saturday morning down in 'the springs'

I headed out the door at 6am this morning, planning on hitting either Plan A: Rocky Mountain National Park (if the weather over the mountains looked okay) or Plan B: (if the weather over the mountains didn’t look okay) Garden of the Gods & the Air Force Academy. I loaded my gear into the Mini, drove down the street, and I could see a solid bank of cloud behind the Flatirons, so… Plan B: I hopped on I-25 and headed south for Colorado Springs. As I came down the highway into Denver, I could see Pikes Peak off in the distance, lit up with some lovely morning alpenglow, and it didn’t look as if there was a cloud in the sky down toward ‘The Springs’ (as the locals call Colorado Springs).

It being much too long since I’d been out shooting, I was glad to see the weather was going to cooperate on this little excursion and as I drove steadily southward, I became more and more excited. My main goal for the day was getting a certain shot of Pikes Peak through the natural window in the Siamese Twins at Garden of the Gods. I’d tried for that particular image twice before, but was foiled once by weather and the other time by some less-than-stellar photography on my part.

My excitement lasted until about 7:15am, when I rolled down the hill toward the entrance to the Garden and saw that there was a police barricade set up and the park was closed because of some “Take 5 in the Garden of the Gods” 5k/5mi race going on today. Dang. Seriously?!?

I pulled off the road and sat & thought for a minute. I knew there was a “back” entrance to the park since I had gone out of the Garden that way once before, but I had never gone into the park that way and wasn’t sure about my ability to successfully find it, but I was willing to give it a go. After only one wrong turn, I made it to that entrance and headed up past Balanced Rock, only to find another police car & barricade across the road. Dang.

Okay, let’s see… if I remembered correctly, the trailhead for the Siamese Twins wasn’t all that far down the road from Balanced Rock, so I parked the Mini and decided to just hike in from that parking area (Balanced Rock). So that’s what I did. I waved at the nice policeman as I walked by him, walked up a hill, down a hill, and came to the trailhead in short order. Then it was just a matter of hiking up to the Twins and getting my shot. The race might have actually turned out to be a blessing in disguise since I had the spot to myself and could take all the time I wanted to experiment with different lenses, apertures, compositions, etc.

Once back at the Mini, I made my way back out to I-25 and headed north for the Air Force Academy. I had actually been there once before, probably twenty years ago, on a cross-country drive and visit to ‘The Springs’ with my grandparents. There are umpteen bazillion superb shots out there of the cadet chapel, so I wasn’t expecting to get anything original, but- like I always say- it’s all about the experience, and so I was just looking forward to seeing it through my own viewfinder. I was surprised at how deserted the place was, which (again) was a blessing since I was free to wander around the ‘plaza’ there by the chapel, without worrying about tourist-induced stress or being rushed along. If you are interested in military aviation, there are some neat sculptures located in the plaza. I was there kind of late in the morning and the sun was high enough to be giving me fits, so—in pursuit of better light— I think I’ll probably be making another visit here sometime in the future.

All in all, it was a very enjoyable outing. It felt so good to be out shooting again and I’m pleased to finally have my shot of Pikes Peak through the natural window in the Siamese Twins. If you’re ever in Colorado Springs, it goes without saying that Garden of the Gods is a must-stop during your visit. And, unlike almost any other place you’ll go in Colorado, admission to the park is free! (The park was given to the city of Colorado Springs in 1909 by the children of railroad magnate Charles Elliot Perkins, in fulfillment of his wish that it be kept forever open and free to the public. As a result, this amazing park can be enjoyed free of charge. Nice!) Entrance to the Air Force Academy is also free.

Thanks for reading about stuff I've photographed! ~Rich