Arrival

So, after two and a half days on the road we finally arrive in beautiful, sunny Colorado Springs. Ryan and the three dogs, Dozer, Pokie and Sassy all came out to greet us. Ryan and Sadie have rented a small, old log cabin on 5 acres on the outskirts of Colorado Springs. They have their dogs, their two horses and all the peace and quite they have been longing for. The place is very well suited to them. Sadie is still at work so my two fellas and I relax in the yard until its time to meet Sadie for dinner. We decided to go to a place called the Craftwood Inn http://www.craftwood.com.  They feature game from the Colorado area including elk, wild boar, venison, pheasant and duck. Dean and Ryan had elk, Sadie had wild boar and I had........well, chicken. Hey, my father was a wildlife biologist, I know what that wild shit tastes like. All kidding aside, I had a taste of the elk and the boar and both were quite good.

The next day we went to this very local BBQ stand (pretty much just a smoker and a bathroom sized kitchen) and bought two large racks of ribs, preceded of course by some wonderful cheese and wine and beer. We ate  a lot which by most accounts is the best part of any vacation. That afternoon Sadie had to work as a volunteer at the Colorado Springs Annual Balloon Festival as part of her new job with USAA Credit Union. It was a bit of a hike but I crutched myself out to the open park area and Dean set me up in a folding chair beneath the shade of a big oak tree and we waited until dark. At about 8:00 p.m. approximately 30 balloons began performing what they call a "glow show." They spout off their flames and light up the whole park. It is a three day event that takes place every Labor Day Week-end in Colorado Springs. Two mornings in a row about 100 balloons take flight shortly after dusk. Then each evening they have a "glow show." The event is said to attract about 200,000 people over the 3 days. It seemed all 200,000 were trying to leave the park the same time we were that night. We needed to get home and get our rest as we were going to attempt Garden of the Gods the next day..........................