Colorado Springs was just a quick weekend road trip, it became quite an adventure filled with many stops and activities. We saved time by driving over night on the way there, saved money by traveling with another person to split costs (Shari, Kayla’s mom) and by camping rather than staying in a hotel. (Read more about affordable travel ideas). It was a great short weekend trip and we saw so many great things!

We started off driving through Kansas trading off every few hours until we reached a rest stop by the Kansas – Colorado border around 3 or 4 am. We stopped there to sleep for a few hours before finishing our drive to Colorado Springs. The stars were so bright and beautiful I had to stop to take some photos.

After a few hours of sleep we continued on our voyage arriving in Colorado Springs where we grabbed a bite to eat in the city and checked out the street merchants before the drive up Pikes Peak!

Pikes Peak was quite an adventure itself, it took approximately one hour to drive up and one hour to drive back down, that is if your car doesn’t overheat. Luckily half way down the Park Rangers check your vehicle to ensure the safety for their guests. We had to let the car cool of for 40 minutes and it worked out great. Kayla and Cash napped in the car while Shari and I hiked through the woods discovering the beauty of a cold water stream in the midst of the tall trees across the mountain.

After returning from our Pikes Peak Adventure we decided to stop and get some great local food. We ate at Front Range BBQ which was a unique and fun place to stop and eat with the family. They had live music, great food, and an awesome ambiance.

 

 

After we filled our bellies we went to set up camp before the sun went down. We had reserved a tent site online at Garden of the Gods RV Resort. We were not sure what to expect when we arrived but were pleasantly surprised by the helpful staff and fellow campers who were great to be around. After setting up the tent we enjoyed sitting around the campfire making smores and recollecting our adventure thus far.

 

Following a great night sleep cuddled up in our tent we awoke to the smell of pancakes being cooked across from our tent. They had an all you can eat pancake breakfast for 3 dollars each. It was just what we needed to fuel us for our hiking day around Garden of the Gods. I did not know much about Garden of the Gods, other than there being some giant rock formations and hiking trails. We were extremely excited to see it was much more than that!

 

 

Following a full day of hiking, Kayla and Shari were tired, but Cash and I decided to have some father son time at Red Rock Canyon Open Space where we hiked, photographed and did some geocaching. It was totally worth stopping by, very scenic and we even saw some crazy dudes jumping off the cliffs into the water below! (See the Vine)

 

After grabbing a few geocaches and running around the Red Rock Canyon we stopped off at a local grocery store to grab some hot dogs, and other necessities for our campfire dinner. After a fun night of mingling with fellow campers, swimming in the pool, and roasting marshmallows we said goodnight to Colorado for the last time (On this trip)

 

 

Waking up in the cool Colorado air we packed up and hit the road with many stops planned and unplanned along the route. We stopped and grabbed a few geocaches at welcome centers and historical markers. Hiked into a volcano at Capulin Volcano National Monument in New Mexico, and hiked around Black Mesa State Park in Oklahoma before arriving in our hot-humid home of Tulsa, Oklahoma.

We plan to visit Colorado Springs again on another epic road trip lasting more than a weekend so we can do some more exploring and see the many things we missed out on.

Have you been to Colorado Springs? Was their things we should have done?

Let us know what you think in the comment section below!