Air Force Academy, Focus, and a hike

Colorado Springs, CO

Our goal today was to see some sights around Colorado Springs, but to save the bigger attractions for the end of the week when Jared will be with us. So first we headed to the Air Force Academy. This was an awesome experience, in that our kids had never been on a military base/campus before and so they had many questions and things to learn. We were able to take a short tour in which we saw the new freshmen cadets in formation getting ready to go to lunch, and then the highlight of our day--we toured the Cadet Chapel. It was really gorgeous and amazing. The stained glass and architecture combination made it feel like we were walking into a kaleidoscope. On the campus we also drove past many Air Force jets on display and the football stadium.

We went back to our hotel for a quick lunch (leftovers and snacks) and then headed to the headquarters for Focus on the Family. This was interesting, but there wasn't really a whole lot to see, so we didn't spend too much time there. We looked through their welcome center and bookstore before moving on.

Next, we drove around looking for Palmer Park, a county park which was supposed to have nice trails and views. We were able to find it, and drove to the top of a peak which overlooked the city. We took a short hike, taking in the unusual new vegetation like cacti and wild flowers we were not used to seeing at home.

After our hike, we drove to downtown Colorado Springs and found a nice little restaurant called the "Olive Branch" where we had dinner.