Chasing Desert Dreams (KS to CO)

We left Topeka before sunrise on Friday, September 15th. So excited to make our way to Colorado, we braved a torrential downpour that blew in sideways over the plains and split the sky with bright, crackling light. A few hours into the drive, the sky began to clear and we spent the day squinting over the dashboard at the horizon, waiting for a glimpse of the Colorado Rockies in the distance.

First view of the Rockies

A stunning sky

We finally rolled into Colorado Springs around 4pm, made a pit stop for coffee (Meg) and a glass of Soul (Josh) at Trinity Brewing Co. (www.trinitybrew.com). Geared up and ready to stretch our legs, we headed straight over to Garden of the Gods (www.gardenofgods.com). 

All 3 of us at Garden of the Gods

The national park is filled with the most fantastic red sandstone and limestone geologic formations! Miles of well-groomed trails allow you to hike, bike, drive or ride horseback around and in-between the massive structures.

Apparently, layers of sediment were deposited horizontally over the fault line eons ago. Then, serious forces deep below the earth pushed the layers of rock up and tilted them vertically on end.

Josh with the world on his shoulders

There are also giant rocks balancing precariously atop much smaller ones because, over hundreds of years, the sediment has slowly eroded away beneath.

Biking through Garden of the Gods

When you think back to all you learned about mountains, glaciers and erosion in grade school, these explanations seem to add up. But somehow, when you're standing in the shadows of this bizarre and beautiful arrangement, all scientific and geological reasoning comes up short!

Lucky Josh kept that helmet on!