We're Not in Kansas Anymore

Day two cooped up in the truck brought wide-open views of the central plains, wind farms, and a strong thunderstorm ending in a thick layer of sleet that blanketed the roadway coming into Colorado Springs, CO.  We are very quickly learning about apps that track gas prices/diesel availability, emergency weather warnings, and where the nearest interstate rest area is.  Whatever did we do before such information was at our very fingertips?

We were greeted at the entrance to our campground by one of the owners who called us by name and directed us to her husband, who quickly and efficiently led us into our site on the creek (Wow!).  When we opened the doors to the truck, the air was crisp and cool – filled with falling flakes of white (which the kids were convinced was snow after our sleet event, but was really small puffs from the cottonwood trees above us).  We all took a deep breath and enjoyed the feeling of surviving our two longest driving days of the entire trip behind us.  Aaaahhhh…it is quickly beginning to feel like we are losing the daily grind of the city suburbs for the peace of nature!

After dinner, we headed out to explore downtown Manitou Springs, where we are staying.  We thought that after two days of such long drives, the kids deserved an evening of activities geared toward them – so we went in search of a “penny arcade” we had read about on one of the Colorado Springs websites. Although there weren’t too many games that you could play for just a penny, everyone had fun exploring the various offerings and trying things we had never seen before.  As the kids had their fill of the excitement, they traded their small number of tickets for a couple of pieces of candy and we went in search of ice cream.  It was very chilly and slightly drizzly outside, but they didn’t mind!  We were all just thrilled to be experiencing new things together.