Monday, September 11, 2006: Laramie, WY to Colorado Springs, CO

A Starbuck's and a short drive ahead—only about 200 miles—make for a good day, and after taking a couple of pictures of the antelope playing deerless under skies that are not cloudy at the moment, we hit the road.

Pretty quickly, we are in Colorado Springs, calling my sister, and pretty soon after that, we're getting a most economical "two-dollar tour."

Before the tour, we're happy to introduce Laika to her Golden Retriever cousins, Skylar and Bonnie. We're happy to be at this most dog-friendly stop! But more about them later!

This tour includes:

Cheyenne Mountain

The Springs and the "Front Range"

The Plains, from the aforementioned "Front Range"

The Temple of the Sun, built as a shrine to himself and Will Rogers by Spencer Penrose (gotta love the Wikipedia!), is perched on the side of the mountain, affording gigantic views, but also beautiful in itself.

At Temple of the Sun we see a bird that might be a Northern Goshawk...but it disappears before we're able to know for sure. That would be a life-bird for us, but we'll have to keep trying for a better look.

Also in the Temple of the Sun are several murals depicting events in frontier America, many of them very politically incorrect. I cannot resist the impulse to pat the naked tush of a savage as I walk up the stairs.

These kinetic metal sculptures in Colorado Springs are done by Starr Kempf:

These are wonderful! Evidently there is some tension between the current resident, the artist's daughter, and the city, so John is careful to park away from the property's side of the street and we try to not antagonize the dogs. But still, these are really beautiful sculptures, playing in the wind, and you must try to see them if you're in the area!

Garden of the Gods is pretty much right on the edge of town. Incredible red rock, which may not be the officially accurate term, but I'm pretty sure it's not called "crazy mud." Before ANYONE ELSE thinks of it, I pose with one finger holding up the balanced rock. Someday, someone will do that and be flattened by the rock. That's what we call "irony," and that's why "ironing" makes your clothing flat.

Garden of the Gods is also an interesting birding place, but the birds are moving fast! There are swallows or swifts that I can't identify, at lease one falcon, and we are lucky to have a Golden Eagle soar overhead, evidently on his way to the mountains.

It's a pleasure—often a relief!—to see the wolf in the doorway. My sis has two beautiful Golden Retrievers. We and Laika are overjoyed to have other dogs to occupy her (Laika, not my sister!) and wear her out. And for that matter, other humans to wear US out! And to have the grace of a moment when the ground isn't moving...

We're happy to have Steve's Mom, Nancy, join us in time for dinner, and feast on Mexican food. I had delicious Chicken Mole, nicely paired with a cold Dos Equis.

The wolf in the doorway is a beautiful sculpture in the entryway of Lynda and John's house. I expect Laika to growl at it at some point during our stay, but she never does.

Lynda and John, as always, are the most gracious hosts, and although we're willing to have Laika crated for the evening, they allow us to have her in our room and on our bed. Thus she gets the most luxurious bedtime of her life. After her fun romping with Skylar and Bonnie, I'm afraid that this will make her unhappy with her usual days. I imagine her thinking, "Can't we stay at this place that has the two fun dogs and quiet cat? I get to sleep on the bed here and have lots of fun and treats...seems good to me!"

As for me, I have visions of cougars and bears, both often seen in these parts and even this neighborhood.

We sleep like a dream, if that's a permissible simile.