Colorado Springs, CO, June 4

More glorious big rocks, this time at Garden of the Gods. Took a guided nature walk, but of course can't remember most of what she told us. The rocks are basically sandstone, with the red caused by iron in the rock. The ice capped mountain in the background is Pikes Peak.

Also went to the Colorado Springs Pioneer Museum. Some interesting exhibits, and the building is quite wonderful. It seems the woman who wrote the lyrics to America the Beautiful, Katharine Lee Bates, was on the summit of Pikes Peak when she wrote the poem (in 1895). The museum the courthouse at one time, so rather grand with stone pillars, painted ceilings and an old "birdcage" elevator that still works and you're encouraged to use.

Dinner at one of Colorado Springs MANY breweries. The custom with many (all?) of the breweries here is to arrange to have food trucks provide food and the brewery only provides the beer. They seem to have a schedule so the trucks rotate--a given brewery will have a different for truck each night. In any case, the food tonight was Italian sausages and pirogis. The beer was excellent.