Garden of the Gods

Garden of the Gods makes it a must-see for visitors to Colorado!  We visited there several years ago and when we decided to take this Colorado Road Trip, we knew we had to go back.

Probably my favorite picture I have of my children was taken there.  Hoping to be all “trendy” and cool, I wanted to go back to that spot and re-create the picture.  Ok, I had no delusions of being either trendy or cool, I just wanted to go back and get another picture.

For those who may not be familiar with Garden of the Gods, it’s an amazingly unique place located in Colorado Springs.  It’s a National Natural Landmark, has dramatic mountain views, 300 ft. towering sandstone rock formations and beautiful Pikes Peak is its backdrop.  The visitors and nature centers have some wonderful exhibits.  

It’s only a few miles drive through the park with many places to stop for pictures and trails for hiking.  And best of all, besides all it’s breathtaking beauty, it’s FREE!  (We all know that’s my favorite price!) Of course, that bumps it up on the “must-see” list.  

Re-creating the old photo was my main goal but we weren’t sure of the location of our “photo” spot.  When I saw it on some promotional material at the visitor’s center I was able to ask for directions.  We got there without any trouble but were still uncertain it was the right location.  It was MUCH smaller than any of us remembered.  Turns out, it was the right place, our children are just much bigger now!  

(You have to scroll to the end of the post for the big reveal)

After our picture was done, four of us (all except our oldest daughter, who stayed on the trail) decided to climb around a bit and get more photos.  

This went well for a while…

Until we decided it was time to meet our daughter and head back to the car.  We had wandered off the path to get a better angle for some of our pictures. 

We thought we saw “the trail” below us and decided to take a short cut.  

About two steps in, I fell (right by that small tree on the left) scraping up my knee and shin.  As I began to get up, I looked down and my hand had landed right next to a cactus!  YIKES!  

Aside from feeling clumsy and embarrassed, I was pretty sure I was fine and we moved on.  However, it didn’t take long to realize I had a trickle of blood running down my leg.  GROSS!  

After making it down our steep “short cut”, we couldn’t seem to find our daughter, the trail or the car.  Thankfully, the place isn’t that big and we could see the road, we just didn’t know which way to go on it.  We were never really “lost”….at least not the “ration the water, look for shelter, build a fire it’s going to be dark soon” kind of lost… just a little misplaced.  We did end up finding the path and making it back to the car where our daughter was waiting and wondering what was taking us so long.  It just confirmed our suspicions….we ARE NOT the outdoor types!  We love and appreciate the beauty of nature, but for us, it’s best observed by staying on the well-marked path or through the car windshield!  

A few more random pictures, just because I love sharing the beauty of God’s design in this place!

And now, the big reveal…..

That was then…..2006, with hats from our visit to The Big Texan in Amarillo, TX

This is now!  I tried to talk them into bringing the hats, but they were having none of it!