This is Montezumi's Castle. It is 125 feet tall and one of the many "Fins" that make up gigantic rock formations in Garden of the Gods. This climb was two pitches, meaning that the first person (lead climber) goes up and then secures to the first anchor to bely the second climber. In this case, our friend Dan was the lead climber, then Wayne, then me. You can see Wayne in this picture climbing a very hairy part of the fin. It is only about 12 inches apart at the widest and the first belay station will make you wet your pants! We all three climbined all the ay to the point just above Wayne's head in this picture, then repelled down to the right. It was seriously the best climb I have ever done...even though I am terrified of heights!
Ok, so we didn't get to go all the way to the top. We had a minor "spit" of snow last night so they closed the top lookout point. We were still able to get to the second to last point where I found myself shaking just taking this picture! I am terrified of heights...but somehow I still rock climb!
When you visit the zoo, you also have the option of visiting the Will Rogers Shrine of the Sun. It is WAY up on Cheyenne Mountain, and is over 130 feet tall. A gentleman named Spencer Penrose began building it in December 1934, and finished it in 1937. Himself, his wife, and two dear friends are built in the structure's chapel located on its north side. If you go inside you can actually climb the stairs all the way to the top of it...you better belive Wayne and I went for it!
Pikes Peak! "Purple Mountains Majesty" actually came from this particular peak. At 14,110 feet, it is one of the highest peaks in Colorado. You can hike the 13 mile trail to the top, or take the scenic Cog Railway Train. It is indeed on our list of things to do here in Colroado Springs! The list, howver, keeps growing each and every time we go somewhere and meet new people who share exciting places to go!
Wayne chose to ride in the Batmobile! He could really only fit one hip and leg into it before he got stuck. The batmobile made him as excited as a kid at Christmas! If only it were life size...
We vistited the Miramont Castle while in Manitou Springs...yes, it is indeed haunted! The hostess told us to make sure we had our cameras with us while touring because certain "ghosts" like to appear in pictures. There are a ton of stories about encounters with these spirits, as well as a book of photos when you first come in the castle. We snapped all the photos we could, but in the end only had one worth freaking out about. It was an old piano with some sort of blur on the keys. We saw some of the ghost pics that looked quite scary!
We purchased a new couch and recliner while we still had the U-Haul. Wayne is really excited about his "Grandpa Chair" combined with Comcast! Now he can watch TV in style!
After moving all of our boxes and belongings into our townhome, the next project was to turn the water back on and let it run, or "de-winterize" Someone comes along and winterizes it by putting antifreeze in the drains and toilets. This is part of the purchasing a home process.
