This is Alpha, the first-born, when he was 2YO.
This is Beta, the second-born, when he was about 2YO.
This is Gamma, the third-born, when he was about 18MO.
Summer Break 2022, Part 4
Aug
17
2022
This is the fourth of a series. You can also read about the first part of our trip to Colorado here.
Day 4:
We had 2 main events planned for this day, which started early again. First, hitting up the farmer’s market.
OCCFM : Old Colorado City Farmer’s Market
Some Wife wanted fresh food for parts of some meals, so we didn’t buy everything from the grocery store. She had researched area farmer’s markets and found this one in Old Colorado City, which was about halfway between our house and downtown Colorado Springs.
I was pleasantly surprised to find that the closest parking lot was free, as in no cost. That is a distinction from downtown Colorado Springs. We walked over about a block and there was the farmer’s market.
We wandered around for a while. The food vendors took up all the main square, and the arts and crafts people took up a smaller space the next block over.
One of the items we got was a bag of fresh peaches. And they were just about perfect.
Michigan has peach trees, but even peaches fresh off the tree here aren’t quite up to the level of Colorado peaches.
We were supposed to spend the morning there, then have lunch, then go hiking. But we got done quicker than we thought, so decided to go hiking now before it got too hot.
We stopped by the house to grab some snacks and I think some people needed to change footwear.
HHF : Helen Hunt Falls
Our goal was to hike around Helen Hunt falls, and maybe some of the Seven Bridges trail. It was about a 20-30 minute drive to the parking lot. We didn’t have the clearest idea of the parking arrangement. I had looked at a map ahead of time, so I knew about where to go, but there were so many switchbacks that I lost track of where exactly we were. We ended up at a parking lot that looked like the last place for vehicles to go, and it was full. So if you go hiking in that area, get there before 10am. We got there about 10:30 and we circled the lot once and found a spot at the end of a row, just barely beating another car coming around from the other aisle.
I had thought there would be a welcome area at this lot, or at least a sign with a map and a “You are here” marker. But there was nothing, and no cell service so we couldn’t look up where to go. We saw a sign that said “Helen Hunt Trail” so we went that way.
We didn’t quite know what we were getting into, but it was a quick introduction. The path was narrow and the sides were steep. This picture doesn’t do it justice.
The sides weren’t as steep as they could be because it was all loose material. If it was rocky it could have been more of a dropoff. But it was still disconcerting for certain family members.
But after a short bit, the trail changed from a long slide if you stepped off the path to having more things to break your fall, such as vegetation and switchbacks, like this.
But the views were nice on the trail.
After a long, hot hike down the trail, we ended up at a part of the road we had passed on our way to the parking lot. There was some parallel parking on the side of the road, for a picnic area. I think most of us were thinking “Ah, we could have parked there” but the point of this excursion was to hike, so we would have done less hiking. Plus it was all downhill, so better that than all uphill.
This picnic spot was at the river, so the valley of this area. We followed the river upstream, and eventually got to an overlook area.
In this next picture you can see across the way where we started – the road and trail. It doesn’t look too far, but that’s as the crow flies. The actual hike was a winding path down to the valley (to the right) and then back up.
A short hike around the corner from this overlook was the actual falls, which were rather unimpressive. Perhaps spring is a better time to view the falls if you want a decent amount of water.
And then the visitor center was right there, not far from the picnic area. The older kids and I hiked back up to the parking lot, and Some Wife and the younger kids waited at the visitor center, since we’d have to drive right past the visitor center on our way out anyway.
It was a bit of a workout, since our goal was to get back so we were moving briskly. We got to the van, and the parking lot was just as packed as ever. We made someone’s day because he had just pulled into the lot as we approached our van so we pulled out and he got a spot.
There’s not much room at the visitor center, so I pulled in front of an empty handicap spot and put on my flashers. The others were waiting and came right out – only had one truck stuck behind me for a minute while we loaded.
We got back in time for a late lunch at home. But then we had nothing else planned for the whole afternoon and evening. I got some reading done, and after so much relaxing I had to get everyone out for an activity.
Scheel’s : Scheel’s
We decided to go to Scheel’s, on the north side of Colorado Springs, near USAFA. For those not familiar with Scheel’s, think of a Cabela’s and double it.
It started with walking through an aquarium with 3 connected arches.
That’s comparable to a Cabela’s.
But after the aquarium comes the indoor Ferris wheel.
There was a small cost to ride, and there was a long line, so we skipped it. Scheel’s has all the various outdoor equipment and clothing and stuff, but they also have toys and home goods and a candy shop and an arcade. It was like a shopping mall, but one big store. Delta liked the arcade because someone left some money in the Big Buck Hunter game so he got to shoot some things.
There’s also a float plane hung from the ceiling. The perspective doesn’t make the plane look that big, but it is a real, full-size plane.
And they had an animatronic Abraham Lincoln giving the Emancipation Proclamation (which as far as I know has nothing to do with Colorado) and they had an animatronic football player. Plus they have a full-scale diorama of wildlife on a mountainside, similar to Cabela’s. But they don’t have a river with fish, like Cabela’s does.
We did end up buying a couple things – Delta got some candy at the candy shop and a small stuffed animal. Then it was dinnertime so we went to the house and had dinner, enjoyed a quiet evening and then went to bed.
Then it was evening, then morning the next day.
To Be Continued…
The mountains flowed with water at the presence of the Lord, This Sinai, at the presence of the Lord, the God of Israel.
Judges 5:5
This little article thingy was written by Some Guy sometime around 6:31 am and has been carefully placed in the Travel category.
