Colorado Springs - June '26 

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My immediate clan (5 of us) had a reunion in Colorado Springs, in mid-June, a great time to visit, and I stayed 4 nights at the Fillmore BW (at I-25), not far from where my sisters Doris & Mary (and Roger), live. 

Brother Don drove from Las Cruces, NM; sister Theresa flew from Phoenix, and Don's son Pat flew from Austin, while another son, Tom, lives in the Springs, and his girlfriend Heather was part of the gatherings. 

Not far from the hotel were both Red Rock Canyon & Garden of the Gods, where the first two hikes were. The third hike was at Palmer Lake, about 20 miles north on I-25, at Monument, Co. 

I'm glad to say I've had a 40+ year history & interaction with this area's unique landscapes. As usual, from almost anywhere in the Springs you can see impressive Pike's Peak looming above, at 14,115 ft.

Thursday at Red Rock Canyon 

	Mary & Mackenzie		RR Canyon & G of the G's		self-portrait (a jet-lagged man)

Afterwards I was back at the hotel, having Keurig coffes & reading. I drove to a nearby market for a few things for the kitchenette, and later drove to Mary's so we could do some shopping for her dinner.   

That night Mary served us wild Alaskan Salmon and salad, and other stuff & we sat outside or inside and talked about things. It was an NBA Finals night, too and a beautiful early June night ! 

Friday at Garden of the Gods - with Doris, Mary & Theresa

This was a good general walk, maybe 2 or 3 miles. The visitor center, as usual for June, was crowded & tourists almost always opt to mob the roads, rather than park & walk. Thus, the few walkers we saw out on the trails, like us, had the benefit of good scenery and privacy.  

Afterwards, we drove to nearby Old Colorado City for food/coffee at Jive's Coffee Lounge, where a Croatian couple have created an atmospheric cafe, and they had the best coffee of the trip.   

Old Colorado City is an attractive 1800's mining town, and has retained its antiquated look. From where we sat we could could see a Carnegie Library just up the street.  We meandered & browsed shops for an hour, but none of us were inspired to buy anything.    

	see note 1		scrub oaks		Theresa
		high plains look		near visitor center

note 1 - the original cabin was built in 1867 by homesteader Walter Galloway; this is a restored version.

Once back at the hotel around 1 pm, again I enjoyed a few Keurig coffees & some reading for two hours, and later used some light weights in a exercise room; it was an afternoon off.    

Later, at 5 pm, Doris took the clan to dinner at Panninos, which has been her favorite restaurant downtown, for years. 

Afterwards, Doris & Theresa and I drove to Target, completely deserted at 8 pm on a Friday, perfect for exchanging coffee makers, whereby Keurig won out over some imposter brand.  

Later the group re-assembled at Doris' home, and, sat outside in her park-like back yard, and it was the first time all of us were together. 

It was a really pleasant night & there was plenty to talk about. I especially enjoyed speaking with nephew Tom, a civil engineer/public agency bureaucrat, just like I was, about infrastructure....

As Tom explained, the attractive open-space land behind Doris' home is due to the presence of a huge City water treatment plant, not far away, and its huge distribution pipes are in a permanent utility easement here, so the back yard view shall remain the same, in perpetuity.  Doris said that's why she bought the property.  And having a backyard view of Pike's Peak is also nice (see photo way below).

Saturday at Palmer Lake  - with Mary, Theresa & Pat

	it's bright in Monument !		El Paso County park
				flowering Yucca cactus
	scrub oaks & front range (looking south)		Pat
		Palmer Lake

After the Saturday morning hike at Monument, Theresa and I drove into the downtown area to get coffee and go for an urban walk. Around noon we parked at Acacia Park, and learned that a few hours earlier, a City fire engine, moving at full-speed (& sirens at full volume) crashed into a City bus at the intersection of N Tejon & E Bijou, virtually the 'city center'.  

First responders had done their job and nothing had been moved since.  The front of the bus was smashed-in, while the fire engine careened into a corner crossing/landscape barrier, wrecking half of the front port of the fire engine. On the ground in front of us were broken-off concrete chunks. It was a shocking sight, but I took no photos. 

After that, we walked about 3 or 4 blocks north, and found a deserted Colorado College campus.  

Later we were back at Mary & Roger's for Saturday dinner plus the NBA Final, or, a simple corn hole game being played out back, where Don, Tom, Roger, and Pat were fully engaged. 

Even later on, Tom took the family photo below.

	on a walk downtown				Roger & Mary's  place
		Maya		out front & Colorado Blue Spruce next door
	Woodland sage		Shrubby cinquefoil		volunteer Marigolds
		Tom & Heather and cornhole game		June '26

Postscript -

Flights there & back to the Springs, via Denver, were good, as usual.  I always enjoy seeing Nevada, with its many mountain ranges & vast playas, from 35,000 ft., so much better than driving across it on hwy 50.   

On my early Sunday flight home from Denver, as the United flight left the gate & taxied out, there were 50 planes ahead of us, so it took an hour to get aloft.

Later, on final approach to SMF, the pilot mentioned that the backup at Denver reached 80 planes, about 30 minutes before our fight, all of this due to an unexpected IT outage at the air traffic control tower.

It was a smooth flight home & I read most of the way.  Linda knew I'd be late & was right on time. 

Plant names are from Picture This.

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From May '25 reunion -

	Cheyenne Mountain		Pike's Peak		Roger & Mary
		Pike's Peak from Doris' back yard

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