Roadtrip 2013 Day 2: Amarillo, Texas to Manitou Springs, Colorado

The Garden of the Gods

364 miles, 6 hours

We drove for almost 10 hours over two days before we had finally left the friendly confines of Texas. For some reason, it didn't really feel like we were "on vacation" until we had finally left the state.

We clipped the northeast corner of New Mexico in the morning, and had a lovely lunch at a little diner.  It was nice and empty and it gave us a chance to let Camille run around and stretch her legs a little.  Here she is dancing with Momma.

A couple of hours later, we stopped again, this time in a town called Trinidad, Colorado.  It was quite a charming little city, with artwork on the streets and a delightful little downtown.

We also found a beautiful green space -- a small park with incredibly lush grass just in front of a court house.

We spent at least a half hour rolling around in the grass, enjoying the perfect weather, blue skies, and shade.  On our walk back to the Jeep, we did a little window shopping, and hit up a couple of candy shops for snacks.

The unmistakable Pike's Peak!  One of the best known "Fourteeners" in all of Colorado, Pikes Peak is truly a sight to behold.  I couldn't help but think of my friends who have run marathons here.  13.1 miles to the top, and 13.1 miles back down to the bottom.  Wow.  Breathtaking!

Aha!  Now we're finally getting somewhere, and just before sunset :-)

The Garden of the Gods is one of the most beautiful collections of sandstone formations in the United States.  The pinks and reds and oranges were in their most perfect hue as the sun was setting just over the western mountain ridge.

Once again, it felt great to get out and hike around a bit.  As I would do for much of the trip, Camille chilled out in a Deuter baby backpack.  This thing was great!

 Obligatory shot of Giuseppe the Jeep, our trusty chariot.

We spent that night in the first of a number of private little cottages.  This one was at the Green Willow Motel in Manitou Springs, CO.  We quickly learned how much better everyone sleeps, when Camille gets her own room :-)

:-Dustin