From rustic to Artistic

Continuing on

From rustic to Artistic

8th September 

I then took a shuttle to Manitou Springs, a small historic town in the Rocky Mountains. 

Check out the room. It was called the Dot Matrix room. It was full of leopard print, a room one of my very good friends would feel very much at home.

The entrance.

The detail

I matched the room.

Mike the owner. Loved a chat. I certainly welcomed the conversation .

Look what they sell in the shops for medicinal purposes.

The town

I stayed 2 nights .I sussed out the town and visited " Garden of the Gods". I could have stayed longer.

Garden of the Gods: 

Amazing beauty and my feet firmly on the ground. I enjoyed a 4 hr hike.

Boulder canyon: The challenges of a solo traveller.

I rented a car and drove 3 hours via Denver, to my next destination ,high up in the Rocky Mountains. This day was challenging for me as a solo traveller and a bit of a reality check. I'm not sure how I stayed on the road ,when I swerved sharply to avoid a full tire in my lane ,travelling at 90 km/hr ,on the freeway. ????

My GPS died and I then got badly lost looking for the house I booked via air BNB. The owner was not going to be around and I should have realised how remote this place was when he questioned:
Do you have a four wheel drive?,
I'll send you a map?
The house is open .
Text me when you arrive. 

The road was horrible. Narrow, steep, rocky, and sheer drop off one side and no one around to ask directions. I stopped and waited for 20mins to finally stop a car and get instructions. This beautiful log house was remote, miles from any neighbour, very high up in these amazing mountains. Not a great choice to stay at this stage of my trip, as I was keen for social interaction. None the less , this place was breathe taking.

The Rocky Mountains:

THE NEXT MORNING: The challenge continued.

In hind side, I should have treated these big rocks like a road block and not tried to go over them. The rock I ran over, lifted the front of the car in the air and I was stuck. Bill was around to help me with ,what he called his magic weapon. He was there ,because he caused the rocks to fall on to the road, in the first place.

I eventually found Benjamin loop: A 4 hour hiking track. I then had a wonderful day.

A day in Boulder: 

This university town was alive. Bikers, hikers, protesters. Heap of very fit, healthy people. Great place to eat and watch the people.