Garden of the Gods!

At the very eastern edge of the Rocky Mountains is a cluster of rock formations that defies description. It sits almost in downtown Colorado Springs, just beneath Pike's Peak. The city was given this area as a gift and it is now a city park, open free to any one who happens upon it. The rocks are mostly red, weird formations in interesting shapes, with spires and flat high walls and even a "balancing rock".  There are formations that lure rock climbers and others that just appeal to photo-tourists like me. Lanny and I spent the better part of an afternoon driving through this small park and wandering on the many trails within it on our western trip this past fall. There were amazing new views at every turn in the road. We saw mule deer munching on some shrubbery, many birds we'd never seen in Indiana, and a few tourists and rock climbers. Visiting in the autumn after the family vacation season had ended probably helped us avoid the large crowds this park sees during the summer.

While I think the park is aptly named, the history of how it got it's name is interesting too. The name of the park dates back to August 1859 when two surveyors helping to set up nearby Colorado City were exploring the nearby areas. Upon discovering the site, one of the surveyors, M. S. Beach, suggested that it would be a "capital place for a beer garden." His companion, the young Rufus Cable, awestruck by the impressive rock formations, exclaimed, "Beer Garden! Why it is a fit place for the gods to assemble. We will call it the Garden of the Gods." The beer garden never materialized, but the name stuck. (Thank you, Wikipedia!)



Visiting in the afternoon also provided that wonderful golden light that comes with the sun low on the horizon.  I had a lot of fun snapping these photos and hope you enjoy them too.