Penrose Commons

October 3
Slightly warmer this morning - quite nice! We headed south just after breakfast for our next 'area' to check out, stopping in Woodland Park for food, water, fuel - I actually lived there when I was younger, but really don't remember anything about the town - I'm sure it has changed in 20 years!


Manitou Springs next to check out Red Rock Canyon Open Space. Cool red sandstones there, unfortunately I didn't take much for pictures, and the trails were nothing spectacular, and we were both feeling fairly flat. So not a lot of time spent there before heading to potential camping another hour south. The drive and our destination were super windy, but we got settled without incident. Penrose Commons is more of a ATV and Jeeping area that allows bikes and pedestrians, so no info. on our biking or running apps, but things are pretty well marked and it is so open, I don't think you could get too lost.

I think there are more Rockies way back there

It was soon time to make up some shells and cheese for dinner, then watch The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. The movie was interesting, a nice story, but maybe didn't need to be nearly 3 hours long!






October 4
Hoping to make this more of a rest day, so a slow, lazy morning. Weather is still high winds, but clear and sunny! Short easy run for me and ride for Rudy, mostly to check out the 'extreme' rated jeep trail - I can't fathom a vehicle getting through some of this!!

Fair warning

A few anchors out there to help

That rock is 5' tall

Most of the trail is like this - loose boulders

I just don't see a way

Yeah, that's one of the trails

This is as gnarly as the van got

The afternoon was just excessive puzzling - I did stroll around a little to look at the scrubby juniper and pinion landscape, with more cactus instead of the sage brush we saw further north. A nice rock pile to check out too.

Just missed this bloom!

The leaves remind me of mint, but not the smell

Granite!

New to me cactus

We cooked up some beans and rice in honor of Taco Tuesday and watched Jesus Christ Superstar. Probably haven't seen it in 15 years - still pretty entertaining, though this time around I paid more attention to story and interpretation of Jesus's final days, and noted how politics and religion has been crazy for thousands of years. Rudy didn't know what to think of it, he claims he may never be the same again. A relatively early bedtime, with hopes of tackling Pikes Peak in the morning.