While we’ve stayed in relatively quiet spots for the last couple of nights, we’ve not had the best sleep. Maybe it’s not setting up the best sleep routine recently before bed. Maybe it’s the huge variations in temperature now–it will often be quite chilly in the mornings, then warming up significantly during the day. Maybe it’s because at times we sleep on a slight decline, which means that our feet end up sliding right to the edge of the bed. Maybe it’s for all of these reasons that it just seemed to be hard to get comfortable, tossing and turning in bed and waking up a few times at night.
Red Rock Canyon Open Space
Sometimes that translates into days on the road that aren’t as hectic. We had parked overnight right next to Red Rock Canyon Open Space in Colorado Springs, which was so convenient for us to immediately hit the trails. Red Rock Canyon Open Space is a 1,474-acre park that has awesome red rock formations, scenic trails, and diverse wildlife, and is popular for hiking, mountain biking (no eBikes allowed), and rock climbing. We chose a path that led us up from the parking lot to go toward what was once a sandstone quarry (where we saw lots of deer along the way), which wound around some narrow steps carved into the red rock, where there was a family of rock climbers.
We then snaked our way upwards for some breathtaking views of Colorado Springs–including the Garden of the Gods (another park in the distance known for its dramatic red rock formations), before heading back to our RV.
As we were walking back to the RV, we saw a paraglider in the air! They were fairly far away, but Michael became excited, as we wondered whether there’d be an opportunity for him to fly his wing today. After a bit of sleuthing, it turned out that the hike up to the spot would take over an hour (and we were both feeling pretty tired). Instead, we went toward Garden of the Gods Park, however the initial way we went was too narrow for RVs so we had to turn back (note: for RVs, buses and oversized vehicles the only option is via the Visitor Center, which Google Maps won’t tell you).
Manitou Springs
Instead we ventured onto Manitou Springs, a resort city in Colorado that has a quaint main street filled with souvenir stores, candy shops, clothing stores, and pubs, which looked very picturesque surrounded by the beautiful mountains. We struggled to find parking as it was busy and on the fringes of the main street it’s all permitted parking, but we ended up finding a spot and wandered around the shops, where Michael bought a Colorado t-shirt.
Manitou Incline
Since we were parked near a school and it was almost the end of the school day, Lisette and Sheila went back to check on the RV while Michael bolted to see the Manitou Incline, the most challenging climb in the area, with a steady 2,744 steps to climb to reach 609 meters (2,000 feet) in elevation. It’s a very popular climb to conquer, so reservations are required ahead of time. Michael did manage to run up a few hundred steps to experience it and take some photos, although his legs are now on fire and will probably feel sore tomorrow!
Garden of the Gods
We found the right entrance for our RV to arrive at the Garden of the Gods, a public park known for its stunning red rock formations, which were formed from millions of years of erosion. From the parking lot, the red sandstone formations towered commandingly up toward the sky. Visitors can wander around the park and go hiking, biking, rock climbing and drive through. We took a few photos as the sun started to set against the backdrop of these rocks, and also met a couple visiting from Bethlehem, Pennsylvania (a town we’re not familiar with!), who gave us a few suggestions for when we eventually arrive at their home state.
From here, we drove to Denver, where we parked outside of our friend Kelly’s home, where we hung out with her husband and son for the evening, and made and ate dumplings for dinner. Lisette has been friends with Kelly since university days, as Kelly was an international student studying in Sydney (and many other countries around the world, as one of our very well-traveled friends)! Lisette was very excited to catch up with Kelly as she’s also been wanting to visit her in Colorado for a while now since they moved from Ethiopia a while ago, and catch up since they visited us in San Francisco a couple of years or so ago. We also were happy to not have to think about where to park, as their street is wide enough for us to park our RV right in front of their home!
Route Map
