Things to do in Colorado Springs....

We've lived in Colorado for 17 years now.  When we first moved here, we tried to "do everything" that was fun to do either by ourselves or with people who visited.  Colorado Springs (including Manitou Springs) is one of our favorite "tourist" destinations with and without guests.  We've been to many locations many times--Garden of the Gods, the springs in Manitou Springs, Focus on the Family, the Air Force Academy.  A couple weeks ago a friend of mine from camp, her family and some friends who just moved to Colorado met us for a day of fun.  We met at the Air Force Academy--one of my new favorite spots--air conditioned visitor's center and a short, but pretty, walk to the beautiful Air Force Academy chapel.

Years ago, my friend and I used to spend our free time during "lake time" rowing as far down the lake as we could and talking for hours.  We laughed that we picked up where we left off, despite only chatting by email and facebook for years.  After the Academy, we visited the Olympic Training Center--always a great spot for kids.  This summer they are doing some construction, so it was not as accessible as usual, but still a lot of fun to see and tour.

Lunch was at my new favorite place,  Solo's Restaurant.  Mr. Ranch says I have to say that I didn't receive any compensation for plugging them, which is true. We are always impressed with the service, maybe because the owner usually is our hostess.  Believe it or not, we are eating in a plane in these pictures. 

 Here we are, posing with "Han", the resident pilot.