We were stopped at the gate, the same one we had been forced to turn around at yesterday, but, this time, we were issued a "drive-thru" pass. We didn't think anything of it,and we certainly didn't READ it, just hung it up on the mirror, as requested.
We parked at the first opportunity, and quickly spotted a herd of antelope off in the distance! Except they weren't antelope! As we approached, we discovered they were Bighorn Sheep! in the wild!
A noisy car approached, honking the horn, no less, so they took off up the hill, and out of our camera range. I thought this was supposed to be a RETREAT, for gosh sakes! You know, where you go to slow down, recharge and enjoy Nature! Guess not for the occupants of THIS car!
The Carriage House/bookstore/front desk was at the edge of the parking lot where we had parked, so we hiked on in. Of course, as we were walking across the lot, I was abhorred to discover that in our haste to get a lunch packed and get on the road, SOMEone (me!) had completely forgotten to suit up the pup, so she had NOOOO vest! We DID have her short leash, which luckily had her Service Dog tag attached, and since I was carrying my wallet (because it has MY military ID in it, and you need that to get back on base!), we also had her ID, in the event anyone questioned me. Whew! But, I still prefer to keep her suited up, as the vest is so very obvious, and people don't have to ask questions. Anyway, I approached the clerk at the front desk, and yup, she questioned whether pup was a Service Dog, 'cuz, apparently, NO pets are allowed on the premises unless they are Service Animals....but, once I answered positively, she was most gracious. Up to a point. She offered me a brochure that explained the history of the estate, and then she tried to book us a room for an overnight stay. Ummmm...well, we are staying in our RV, so we really don't need a room....and with prices ranging from $159 to $229 per night, we wouldn't be needing one anytime soon. (yes, they don't come close to The Broadmoor, at $600+, but still...no. Thank you, no.) She also suggested we would want to purchase tickets to tour the grounds and castle, after which we could come back to her and sign a liability waiver so we could hike the trails and walk around at our leisure. Ummmm...OK. We'll read the brochure and think about that. So we walked outside and read the brochure, which really was very interesting. (more on that in a moment) Then I explained to Driver that we really weren't supposed to be walking around the grounds without having signed a waiver, so maybe we ought to get back in the car and finish our tour that way. It was then we noticed that the hang tag had our entrance time written on it. And a warning that the pass expired 15 minutes after the time stamp. HAHAHA....we were already half an hour past that! We just hung it back up on the mirror and kept going. Rapscallions that we are!
So, here's the actual castle, which originally was built by William Jackson Palmer, the very same railroad magnate that had encouraged Charles Perkins to purchase the land that became Garden of the Gods, right next door. He was also the founder of Fountain Colony, which has become the city of Colorado Springs. The castle was built for his wife, Mary (Queen) Lincoln Mellen. The castle was originally a 22 room frame house, but later remodeled the tower and other additional rooms.
In 1880, though, the beautiful Mrs. Palmer suffered a heart attack, and she was encouraged to move to a lower altitude. She took no chances and moved herself and their 3 daughters across the pond, to England, yet she only lived another 4 years, passing away in Dec, 1844. Mr. Palmer traveled to England to get her remains and retrieve his daughters. The remodel was started in 1903 and was completed within 2 years. During that time, the family traveled extensively throughout Europe, searching out fireplaces, artifacts and heirlooms to fill the castle. The estate also enjoyed indoor plumbing, electricity, battery-operated gates, other luxuries, and some of the most talented chefs and gardeners of the time. Unfortunately,in 1906, Mr. Palmer was thrown by a horse during a ride through the Garden of the Gods. He broke his neck and was paralyzed from the 3rd rib down. Though disabled, he continued to give generously to the community until his death in 1909. From there, the estate fell into disrepair, was bought and sold a few times over, and was finally purchased and restored to its former glory by The Navigators in 1951. Told you, the brochure was really interesting! Let's take a look around the grounds, shall we?
Check out that hole in the rocks, up at the top of the pillar!
Wild turkeys!
Glen Eyrie, Valley of the Eagle's Nest, and there it is! Just as it's been ever since it was first spotted by the landscape architect, way back in 1881.
Since we weren't really permitted to lunch on the grounds...well, I guess we COULD have, since we were already well overdue for departure, what's a few more minutes, right???.....but we thought better of it, and decided we should take our lunch elsewhere. But where? Where else, but off to The Garden of the Gods! Well, on the way, I saw a sign that said Xeriscape Demonstration Gardens, off to the left. You know what that is, right? (Xeriscape is the art of landscaping so that you are using little to no water, but still enjoying beautiful gardens, with all sorts of textures, colors, flowers, foliage and hardscapes.) Off we went! Up the hill, down the road. One quick U-turn, and right into the gardens.
This Bee-N-Bee Hotel is dedicated to Lolly, who, along with Allen, raises bees up on their farm in Ohio. What do you think, Lolly, do you think you get Allen to build you one of these?
I believe this was Russian Sage - it is so pretty as a backdrop!
See, lots of different colors and textures, along with inviting benches.
Not a fan of spiky plants in my own garden, but they were pretty to look at here.
Barbara S., these plums are for YOU! They only had the one that was anywhere CLOSE to ripe. And it wasn't very close! Be glad yours are as far along as they are.
So, after not finding a suitable spot to eat our lunch ('cuz there really was no shade to speak of, and it was pretty hot and sunny), we continued our journey on to The Garden of the Gods. OK, so maybe that wasn't such a good idea. The place was packed. I mean, PACKED!! There wasn't a single parking space available, but that was ok, 'cuz there wasn't a single table under cover, and it was really, really hot. Record-breaking hot, we found out later that night. We didn't think we'd see any wildlife, due to all the crowds, but lookee here, what Driver spied with his eagle-eye! Can you see him?? Blow up the photo, and you'll see a big ole buck, right smack-dab in the middle of the picture. He really blends in well, don'tcha think? I barely got a glimpse of him before he was gone!
A few last, parting shots. Beautiful and special place. See the rain moving in? You're right - it didn't hit the ground. Weird weather here.
At this point, we decided lunch would make a good dinner, so we called it a day and headed back to the base. Lunch/Dinner done, we took a long walk around the park with the pup and settled in for the night.
Slept in late this morning (Monday) and then had a nice, relaxing day, just getting ready to pack up and leave on Wednesday. Driver greased the axles of the tow dolly (NO, we still haven't seen a penny of reimbursement for the fender and tire that were destroyed by the steel plate in the road in West Memphis, and NO, the governor's office has been NO help at all) and washed all the tire covers. We mopped the floor, cleaned both bathrooms, including that huge shower, did ALL the laundry (including rugs!), paid the bills (pretty important, right?), wiped down all the countertops and dashboard, and even checked out some things to do in Santa Fe. Everything was going smoothly, until I received an email from our Camp Verde, AZ campground, apologizing for our early departure and inconvenience due to storm damage. Whaaa? How could we be leaving; we hadn't even arrived yet???!!
A quick call to the campground confirmed we still had our upcoming reservation, but they also thought we were leaving today. Ummm...no, I don't think so. Apparently, they had 18 early departures, and one of the guests had a name similar to ours, so we got their email accidentally. Well, the funny part is that the email mentioned a 20% coupon to arrive to offset our inconvenience. The dude said to go ahead and use it when we arrive in 3 weeks. Suits the heck outta me, that's $54 bucks saved!!
So, we've been watching Dorian's progress all day, and we've spoken with some of our East Coast friends. Some of y'all are gonna get wet, it looks like. So, be careful, stock up on water & gas for the generator, fill up your bathtubs, and make sure you have food that doesn't need cooking. And if they tell you to evacuate, perhaps you should heed the warnings. Please stay safe.
Not sure what we'll do tomorrow. I think I have a final commissary run planned, but other than that...nada. Unless you've got a suggestion? I did get an order for 18 luggage handle wraps (thank you Marie, and WELCOME to our world!) and I have an outstanding order for a baby layette set. And a couple of garden flags for Dick's sister. So, maybe I should think about sewing some. M,aybe I should do more than think about it, eh? Our next stop is Raton Pass, NM, and we'll be there for 2 days, just killing some time before we're due in Santa Fe. There is absolutely NOTHING to do in that park (unless you count watching the hummers, remember from a couple weeks ago?), and we don't *plan* on unloading the car, so we will be parked behind the office for the duration of our stay. That really should present a golden opportunity to do some stitching.
Till next time...
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