Ponderosa - July 23 - 28

YEAH!! WE FINALLY HAD A FREE DAY!


The most visited mountain in North America, Pikes Peak forms a stunning backdrop for Colorado Springs and Garden of the Gods. Whether traveling by car on the Pikes Peak Highway, by foot on the Barr Trail, or by train on the cog railroad, more than a half million people reach the summit every year. With an altitude of 14,110 above sea level, Pikes Peak ranks 31st among Colorado's 54 fourteeners (mountains with peaks 14,000 feet or more above sea level).


Crystal Reservoir - hiking, fishing and ranger-led discussions. Tried to get Nancy to sit on the wall and dangle her feet over the edge, but she wouldn't cooperate! Each of the 19 mile markers features a different kind of wildlife that can be seen in the area - mule deer, squirrels, beavers, porcupines, mountain lions, black bears, etc. Near the top you might see marmots and big horn sheep.


There are many switchbacks on the way to the summit. Speed limit never exceeds 25 mph. The Summit House at the top offers refreshments at the "oxygen bar". On the way down there is a brake check where they test the temperature of your brakes. If they are too hot, you are asked to park until they cool down. The ranger's comment to us was, "Congratulations, you're the coolest of the day".

Interesting facts:

• Pikes Peak area was obtained by the U.S. as part of President Thomas Jefferson's Lousiana Purchase in 1803.
• In the 1850s, Pikes Peak served as a landmark to gold seekers heading west. "Pikes Peak of Bust" was on many of the wagons' canvases.
• In 1894, Katherine Lee Bates, a teacher from Massachusetts traveled to the summit and penned the words that later became "America the Beautiful".
• In 1916, the first Pikes Peak Hill Climb race took place to commemorate the opening of the highway. It is held yearly and is the second oldest auto race in the U.S. (Indianapolis 500 is the oldest).

GARDEN OF THE GODS

Unusual sandstone formations much like the ones we see in Sedona.

HANGIN' OUT WITH FRIENDS

In the nearby town of Palmer lake is a place called the Rock House which serves many flavors of ice cream. It's our favorite place to hang out with friends (other Ponderosa volunteers).

YIKES!! The motor home sprung a leak under the washer/dryer in the middle of the night -- the water pressure was so great it burst a hose. Thank the Lord for good friends like Larry Smith who knows how to make all kinds of repairs. Damage was minimal but could have been a lot worse.

DAILY VISITS FROM WILDLIFE

The mama deer and her babies still come to graze around our camper. This guy showed up yesterday and we're wondering if he could be the daddy.

OUR ANNIVERSARY

We celebrated our 47th anniversary by eating at Joe's Crab Shack in Colorado Springs. Unfortunately, they did not have a table with an ocean view!! Russ had his usual coconut shrimp, but Nancy deviated from her usual King Crab legs by ordering crab NACHOS --just can't get away from that southwestern influence!

Upon our return from eating at Joe's Crab Shack, we found that our neighbors had celebrated our anniversary by "decorating" our camp site.

Ponderosa - July 7 - 22

We are now serving at the Ponderosa Baptist Conference Center located a few miles north of Colorado Springs, CO. We're surrounded by pine trees and wildlife at an elevation of 7,400 feet. Temperatures during the day are in the low 80s, and at night in the 50s.


Two of the buildings, the activity center (middle) and the dining hall (right) give tribute to familiar friends: Glen Braswell and William Fleming, as in Fleming Library at GCU.

Lodging includes dorm-style buildings, cabins and individual family accommodations.


The large chapel will hold 300+, while the small prayer chapel will seat 20. Small weddings (very small!) have been held in the prayer chapel. The Allison Pavilion (right) has a large fire place in the center of the room and is a favorite gathering spot for youth in the evenings.

There is a game room, gym and frisbee golf as well as the following activity sites:

Ball fields, and yes, that is Pikes Peak looming in the background!


Zip line on the challenge course; paintball field, and skateboard park.


The snack bar is where we spend a lot of our time. This week there are more than 300 youth from all over the state of Colorado and they like to eat candy and drink slush puppies (kind of like an Icee). We're open in the afternoon, and following the evening activities from 9:30 to 11:00. Thank goodness the young people on the Ponderosa staff run the night shift!!!


Not only do we run the snack bar, but help to clean up the dining hall after meals. Chef Don is an excellent cook and provides great meals. On the right, the kids are doing an after-dinner activity -- not sure what it is but they're having fun.

Our campsite is nestled among the pines so we have lots of shade. We also have lots of sap dripping from the pines! We've moved our patio site 3 times in order to escape the drips. On days when there are no campers, meals are not served in the dining hall. It's a great opportunity for the volunteers to get together for potluck and fellowship.


We have daily visitors to our campsite! This mother deer and her 2 fawns come frequently to graze behind the motor home, and the squirrels enjoy the food in the bird feeder more than the birds do! We have stellar jays and hummingbirds that also come to feed.


We have bears that come into the campground on a nightly basis. They crawl into the dumpster, drag out trash bags, and then proceed to tear them open and eat the contents. Thank goodness the dumpster is on the other end of the campground from where we're parked!