Yesterday, I awoke to a flurry of texts and messages on social media. Then there were the phone calls with all the well wishes. My 60th birthday had arrived. I knew I needed 7 more new places or things. My friend was still here in town, so we decided to go to Colorado Springs and Manitou Springs because we saw a few things on the Atlas Obscura app that looked interesting.

Here are the places we hoped to explore or see how far we can go before someone says we don’t belong there.

1. NORAD, again. This time I had an address so I could get a picture of the sign.
2. Manitou Cliff Dwellers
3. Broadmoor Hotel
4. Cheyenne Mountain Zoo
5. Miramont Castle Museum
6. Garden of the Gods
7. Something we were hoping would happen upon to take us the goal.

We headed out with some snacks and waters, Opal the copilot doggo and our trusty cell phones. We got some gas, got some breakfast, went thru a car wash to rinse of snow, salt and mud so we would look presentable when we arrived. We plugged in our first spot in Colorado Springs to the robot nav system and we were off!

Music from the 80s filled the car as we sang along and talked about plans, kids, grandkids and our faith. I am most decidedly in this camp of God made Colorado so beautiful to help “restore our souls” (Psalms 23). The sky was clear and bright blue and it was going to be great day.

I took a different route than I did before. Still backroads, but we were afforded this amazing view of Pikes Peak as we got closer.

Our first stop was NORAD . Since trying last year and not being able to find it I really wanted to do this and I had an address! We plugged the address into my robot and we were off to find the aliens or were to go when the aliens take over and we needed a bunker.

As we were driving up this very long road, we see this sign.

But the sign didn’t have a weapon, so we kept going. Laughing about being there for the games and wondering about setting up a game night.

The next sign didn’t say anything about NORAD at all.

But, I kept driving. Surely the vault where they keep the captured aliens was up here. I’ve seen the movies, I know!

But this is as far as we got…and some airmen/soldiers/military persons stood up as we were driving up and one came to greet us, well I hoped it would be a greeting. Instead of finding out, I smiled and waved and made a U-turn. (The first of many for the day). But I got a picture of the base gate, not NORAD, but first time being almost fully on a space force base. ✅

Next on our list was the Manitou Cliff Dwellers. Now in my exuberance of planning for this one, I did not think to see if it was a drive thru or up to place or if it involved a lot of walking. I was post flare up for auto-immune stuff, but could easily have a muscle spasm if I pushed too hard and could fall. When we parked my friend said I’ll go down and check it out and get some picture for us. I was going to walk Opal and give her some water.

Opal and I met some nice people and we found a place to sit and enjoy the surroundings and take a few pictures.

While Opal and I were enjoying ourselves, my friend came walking up, limping a little. She Fell! She is ok, just sore and skinned knees. Some kind people helped her up and wanted to be sure she was OK. She made her way back up and sat with us a spell. She was able to get some beautiful shots there too. This area preserves the information of the people who lived in these dwellings over 1200 years ago and have been preserved since 1907.

This is where the pre-historic indigenous peoples lived. These would been the ancestors or the Taos Puebloans. It has beautifully preserved and cherished by so many. Protecting the heritage of the people who were here before us all.

Our next stop was the Broadmoor Hotel.

The hotel opened its doors in 1918 and was founded by Spenser Penrose and his wife Julie. When the hotel opened, the rooms were $10-$12 per night ($200 by today’s standards) and it included 3 meals prepared by the executive chef. The hotel is just as beautiful today but offers so much more to its clientele. This resorts offers not only the hotel rooms and suites, but cottages, brownstones, and the estate house. And we drove all over and saw all of those buildings, or at least it felt like it. A beautiful space, estate, resort, complex. Any and everything you may want or need here, at this breathtaking location. Here are a few of the shots from the hotel property.

Next we went to the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo.

The zoo was closing but we tried to drive around a bit and maybe see the Shrine of the Sun, but the gates were closing for staff only. There was also a bit of construction happening, so we only got a few pictures, but how fun to be a child and see the animals at the zoo on a mountain!

On Atlas Obscura I saw that there was a museum about castles and it looked like a castle in its own right and I knew I had to go! off we went to the Miramont Castle Museum.

Now, the robot had been behaving itself, taking us to the right spot, but this time, it took us up the side of a mountain, through a subdivision, then another neighborhood with smaller houses and smaller streets. Suddenly, I found myself maneuvering around a bunch of pick ups, some that had their doors opened. A man came around the side to apologize but I had already moved around them. When we arrived, we were at the back of the museum above it! Here are some of the pictures from that area.

When we got to the lower area on the street level, we were able to see the entire building. And it was like a storybook!

Sadly, we did not get there before 3:00 PM and the museum had closed. But I see a tea party in my future with a little girl who calls me Mhamò. ❤️❤️❤️

We drove around Manitou Springs and found it to be throughly delightful! Here are just some of what we found.

Next, we set out for the Garden of the Gods and as we headed there,we came across an unexpected place, Old Colorado City.

Rich with history, this historic area is waiting to be explored. Walking tours are available, but we were getting close to rush hour and we needed to make it across to Garden of the Gods. I have plans to return, it’s so cute and those cute shops are calling my name!

Now it was time for Garden of the Gods. Natural rock formations from the Pleistocene Ice Age. Fossils from land, sea, and air can be found here. Millions of years old, so many variations of stones, rocks, fossils and trees. A long time ago, our family was supposed to go to the park, but at the last moment, we were unable to go. When I moved to Colorado 2 years ago, I wanted to go but it never seemed to be the right time – until I made time. I could go on and on about the park, post the pictures here and still you would not be able to appreciate what was created here.

What an amazing experience this past year has been. I am so proud of myself for completing it. I have taken friends, like Dawn, with me, my children were looking for new places to try for lunch or dinner, friends calling or texting to tell me about a place they went to, or a thing they tried and loved. I have been on the phone with so many others as I discovered beautifully restored carousels, creeks still bubbling thru the snow and ice, and the robot taking me, literally, down a small lane thru someone’s crops! My granddaughter now asks, when she comes over, “Mhamò, can we go on an adventure today?” I love when she asks that. I am so thankful for the link in that birthday wish that started this.

I did not get any additional piercings, nor did I get any tattoos. But I made so many memories, ones that will warm my heart when I am 80, memories on how I decided to not be pitiful about turning 59, then 60, but giving thanks that I was so blessed to have made it to made it here, especially when so many in my age group haven’t had the luxury.

I have decided to keep going, keep exploring, keep documenting, and so the blog will stay up so I can share with you.

And for the last time…

The goal is 60 new things before I turn 60 and I have 0 more to go and I can’t wait for more!