The Garell Stretch: She says "Oxygen is overrated. I don't even need to breathe"

Lots of things come to mind when people think about Colorado. We could name a few...but most important was dealing with the low oxygen. But being some of us are here for the second time this year we knew what to expect.

Day 2 of Colorado brought us an amazingly full day. Along with our adventures we even squeezed in an oil change first thing in the morning and returned early enough to have make dinner at the campsite.

These two having a cold breakfast before our adventures.

Our little one was excited to take on dish duty...while the boyfriend couldn't get enough of Trader Joe's new Jalapeno Limade!

Our youngest couldn't get enough of the lamb's quarters or wild spinach growing around our site. She was super excited to find out that it grows all over our yard.

Now for our adventures...

A must see is the Garden of the Gods and super easy...you can drive through in a matter of minutes for a quick peak or spend the day on the trails. This is a third visit for some of us to this amazing landscape, yet to visit the nature center though...next time hopefully. The link I added takes you to an aerial video of the site. Pictures never do this space justice.

The teens enjoyed the drive so much that they woke the next day at 5ish to head over for some hiking. I believe (even on low oxygen and fighting spider bite infections) they hiked seven miles and ended up in the nearby town of Manitou Springs for lunch.

We didn't see any ghost...but a quick google search leads us to believe we are at another haunted location.

Well a drive or hike through the Garden of the Gods will most likely lead you to Manitou Springs. We didn't get to spend too much time, but enough to know that a couple of us wouldn't mind settling down there one day. The youngest and I went during the winter and enjoyed the shops, chocolate, arcade, and the U.S.A.'s friendliest people. The town has numerous springs that are still active and you are welcome to collect water. Our favorite is the effervescent one...a little startling at first...but not unlike bottled sparkling water.

We didn't get a chance to take the ghost tour of Manitou Springs but it will be on our to do list for next time.

We did get to enjoy the "little free libraries" scattered about...

We had to rush off for our appointment at the Colorado Wolf and Wildlife Center. We arrived with enough time for a mountain picnic. I stayed out this time to sit with Daisy in the car...they do not want your dogs out of the car for obvious reasons. Luckily, at 9,000 feet above sea level it wasn't too hot in the car, but the sun was beating down on us enough that we needed some ice cubes.

Our little one visited here in the winter and it changed her life. Working with wildlife is on her career path...she has discussed with them each time about when she can come intern and continues to talk about the experience from winter as if were yesterday. If you are lucky enough to be over 18 and have some extra money you can have a contact experience...she looks forward to that day.

I am going to put a plug in here...there is a "War on Wolves" despite our new understanding of their importance to the ecosystem. If you want to learn more check out their blog.

Ok, now enjoy the wolf photos and keep on scrolling...our day didn't end here.

Next Stop...Cripple Creek...

Do you remember the song? And yes, I did sing it plenty while we drove around... here is a link.

Again, another town we would like to spend more time visiting. They are known for their ghost town revival, casinos and wild burros. They love their little guys so much it is easy to find a store selling a little bag of food for them. Manure everywhere...it may actually be their town and they share it with the people.

(we didn't find them since we were burning daylight)

Cripple Creek Jail is declared haunted...I am not even sure one would have to know this ahead of time to feel the heaviness of the space. Our little one made a run for the parking lot to stay with dad and dog after a brief visit inside. And yes, the tour guide initiated the haunting conversation. They even had an autographed photo of the Ghost Adventures crew in the front room.

We loved how hands on and open the jail was. You start in processing and then head in for your uniform and cell.

Certainly Creepy!

One more stop before heading back to camp.

The Molly Kathleen Gold Mine

Our little Minecrafter loved it (she knew lots of the lingo), my husband had been before as a child and Emma and myself were a little uneasy. The boyfriend opted out to stay with Daisy dog.

While this was not a ghost tour, Emma and I were concerned we may become ghost while in the mine. They gear you up with a coat and construction hat and wish you luck on the ride down the shaft.

I can't begin to describe how small the shaft lift was...2 minutes of claustrophobia for sure. You ride down with at least 4 other people...we were losing oxygen for sure...somewhere between panic, confinement and altitude.

When we exited the shaft we get a reminder of how far we traveled...still some panic breathing challenges here. I declared at this point that I am done caving and mining...the little one and I visited the nearby Cave of the Winds over the winter and it was a troublesome experience...the gold mine was a reminder.

Oh well, we are down here now...remaining calm and trusting our guide. He is an actual working goldminer and he shared with us the history of the tools of the trade and all the things that could go wrong. The history of this specific mine was also unique in that a woman owned it...which was unheard of back in the day.

Our guide was actually in a season of the show Prospectors when he discovered a new mineral...still in research and he will get to name it.

The tools were louder than you would ever think.

We had to walk the tracks...FYI if you visit wear real shoes.

Copper in the walls.

This is how he rings the signal to let the lady up top know we are ready to come up in the shaft. We were down for about an hour, miners were required at least eight hour shifts and you couldn't come up unless you were dead or dying.