We headed out first thing this morning for Garden of the Gods. Garden of the Gods is a park with many large rock formations and easy trails. It is a favorite place to teach rock climbing. We stopped at the main parking lot and quickly found a good parking spot. We walked several of the loop trails enjoying the rock formations and even saw a deer right next tot the trail. It was all very nice. The weather is beautiful and we got a little hot walking. We left the parking lot and then stopped at Balanced Rock. It was a favorite spot of our kids when we visited here before. After balanced rock we thought we would check out the “Trading Post” gift shop. We totally missed the turn and ended up driving back through the entire park to get there. We noticed the crowds were much greater and parking was getting difficult to find. After the gift shop the exit road directed us back through the park again. By this time the crowds were really getting crazy and the parking looked impossible. If you go, get there by 9am. After leaving Garden of the Gods (for the third time) we ate at Texas Roadhouse.
With our hunger satisfied we headed to the Air Force Academy. I was worried the Academy would no longer allow civilians on base but was pleasantly surprised to find there was no problem. We drove to the main campus and walked to the iconic Chapel. The Chapel is one of my favorite architectural buildings. I think it is amazing. We enjoyed walking around and taking pictures. Maybe I like it so much because of the impression it made on my as a young teenager. The campus and the chapel are all very neat to see. Afterwards we stopped in the visitor center. The visitor center provided some additional history but was mainly a gift shop.
Next we headed to the Broadmoor Hotel. This old hotel is a famous high-end resort. It boasts several acclaimed restaurants. At the main entrance gate we were told parking was free valet so we proceeded to the main hotel entrance. We valet parked the car and Maverick. The young man who parked the car was taken with Maverick as usual. We spent 30 mins walking around taking in the opulent surroundings. We would have eaten there but it was too early and pretty expensive. After checking out the hotel we went to the Penrose Heritage Museum. This museum was very interesting. The museum had many examples of totally original horse carriages of all sorts in one half and a collection or Pikes Peak race cars in the other half. It was all nicely presented and very interesting. When we first arrived we were the only patrons and the museum staff were eager to direct us or provide any information. I should mention, the museum was free.