Day 6 - October 4
Our day began at 3:00 am when our room phone rang. It was our wake-up call which we definitely had not requested. It didn't take us long to drift back to sleep. Of course, Dean slept right through the whole ordeal.
We did get up around 8:30 and found the nearby Starbucks. We needed something to help us fully wake up...coffee for Dean and chia tea latte for Robin. Heading out for another day of adventure, we enjoyed a scenic drive with fall colors just starting to turn in many places.
We drove to Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument which is west of Colorado Springs. The movie came first so we knew what we were going to be seeing and experiencing. This area once had redwoods growing before volcanic mudflows buried them long ago. The tree stumps that were buried in the 15 feet deep mud were petrified and the wood was turned to stone. These were very different from the petrified wood we saw in Arizona, yet the process was the same.
It was interesting to see how the larger stumps are being reinforced by strapping metal around them. Even with this added support, the cracks are being monitored as they start to separate from weathering.
We walked one of the trails where different kinds of plants were identified as well as petrified redwoods that were just above the ground or partially buried. It was really neat to see the rings showing the age of these trees.
One tree stump we saw on the trail was called The Big Stump. It is one of the largest redwood stumps in the fossil bed. This stump is all that remains of a redwood tree that might have stood more than 230 feet tall and 750 years old when the volcanic mudflow buried its base. Before the land was protected, people tried to saw the stump into smaller pieces that could be carried away. One of the saw blades broke off in the stump and is still visible in the stump.
The weather was cool so the walk was very enjoyable until it started to sprinkle on the way back. When we got back inside, we walked through the exhibit of other fossils they have found in this fossil bed.
We left Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument and headed to a nearby quarry that sold some petrified fossils, not from the protected area. One of the owners explained the process to us. Robin really wanted to take some of this rock back to the grandkids to let them discover their own fossils. However, they only sold 5 pound bags of paper shale for $20 each. She showed us how to use a razor blade in order to break apart the layers, one at a time. After the demonstration, we decided against the purchase.
We spied a herd of llamas or alpacas across the street from the quarry. We weren't sure what they were from a distance. Robin ran across the road in the rain to capture some pictures.
Cripple Creek was our next destination, which is about 16 miles south. As we drove a little further, we ran across a llama farm. A group of people were walking llamas across a bridge. The llamas were quite large and very furry.
Finally, we arrived in Cripple Creek. This small western town is known for its burros that run wild in the streets. We wanted to see for ourselves.
The town was very, very small, but had its own fire department and jail. We checked out the jail and had a great time putting Dean in jail, stripes and all.
We bought burro biscuits before we left the jail so we were prepared to feed the burros. We also bought stuffed burros for the grandkids. The "jailer" told us to check up by the high school because they love to hang out there. Off we went. No burros at the high school. We drove through town and still didn't find any. So we decided to park and look in the little shops up and down Main Street, thinking maybe it was too early in the day for them. We loved the bus stop shelters. They were quite unique.
After a little while with no burros, we found a restaurant called The Red Rooster, which was located in the Imperial Hotel. We ate lunch there and enjoyed the wonderful decor of roosters as well as the food.
It was getting late and we had to get back to Colorado Springs. We took one more drive up and down the streets, but still no burros. We threw the biscuits out the window, knowing that the burros would find them. We only wished the burros had visited.
The clouds were quite spectacular on our way back to the hotel. We kept watching as they changed before our eyes.
As soon as we got back, we cleaned up. We were meeting some of our Space Foundation friends (Janet, Elias, Jen, Bryan and baby Teagan, Chrys, and Bobby) for dinner at Colorado Mountain Brewery. Thank you, Chrys, for organizing our get-together. We were so happy to see everyone. We realized we hadn't taken a picture of the gang right after Bobby left, so he gets a solo shot. He really was there for dinner. Although we have only known these people since 2011, they have become very special friends.
Plans were made to visit the Space Foundation headquarters. We had to tell everyone goodbye, but we would see Elias, Bryan, and Chrys the next day.
We headed back to the hotel, laughing and talking about the fun times we had with our friends. If only Colorado Springs and St. Petersburg were closer together.
