First week in the Springs (Denver, Colorado Springs: hotel, house, wedding)

[rosie]

Welcome to the Springs Lildreamer!
You will love it here! We moved to Colorado last October..we have no families here..and had to start from scratch with making friends etc! So far..we had a great start and there is no way we would ever move back to TX (where we spent 10 years!!). As soon as you have found your home...it will be easier..you will be busy settling into your house...enjoy the summer - do all the touristic things - visit all the places the others mentioned...also...I think your 9 year old would really enjoy a visit to "North Pole"...it is an "old-fashioned" amusement park set in the woods near Woodland..really neat...and a great place to go!! We did water rafting (just a class 1 because we have young kids)..but it was fun!! Take HW24...drive to Breckenridge and enjoy the scenery! It is so beautiful! Drive to Mueller State Park (approx. 1 hour from the Springs on HW24 after Woodland...before Divide).. go to the visitor's center and get a map of the hiking trails - the trails are great..some with awsome views... we went there 3 weeks ago and loved it so much...we got ourselves a tent and all the necessary equipment...and we will be trying out the camping site there in 2 weeks
It may be easier for you to meet people once school starts again. Get involved with the PTO....this is a great way to meet people..... do you have dogs? We take ours to the Rampart dog park....another great place to meet people....

Go outside...enjoy the outdoors....open up the windows in the night...and you will feel good about being here

By the way, you had a posting about skiing... I replied to it not too long ago...go back and read it!

This is really a great place to be! We have no families...just starting to make the first friends.....and we truly love being here Good luck..let us know how you are doing!

[lildreamer]

I think I died and went to heaven yesterday. It was such a gorgeous day. The first thing I did was went and got my car washed inside and out. It was the first time in 12 years I didn't have to do it my self. We had those services when I lived in CA but did not living in the small towns in the south. We were going to go the Garden of The Gods yesterday but ended up going to Seven Falls instead. Had a wonderful time. Climbing the stairs was very hard for me not so much the physical though it was challenging but great exercise in which I love. But I am terrified of heights, my body was trembling all over and I went up and down very slow. The falls were beautiful but the best part were the trails to Midnight Falls and Inspiration point. It was beautiful, it was me being there, and I felt like Wow this is home, this is what I love. My whole family loved it. And just to think its right here! We also drove up to Helen Hunt Falls. We saw alot of trails on the way up. We are going to go up on another day and try all the trails. Yes, my depression is fading.
Today looks like another beautiful day.
Rosie, Thanks for all the information. We will try to do all that you mentioned. Was it hard moving here in October and getting right into the cold months before getting to enjoy the summer? We plan on going to the North Pole in the beginning of November to get in the mood for Christmas. Unless recommended to go before because of it maybe being too cold.
My son wants to go camping but we have no camping gear. Was it expensive buying everything at once? Yes we do have dogs and wanting to take them out. We will try Rampart dog park, thanks.
Thanks Mike for the info on Farmers markets and newspapers. Looks like the Farmers Markets will be here soon.

[rosie]

Originally Posted by lildreamer

I think I died and went to heaven yesterday. It was such a gorgeous day. The first thing I did was went and got my car washed inside and out. It was the first time in 12 years I didn't have to do it my self. We had those services when I lived in CA but did not living in the small towns in the south. We were going to go the Garden of The Gods yesterday but ended up going to Seven Falls instead. Had a wonderful time. Climbing the stairs was very hard for me not so much the physical though it was challenging but great exercise in which I love. But I am terrified of heights, my body was trembling all over and I went up and down very slow. The falls were beautiful but the best part were the trails to Midnight Falls and Inspiration point. It was beautiful, it was me being there, and I felt like Wow this is home, this is what I love. My whole family loved it. And just to think its right here! We also drove up to Helen Hunt Falls. We saw alot of trails on the way up. We are going to go up on another day and try all the trails. Yes, my depression is fading.
Today looks like another beautiful day.
Rosie, Thanks for all the information. We will try to do all that you mentioned. Was it hard moving here in October and getting right into the cold months before getting to enjoy the summer? We plan on going to the North Pole in the beginning of November to get in the mood for Christmas. Unless recommended to go before because of it maybe being too cold.
My son wants to go camping but we have no camping gear. Was it expensive buying everything at once? Yes we do have dogs and wanting to take them out. We will try Rampart dog park, thanks.
Thanks Mike for the info on Farmers markets and newspapers. Looks like the Farmers Markets will be here soon.

We moved middle of October..it was a hot day..we were all in shorts...unloading the truck...nobody of us thought of checking the weather channel or listening to the local news...so, you can imagine the absolute "shock" we were in...when we woke up the following day and everything was covered in snow!!!! But it was nice..and the kids had a blast playing in the snow!! I am very used to a climate like this..and love it...I missed it so much when we lived in TX for so many years...I love the changes of season...I like when it is foggy....raining (sometimes I wish it would rain more ) One thing one has to get used to..is the strong winds...I was told that this is normal here this time of year...it will stop when it gets really hot summer.
I think a visit to the North Pole on a sunny November day would be okay...but you may want to consider going in October when all the trees have changed into the Fall colors - it is wonderful!! We are complete beginners what concerns camping!! My DH has this vision of us camping in the wilderness...of course in a tent (I wish it could be a mobil home! or even better a cozy cabin!! ..We went to Denver to the Outdoor World (Bass Pro Shops) last weekend and got all of our gear. This is a great shop...it is huge and you can spend hours there! It is worth the trip to Denver..they have a great selection. Their website: Sporting Goods Equipment - Fishing, Camping, Hunting, Boating, Marine, & Outdoors Gear & Equipment - Bass Pro Shops
The tent (up to 6 persons) was cheap...apprx. $250...but then you have to add all the other items (sleeping bags -ones who are for 20-30 degrees!, cots if you do not want to sleep on the floor, cooker, floor protector, lights, ...."bear"-spray (we had one in our hands...but then decided that my DH will fight off the bears instead ..... when you go camping you need to check about dog regulations....there are parks who do not allow dogs...
We went to Seven Falls...and yes it is so nice... same here...those stairs Going up is not too bad..you just do not look down ....the trails up there are great...but while exploring the trails I could not stop thinking (and worrying) about the climb down the stairs!!! I was not really worried about myself..but worried that one of my kids would miss a step and fall downstairs

Enjoy exploring - this truly is a nice place! Just seeing Pikes Peak (almost every day - weather permitting) makes my day!

[ryanek9freak]

HAHAHA, I took my ex wife to Seven falls, and she got all the way to the top, and couldn't come back down she was so scared. I finally got her down after 4 hours.

Oh, and Bass Pro SHops? OMG, I can't go in there without spending $500 every time.

And Rosie, Bear Spray? seriously? If I were you i'd consider a .44 magnum instead.

[Bideshi]

Originally Posted by ryanek9freak

And Rosie, Bear Spray? seriously? If I were you i'd consider a .44 magnum instead.

That's for a real sporting person with cool nerves and a good aim. My preference would be an RPG.

[Bob from down south]

I'm planning on going trout fishing the first week I'm in town.

Rosie...did you notice if they had any shark repellant at BassPro? You can never be too careful when you're wading new waters...

I'm also looking for some Purina Prairie Dog Chow.

[ryanek9freak]

Originally Posted by Bob from down south

I'm planning on going trout fishing the first week I'm in town.

Rosie...did you notice if they had any shark repellant at BassPro? You can never be too careful when you're wading new waters...

I'm also looking for some Purina Prairie Dog Chow.

ROFTLMAO!! shark repellant......

[lildreamer]

Hey guess what? My depression is gone! So now I have been here a week and a half. The day I said it looks like another beautiful day changed on me. It became cloudy and cool, it even rained some. I did get my truck washed again for free. It didn't stop us though. We ended up going to Canon City and rode the Royal Gorge Railroad. The day turned out really pleasant. On the Railroad we chose the dome cars but we stayed mostly on the open car. I suggest if it is a nice day do not spend the extra money for the Dome cars just purchase the coach if you think you will end up outside anyways. We enjoyed the ride. The next time I see the Arkansas River I hope it is in a raft.
I am used of taking my daughter swimming alot during the summer. It makes me sad that she hasn't been able to swim. Yesterday I took her to the Deerfield Hills Spray Ground but she didn't last long. Though it was a beautiful day out, the wind was on the cool side. Today probably would of been a perfect day to find a pool so that she could swim but we ended up hiking again. We hiked once again in North Cheyenne Canon Park, this time we did the Seven Bridges Trail. We continued on after the Seven Bridges and we got close to Jones Park. The last marker we read said Jones park .06 miles. We continued on for a while. I think we took a wrong trail somewhere. We came across a marker that read "ring the peaks trail" We went up a little ways past that but ended up turning around because it was getting late. Does anyone know where we went wrong? It was a beautiful day and a beautiful hike. But then I came down to the parking lot where I left my truck and someone had crashed into it. I was really upset. When I came out of the trail I saw a car doing dounuts near my truck. I thought they were the ones who hit it and was pretty upset because they took off really fast but when we got in my truck there was a note from a very nice citizen letting me know the license plate number of the one who did hit my truck.
Oh yea Rosie we did end up taking our dogs to Rampart dog park. Thanks! Unfortunatly our dogs are staying in a kennel right now until we get into a house. We don't like it for the dogs or our pocket book.

[jonna30]

A few other Colorado Springs exclusives to try:

Couple only dinner at the Peppertree (expensive but SOOOOOOOOO good) - get the peppersteak

Shopping at the Current Outlet - you'll never buy wrapping paper anywhere else. Also Christmas in July -everything is 50% off (I think).

Josh & John's Ice Cream - yum!

Walk around the Broadmoor

Ohhhhh do I miss The Springs!

[rosie]

Originally Posted by lildreamer

Hey guess what? My depression is gone! So now I have been here a week and a half. The day I said it looks like another beautiful day changed on me. It became cloudy and cool, it even rained some. I did get my truck washed again for free. It didn't stop us though. We ended up going to Canon City and rode the Royal Gorge Railroad. The day turned out really pleasant. On the Railroad we chose the dome cars but we stayed mostly on the open car. I suggest if it is a nice day do not spend the extra money for the Dome cars just purchase the coach if you think you will end up outside anyways. We enjoyed the ride. The next time I see the Arkansas River I hope it is in a raft.
I am used of taking my daughter swimming alot during the summer. It makes me sad that she hasn't been able to swim. Yesterday I took her to the Deerfield Hills Spray Ground but she didn't last long. Though it was a beautiful day out, the wind was on the cool side. Today probably would of been a perfect day to find a pool so that she could swim but we ended up hiking again. We hiked once again in North Cheyenne Canon Park, this time we did the Seven Bridges Trail. We continued on after the Seven Bridges and we got close to Jones Park. The last marker we read said Jones park .06 miles. We continued on for a while. I think we took a wrong trail somewhere. We came across a marker that read "ring the peaks trail" We went up a little ways past that but ended up turning around because it was getting late. Does anyone know where we went wrong? It was a beautiful day and a beautiful hike. But then I came down to the parking lot where I left my truck and someone had crashed into it. I was really upset. When I came out of the trail I saw a car doing dounuts near my truck. I thought they were the ones who hit it and was pretty upset because they took off really fast but when we got in my truck there was a note from a very nice citizen letting me know the license plate number of the one who did hit my truck.
Oh yea Rosie we did end up taking our dogs to Rampart dog park. Thanks! Unfortunatly our dogs are staying in a kennel right now until we get into a house. We don't like it for the dogs or our pocket book.

Sorry to hear about your truck being hit! I know how upsetting this can be. Our brandnew van (just a minivan was badly hit when we had it after 5 weeks...I was very upset...but then glad none of our kids were hurt!!!

Glad to hear you checked out Rampart Dog Park. We like it a lot...but our 2 dogs are very young (and small compared to some other dogs out there ..and at times I get quite stressed out..but every time we have been at dog park..our dogs had a great time In what area are you looking at housing?

Good luck - hope you soon find your home...and be able to settle down and have your dogs back living with you