August 27th through September 14th, 2022
We had a bit more time in the Denver area before we started our trip farther south to escape the snow and cold weather. We made a reservation to do the Pikes Peak Cog Railway months before, and that trip was coming up. Margot had done it decades before, and Monica had never done it. So, we were both pretty excited.
We picked up our tickets at Will Call after arriving in Colorado Springs. The weather was perfect, and we couldn't wait. Just before we were expecting to board, they announced there was a boulder on the tracks and our train trip was canceled. We were so bummed! We made another reservation for that fall, and we went back to the car.
It ended up turning out just fine, though, because we went to the Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument instead. It's a really cool location that neither of us had been to before. There are fossils, of course, but the best ones are the huge, petrified trees. They are ancient, and fascinating. The park has a nice, easy hike around the area and near more of the trees. We got out and got some exercise on a sunny Colorado day, and it was perfect.
We had a few things to do to get ready to leave for the winter, and one of them was our annual wash and wax for the motor home (Dora the Dutch Star). It's something you have to keep up with, like any house, so the paint stays nice. It isn't cheap! But Fiberglass WORX did a great job, and we were happy with it. They posted a reel of the work on their Instagram, and we took a quick video on our way out.
We were staying at St. Vrain State Park while Monica spent some workdays in the office. It's one of our favorite parks because it's near friends, family, and familiar spots in Denver. We will walk around the many paths in the park, and this trip was no exception.
It really is a nice park. Of course, being in Denver also means we'll spend time at Transwest getting maintenance and service done on the motor home. Lacey is pretty used to it.
As things were wrapping up and we were saying our goodbyes to family and friends, we were looking forward to new adventures. It's time to check out new places and see new things, and we had some great plans!
