Damo's Diary: June 2005

Visiting the Garden of the Gods

Hi there,

Yet another entry for you all to view.

Well today I visited the infamous Garden of the Gods. This is a large area in the Pikes Peak region. It’s practically part of Colorado Springs.

I had to drive all of 20 minutes to get there.

The views were absolutely magnificent. Take a browse through my photos. Yes, most of them are the red rocks of the Garden, but they are the main attraction.

There are a couple of photos which may look a little strange as I tried using the panoramic feature my camera has, but I don’t think I have quite got the hang of it yet!

Well there won't be another post until I return from the States now. I will take more photos next Saturday, but this week I will be working very hard so I can learn how to install and strip down a neutron generator.

Don't be afraid to drop me a line on my email.

Enjoy the view.

Cheers for now,
Damo

The rock formations of the Garden of the Gods (and two kids I don't know).

More rock formations!

At the centre top of this formation are the "Kissing Camels".

A formation of rock known as the "Three Graces"

A view down one of the walking trails.

The intriguing rock formations in the Garden. Many, many years of wind and rain erosion have shaped the Garden.

A panoramic view of the Garden of the Gods.

Some of the flora in the Garden.

A flowering cactus I found on the edge of one of the many walking trails.

A tiny butterfly sunning itself. This little fellow's span was no more than the diameter of a 20 cent piece.

One of the many pine trees of the Garden.

Some more plant life in the Garden.

Rockclimbing is prominant throughout the Garden of the Gods.

This is known as "Balancing Rock".

The brewing storm as I decided to leave the Garden.

The distant snow capped Pikes Peak.

Commute to Colorado Springs

Hi there,

Well, you finally get a new entry! But this one comes to you all the way from the United States of America.

Anyway, below are some of the photos I took on the flight over here to Colorado Springs. There are some pics as I left Brisbane, then photos on arrival to Auckland, Los Angeles and in transit to Colorado Springs (COS) itself.

The plane trip from Auckland to LA wasn’t too bad. It was really nice to have a window seat for the view, but it was a real nuisance when it came to getting up for a stretch and to going to the bathroom.

I got into LA at 10:45am local time, it was 12:15pm by the time I had gone through Customs and Immigrations, collected my bags, rechecked them, and collected my boarding pass. It was a pity that that took so long, otherwise I might have snuck onto the 12:45pm flight to COS.

As it was I had a lay-over of around 5 hours! The next flight to COS was scheduled for a 5:15pm take-off. However we didn’t board until around 5:40pm, so I was half an hour late into COS. Upon arrival I collected my bags, which had been inspected by customs. Then I picked up my hire car (which they call rentals in the US).

It is the strangest feeling jumping into the “passenger” side of the car to slip behind the steering wheel! It took me a couple of goes to find the turn off for the entrance for the motel I’m staying at. I quickly ventured off to get some dinner as it was 10:30pm. After I got my meal, I did the inevitable; I went the wrong way down the road! Luckily, there wasn’t much traffic, I made a quick 3-point turn and made my way back to the motel and bed.

There are a couple of “location maps” at the end of the photos.

Cheers for now,
Damo

P.S. Here are a couple of web links you might want to check out:

http://www.springsgov.com/ http://parks.state.co.us/