My first stop was the Manitou Cliff Dwellings. Entrance fee is $8.96, including tax. I browsed the museum and gift shop first, then I went up to the actual dwellings. Everything is small! It's as though the inhabitants were Munchkins. A standard window is about 6 inch square. A standard door is probably two feet wide and three feet tall. A standard room is about the size of a small modern bathroom. But it's really cool walking through the rooms. You never know what's beyond the next door. And you have to look into each room through a door or a window to find surprises in them.
The Manitou cliff dwellings. more pics
My second stop was the Cave of the Winds. This is the most commercial of my three stops. It costs $16 to go on the tour. It's on the expensive side but it was an enjoyable tour. The tour guide Mike is kinda funny. He started out with the rules (we're not allowed to touch anything) and with the history of the cave (two young boys fell in through a sinkhole, discovered the opening of the cave, then ran out screaming when the wind blew out their candles). He told us the stalactites are the ones "hanging tight to the ceiling", the stalagmites are the ones "you might trip on" and the "stalagpipes" are the railings you could hold on to so you don't slip.
Stalactites in the Cave of the Winds. more pics
Before the tour started, Mike and another guide took our pictures for two reasons: 1) to sell to us as a souvenir at the end of the tour for $8, and 2) to make sure that nobody got left behind inside.
At one point of the tour, there was a big pile of coins, safety pins, hair pins and other stuff against one wall. The story is that two unmarried women, about 18 years old, had gone into the cave. At that time, a woman who is still unmarried at 18 years old or older is considered an old maid. The two women each left a hairpin in that part of the cave and made a wish. Within a year, they were each married to a rich young man. So, the myth is that you have to throw in something metallic and it has to stay on the ledge for your wish to come true.
At another part of the tour, Mike told us a story of how Zephyr, the god of the west wind, usually slept in that part of the cave. Some bats woke him up and startled him, so he thrashed about, trying to shoo them away. And his footprint is still visible on the ceiling of the cave.
There was one particularly small passage that he called "a fat man's misery and a tall man's headache." He wasn't kidding. It was only as wide as my shoulders and even I (at 4'11", when I'm being honest) had to crouch to go through it.
Called "Balanced Rock" for some reason. ;-) more pics
My final stop is the Garden of the Gods. It sounded so tacky that I didn't think it was worth more than an hour, but, boy, was I wrong! The red rock formations are awe-inspiring! There are pigeons and other birds nesting in the crevices of the rocks. And there were rock climbers on one of the biggest rocks. And it was around sunset! So the rocks were aflame! It's easy to see why they call this place "Colorado". And it's one of those places that could trigger a spiritual experience. It was absolutely amazing! The pictures don't do the rocks justice.
One of the "Cathedral Spires" rock formation. more pics
Well, Colorado is on my list of favorite places. I definitely want to come back here again. And I'm staying longer next time... With a better camera... And a longer lasting battery....
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