The second big trip of August would find me, once again, in another time zone. This time I traveled to Colorado Springs, Colorado.
The main point of this particular trip was to photograph Garden of The Gods.
Designated a National Natural Landmark in 1971, Garden of The Gods is actually a Colorado Springs city park. In 1879, Charles Elliott Perkins purchased 480 acres of land which included a portion of the current park. When he died in 1907, the Perkins family gave the land to the City of Colorado Springs, with the provision that it would always remain a free park.
The rock formations are nothing short of spectacular:
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| Rock climbing is permitted within the park... |
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| The Kissing Camels |
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| Balanced Rock |
Many wonder where the name originated. Well, two surveyors who helped to set up Colorado City explored the site in August of 1859. One of the surveyors, Melancthon S. Beach, suggested it would be a "capital place for a beer garden".
His companion, the young Rufus Cable, awestruck by the impressive rock
formations surrounding them, exclaimed, "Beer Garden! Why, it is a fit place for the
Gods to assemble. We will call it the Garden of the Gods."
And there you have it.
And, having visited it, I must say it's quite an appropriate name...
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