Ponderosa - August 27 - September 14

Even in the midst of added housekeeping duties at The Ponderosa, we found time to make a trip to the Royal Gorge near Canon City.

Needless to say, with Nancy's fear of heights, we DID NOT ride the cable car across the gorge, nor did we even drive or walk across the bridge!

We spoke in an earlier blog about the challenge course at The Ponderosa. We finally were able to catch some of the kids in action!

Climbing the vertical rock wall and then repelling down. In the second picture, you can see the crow's nest which is the "launcing pad" to the suspended rope bridge shown below.

The pole challenge is absolutely breathtaking to watch...death defying to do! After donning a harness to which is attached a safety rope controlled by your friends, the ascent to the top of the pole begins. Once at the top, you turn around, make a promise to the ones controlling the safety rope, count to 3 and leap for a trapeze-type bar 6-8 feet in front of you. IF you grab the bar...all is well! If not, your life is in the hands of your friends controlling the safety rope. Hopefully, all will still be well! These kids had a lot of trust in each other...we saw no one crash to the ground!


A jeeping trip to Balanced Rock Road in the mountains west of Colorado Springs revealed these unusual balanced rocks!

Fall is in the air in the Rockies! Daytime temperatures have dropped down in the 50s, and the trees and bushes are beginning to change color. Our last look at Pikes Peak revealed quite a surprise -- yes, that IS snow at the top.

Our 10 weeks at The Ponderosa were well spent, even though the last 3 were quite demanding with the added responsibilities of laundry and housekeeping. Not only are there 5 large dorm-type buildings where guests bring their own bedding, but there are also 19 private rooms or cottages in which linens are provided by the facility. All the beds in those 19 rooms (some of which have as many as 3 beds) must be stripped and remade, the bathrooms cleaned and the carpets vacuumed, after each guest. Not only was it time consuming, but back-breaking as well. Then, the sheets and towels had to be laundered and folded. Our favorite activity was working in the snack bar and having contact with youth and adults who were guests of The Ponderosa. Last but not least, we met and worked with other volunteers from 5 states, and they will be our friends forever. We look forward to working with them again next summer.