Well, the sky gods apparently do not want Brian and Jen to see any of the natural landmarks of the western US during their trip. As I think I mentioned, they had adventures with the weather on their way into the Denver area. These adventures were of the inclement weather type.
Apparently there was no way that they were going to see any of the landmark sites. They showed me great pictures of them in the fog. There is them in the fog in front of (what would have been a scenic vista had then but been able to see it) Mount Rushmore. If you have been there recently, you’ll recognize that they are standing on the viewing platform and are pointing in the general direction of the sculptures. The fog all but obscures the view of the faces.
They also took pictures of the (unseen) scenery at the Crazy Horse monument. I recognize the deck that they are standing on as being the visitor and American Indigenous Peoples interpretive center. Other than having been there and knowing the deck they are standing on is there, there would be no way of knowing that the picture of them pointing at the fog would be them at Crazy Horse.
This morning dawned early (for them) and bright. We had coffee and set-out for Manitou Springs about sunrise. We wanted to see the Garden on the Gods on the way down while the low-slung sun gave the rocks that intense red that they only really have in the early morning. I know that there are few people who would, like me, get up early enough to get there by sunrise, so I decided to get them there before the train but not any earlier than necessary. (Okay, I admit it – I have added the color to the sky in this picture.)
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The "Early Morning Evil Brian" Appears
The first indication that there would be a problem came as we were standing on the platform in Manitou Springs. Cloud cover started blowing in from the west obscuring the view of the peak of the mountain. I could tell that it was snowing lightly at the top, but only because I had checked the weather cameras before and forecast before leaving home. Little did I know that this would become the third great landmark that they would travel to but not actually see. The trip was entertaining even if it only netted them another shot of them standing in the fog pointing at something unseen by the viewer.
On the way back to Lakewood we had a chance to visit the pueblos at Manitou Springs. They are not as extensive or as varied as the ones in Mesa Verde, but by being more compact, they show you everything that you would see at Mesa Verde in much less time.
On the tragic side, I made dinner and completely incinerated the steaks. Everyone was quite kind and told me that the flavor was lovely even if the meat was a bit on the crunchy side. I have to check-out my grill… I did not have the steaks on for longer than normal. I have no idea why they burned. Oh well.
I hope you are having a lovely day wherever you are!
Don Bergquist – 24-April-2005 – Lakewood, Colorado
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