Mile 8852 – Colorado Springs (local miles since September 16). Monday we visited the site of the house where P.J’s mother used to live before she passed away. The Waldo Canyon fire of this past June has completely destroyed it, nothing left but a foundation and, surprisingly, a scorched tree at the driveway. P.J. took pictures.
Tuesday afternoon I went on a hike with Johanne Guenette who, while I’m in the Springs, I can always count on as hiking companion and for good conversation over good food (until they sometimes chase us out of a restaurant). We went up the Pancake Rocks trail, on the back-side of Pikes Peak. It goes up to 11,100 feet. It was a beautiful day. The Aspens were starting their fall-bloom, but were not yet in full bloom.
Otherwise we did more laundry, read more mail forwarded from home, handled more administration, all while enjoying the hospitality and home cooking of the Gardner gang (P.J’s brother, Dave, and sister in law, Karen, and their daughter’s family and the grandchildren). And a little more hiking for me. Colorado Springs is a city with many parks that offer good hiking opportunities.
[Photographs © 2012 P.J. Gardner. All Rights Reserved.]