Garden of the Gods

This morning I drove down to Colorado Springs (about 1 1/2 hours south of Denver) to do a trail run at Garden of the Gods. When I arrived in CoSp, it was foggy, grey, and 41 degrees. I had been expecting 70s and sunny, as the news told me! I got another cup of coffee and a paper and waited it out until the fog burned off. Then I got my 70s and sunny weather.

Garden of the Gods is a park with red, blue, purple, and white ancient sediments of sandstones, conglomerates and limestone that were deposited horizontally, but now tilt vertically after being faulted by the same forces that caused Pikes Peak mountain. You can see many fossils in the rock: marine forms, plant fossils, and some dinosaur fossils. Some of the strange rock formations are up to several hundred feet long and the tallest is 320 feet high. Check out them rocks:




The trail run I did ended up being 1 hour 20 minutes of running around the park, not including time stopped to snap some photos, read the map, and wait for horseback riders to pass. I had a great time! Running was a really fun way to see the park and to get on some trails that were fantastic and empty. It seemed like most people drove the road loop around the rock formations, getting out of their car at numerous parking lots. These photos are just the scenic trial. Enjoy!