Cliff Dwellings at Manitou Springs

This morning we set out to visit the Cliff Dwellings in Manitou Springs.  This evening we landed in Cortez, Colorado and tomorrow morning we will visit the Cliff Dwellings here at Mesa Verde National Park.  Amazing!

The road we traveled to go from there to here was breathtaking.   The pictures do not do it justice.  We began our trek by going through Pikes Peak.  We then drove hours surrounded by the front face of the Rocky Mountains.  We drove through so many national Forests...I lost count.   I believe the highest elevation we drove today was more than 9,000 ft.  We even drove by the highest Denny's in the world.  That is what their signed claimed anyway.  

I fell in love with Woodland Park. That is where we saw the highest Denny's in the world.  Woodland Park is known as the City Above the Clouds.  You almost felt like you could touch the clouds.    It was such a beautiful place.  I want to move there some day.  

The sad part of our ride was the devastation we saw from the recent fires.  Everywhere we drove, there were signs thanking the firefighters.  Seeing the vastness of the land here, the firefighters are beyond heroes.  

As we drove in to Cortez, there was a blaze on top one of the mountains near here.  The helicopters have been at it for hours.  They seem to have it contained now.