later start, or just pour a bowl of cereal, gulp it down and get on with your day. Choices, choices, right? After the stress of yesterday, we were both in agreement....let's just kind of hang out on base today, hit the commissary and just try to relax and enjoy the park a bit. You may remember, back in Princeton, TX, we were lucky enough to purchase a dozen free-range eggs from a cooler by the side of the road (honor system to pay, no less). Well, we fixed a couple of them, and boy, were they tasty! There's just nuthin' like farm-fresh!
So, we were finally off to the commissary, to stock up on groceries before we head out to Pueblo West, where we would be 30 minutes from any store. It was still pretty cool for us, only about 75 degrees, so it made for a pleasant drive, with the windows down. Groceries gotten, we carried them back to the camper, stowed them all and walked the dog. It was still only early afternoon, so we thought we'd tour the base a bit.
We are still amazed by the enormity of Pike's Peak, America's Mountain. Did you read about it yesterday, why it's called America's Mountain? It is said that in July 1893, after a visit to the summit of the mountain, Katharine Lee Bates penned the song, "America the Beautiful."
Here was our first glimpse of the famed chapel. We have since discovered that it is the most visited man-made attraction in the state of Colorado! It looks so tiny from afar, but you just wait!
We took the long way around the base...and went looking for the parachute landing area. It was a bit underwhelming, as there was no activity when we arrived. No planes were flying, and no fools were jumping. However, we did find this T38 Thunderbird and an A10 Warthog on display. There were story boards, but they were under glass, and there was simply too much glare to read them, so sorry, no further photos. And you see that dark cloud crawling over the mountain range? It carried rain. Not much, but enough to chase us back into the car and on our way.
On the map, we saw a little road, leading to Ice Lake. Doesn't that sound delightful? Obviously, we knew it would not really be ice covered at this time and temp, but we thought it would be nice to see. Hmmmm....we turned off a paved road, and it quickly became a dirt and gravel road. That usually sends the dog into a tizzy, and this time was no exception. She hopped right into the front seat, in my lap, down on the floor, and back up into my lap. Poor thing gets so rattled when rocks pop up and hit the undercarriage or sides of the car. We had traveled about a mile, when we came across this sign....
They weren't joking! This train was parked, and there was no engine in sight!
You can see part of Colorado Springs behind these cars. The Interstate is just past that green grassy area and the tree line, and the city is beyond that.
Up on the hillside, we found a little patch of Indian Paintbrush. Last time we saw this plant, we were in Fredericksburg, TX, viewing the the bluebonnet fields with John and Lora. It's John and Lora that we are planning to spend the winter with in Surprise, AZ. You can be sure, I was looking for snakes on the way up to get that shot! (thankfully, no, none were spotted)
We stayed off the main streets, and went through the housing area. Were we supposed to? No, probably not. Were we authorized to do so? Oh, gosh no. Did that stop us? Of course not. So, here's your basic base housing for lower ranks. Kind of plain, boring, and even a bit run down. But, hey, check out those black and white birds down in the grass! They were bigger than any songbird we'd ever seen on the East coast or in Texas. And they're not in my bird book. Argh, of course not, my bird book is titled, Birds of Eastern North America. Well, THAT explains a lot! Some Googling, and I came up with Black-billed Magpies.
If you are reading this in email, you won't see the short video clip I've inserted below, so you can just click right HERE.
We found a firehouse with a terrific view of the majestic mountain right out back. Pictures absolutely do not do it justice. The depth and height is just breathtaking. I can only imagine what the view from the top must be. (Sidebar, we have decided NOT to make that trek, for a multitude of reasons. First and foremost, it's 19 miles of switchbacks and tight turns (150 of 'em, best I can tell), there is NO guardrail, it costs $15 a person, and there is limited parking at the summit, due to renovations, so you might have to park a mile or several away and walk the rest of the way up. Yeah, um, NO, that ain't gonna happen!)
Again, Colorado Springs sprawls out over the prairie.
I had read about Polaris Hall and its 105 foot tower. The Hall is home to the Center for Character and Leadership Development, and the tower points to Polaris (the North Star).
Did you catch those marble runs in the photo above? One of the signs told us that freshman cadets are only allowed to walk the marble paths; they cannot travel from one building to another on the granite sections, or cut across the quad. They are also not permitted to speak to upperclassmen, unless it's to answer a direct question. Later, we surmised it might be to get them used to walking in straight lines and turning sharp corners. I don't really know, and I hope to ask the question tomorrow, if we get to take a tour. Tours are only given sporadically, and by volunteers and alumni, so they are never planned or publicized. There were 3 scheduled for today, but none promised for tomorrow.
Next, we moved on to the piece-de-resistance, the Cadet Chapel. It was truly humbling to stand there and view it up close. The 17 spires soar 150 feet in the air, and are clad in aluminum, glass and steel, to represent the skin of airplanes. There is no significance to the number of spires (17); it's just the number that were left after budgetary cuts removed a few from the original plan. Gary and Gail visited last summer, but they didn't get to go inside, as it was closed in preparation for rehabilitation and updates to the structural integrity. Apparently, the structural problems weren't so significant as to endanger the safety of cadets or visitors, because it's open for tours and worship. We have found that the allocated funds have since been diverted to repair and rebuild Tyndell Air Force Base, up by Panama City, FL. You may recall that area was simply devastated by Hurricane Michael in 2018.
In front of the Chapel, was a monument that I could barely make out. Thankfully, there was this placard explaining the twisted metal.
And here is the photo of the memorial. The Chapel is off to the right, out of the frame. Notice, there are marble pathways here, too.
We were not permitted access to the grounds down in front, but we cold walk around the side, to gain entrance to the Chapel.
On the way to the back side, we came across this memorial to Robert Harmon, Lieutenant General, the founder and first Superintendent of the Academy. Under his left hand is a model of the campus.
As we drove around, back to the camper, we could overlook the athletic fields. Click on the three below, so you can see them bigger. You can see hundreds of teeny, tiny little people down there on the fields. That gives you a sense of how immense the grounds and the mountains really are.
After a short visit to the cemetery to pay our respects, we finally made it back to the camper. Bailey was going nutso - it was way past her dinner time! She and Driver got fed, then we all went for a walk around the park. This is a lovely park, and it's really very quiet, considering there are about 170 sites! And there sure aren't very many vacant ones! Well, it's quiet except when the trains come by! The tracks are only about 100 yards from our site, so when the whistle blows, it's loud! But it's a 50 amp site, the trees are not brushing our roof and sides, and the roads are passable! Tomorrow we hope to tour the Cadet Chapel, and maybe take in the showing at the Planetarium. If there's time after that, maybe we can visit the Halls that might be open to visitors. We don't have any contacts here, so it's highly unlikely we'll get any personal tours or escorts. Till next time, y'all stay safe!
What a gorgeous chapel!
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