Today was a day of successive treats. We spent the first part of the day and some of the early evening scouring the finest Goodwill's either of us had ever visited. Truly.
Each of them were different but each looked like a boutique, with good lighting, wood flooring, sizable changing stalls and a free coffee lounge.
We found an array of clothes, some still with original tags. This may be due to fact the town has some sort of Goodwill headquarters with mysterious signed promises of "Visitors," "Voyages" and "Possibilities."
We spent the afternoon at Garden of the Gods, a city park that could compete with some National Parks. The land was donated to the city with the one stipulation that it be forever free. It got its name because early explorers thought it the perfect place to enjoy beer, a veritable beer garden fit for the gods. (Only in Colorado-where even wondrous natural landscapes somehow relate back to beer). The park has a great view of Pike's Peak, on which the highest paved road in the US runs. Though we wanted to visit the peak, alas, Vandrea is not in the best shape to accomplish such a feat. (You'd think after running 10,000 miles she'd be more fit) Instead we decided to learn about the mountain's history at the visitor's center.
As we entered, a wax statute dressed in period costume grabbed our attention, looking like George Washington. Our surprise escalated when the statue spoke. Turns out the statue was not George Washington, but Zebulon Pike for whom Pike's Peak was named. Also turns out Zebulon wasn't a statute, but a man old enough to resemble President Washington and who needed to conserve his strength by periodically forgoing breathing or blinking. Once animated the volunteer and former history teacher was wonderful. We learned a great deal from him.
For the History Nerds:Pike's was a troublesome time. Thomas Jefferson believing in Equilibrium Geography that America's East and West coasts were identical, sent the glory hogs Lewis and Clark on an expedition, but also Zebulon, to verify the rivers and mountain ranges on the East were duplicated on the West. Looking for the westward twin of the Delaware River was not the only problem.
Vice President Aaron Burr and head of all military efforts, James Wilkinson, were in cahoots, plotting to use the US military to overtake the Spanish in the West, and once captured, make Burr Emperor of his own new country. (A worthy aside-elections were much different. Aaron Burr actually lost the election to Jefferson, thereby earning him, by default, as consolation prize, the position of Vice President).
Three rivers composed the border of the U.S.'s Western territory. Explorer Zebulon Pike was told by Jefferson to locate the origins of each river. He was told by Wilkinson to take notes about the location and strength of the Spanish military. All the while Wilkinson was being paid by the Spanish as a spy. He also wanted their land.
As an expedition leader Pike, though insanely brave, was also largely incompetent. As he earnestly believed in the president's Equilibrium Geography notions he set out West in July with few supplies, and none for winter, expecting a landscape flatter than what he encountered and to return home before cold weather came. Weeks after he planned on already being back home Pike's Peak appeared in the distance. Despite this underestimation he confidently told his men he would scale the mountain and be back the next day. It took several to get to the base. It was now winter, snowing, and the group had no clothing or food. To say it was snowing is insufficient. It was the worst winter in 400 years.
Pike gave up the mountain but not the mission. He found the wrong river, left behind six men with frost bite and pressed on. Wilkinson meanwhile had sent the Spanish to capture Pike and his men. He tried the same with Lewis and Clark, but the Spanish forces missed them by a mere week. Only in Pike's circumstances would being captured be considered good luck. He was only released from captivity once he told Wilkinson he had notes on the Spanish army's position.
Wilkinson had another government as his employer-the British. By providing them secrets he helped extend the War of 1812. Without his treachery the British would have been easily overwhelmed as most of their forces were focused on battling Napoleon in Europe. He got Pike out of Spanish captivity because he thought this information would help him defeat the Spanish, which would help him capture Spanish occupied North America. As it turned out, he was unwittingly helping the US defeat the British. For after Peak was freed his next mission was the war and his heroic efforts were a major contributor to the US overwhelming British forces.
We attempted to do a guided tour through Garden of the Gods but the guide never showed, so we drove through instead. I use the word "park" loosely. It is unlike any city park you have ever seen. With towering red rock formations set against a brilliant blue sky and the ground speckled with sagebrush it was magnificent.
Our favorite rock formation was Balancing Rock. The rock seems to be almost teetering in it's place. Of course our camera decided to, rather than take a clear picture, just wink at the rock (Every shot is jaggedly framed by a partially closed shutter, giving the appearance the camera is flirting with the rock or is very sleepy). I did manage to capture a few blurry pics on the cell phone though.
Posing w/ Zebulon Pike aka Volunteer Dave
Posing w/ Zebulon Pike aka Volunteer Dave
