Mardi Gras Mask Manitou Springs

We’re a long way from New Orleans here in Colorado but that doesn’t mean we don’t know how to have a good time and keep it fun for the whole family!  Every year the town of Manitou Springs, Colorado holds a Mardi Gras Parade suitable for the whole family to participate in or, enjoy on the sidelines.  This was out first time at the parade and we weren’t disappointed!  We strategically placed ourselves not on the parade route but rather closer to the action – where everyone gathers before the parade starts!  This made for some great closeup pictures and just about the best people watching anyone could hope for.

Dancing in the Streets

Manitou  (“spirit” in Native American) is situated on the outskirts of Colorado Springs.  It’s a small, old place with tons of character.  It started out as sacred grounds to the Ute nd Cheyenne Indians.   The famous Pikes Peak Mountain snow runoff feeds the 11 mineral springs located throughout the town.  Today, Manitou Springs is great for tourist shopping, artesian galleries,taking the Pikes Peak God Railway  to the top of Pikes Peak, or grabbing a bite to eat at any of the local restaurants.

I walked away without any beads or candy, but not disappointed.  Mardi Gras in Manitou will become an annual event to watch people having fun and dressing crazy and sharing the silliness with all the local fans.

The Color of Fun

Arches National Park Utah

Utah National Parks are something you don’t want to miss.  Truly.  I’m not sure why it took 31 years of adventures for Doug and I to make the trek to this part of Utah.  Maybe it was that he and our son, Matthew, just returned from a canyoneering trip, and it was April…the right weather to see this part of our beloved America.  As soon as Doug returned from that trip with Matthew we said it was time to see the National Parks of Utah.  We’d always thought about it.  It was on our list.  We loved Bryce and Zion when Matthew was just a small kiddo.  It was time.

Canyonlands National Park Utah

A Utah National Parks adventure should be on your Bucket List, if for only the geological phenomenon that makes it so unique.  They are somewhat like the Grand Canyon.  They look like a much grander version of the Garden of the Gods (Colorado Springs).  And yet, they are unique.  There are © 2009-2011 DougNiedermillerPhotography.com, the vastness of Canyonlands and the oddness of the rock formations of Capital Reef.  And, while Natural Bridges is a National Monument and not a National Park, I encourage you to stop and see them as they are so rare and interesting that they should not be missed.  They are all close enough in proximity to each other that the drive is not bad at all.

Arches – Our favorite, because the way the arches are formed it is something you cannot see anywhere else.

Canyonlands – So huge it’s hard to imagine that people lived and mined for uranium here.

Capital Reef National Park & Natural Bridges

Capital Reef – Not so big as the others, but the unique rock hole formations makes it well worth the drive though.

Natural Bridges – Bigger than I thought, worn by water, and Indian habitat ruins!

All of the Utah National Parks have campgrounds.  During peak seasons it is advisable to book your reservations well in advance (up t 180 days) of your stay.  BLM land is available if you don’t need “facilities”.  Each of the Parks has very nice and clean ranger stations.  The rangers and volunteers, as we’ve seen throughout the Park system, are friendly, knowledgeable and helpful.

We are big fans of the National Parks and now Utah is added to the list of great adventures we’ve had, right here in America!!!

Our “Bucket List” has National Parks on it.  America has so many breathtaking National Parks spread across the country and each and everyone has its own beauty.  In April, Doug and I made a week-long trek to Southeast Utah to see the parks.  Many (many) years ago we had spent time in Bryce and Zion parks, but had never experienced Arches, Canyonlands and Capital Reef.  All the reports from friends and family had been very positive so it was an easy decision to make a Spring trip to our neighboring state of Utah.  After Doug and Matthew shared their stories and pictures from a late March canyoneering trip to Poison Springs (south of Hanksville) I couldn’t wait to get on the road and see this area for myself.

Matthew (our outdoor/hiking/mountain climbing/canyoneering son) gave us a hot tip to take the side trip off of Hwy 70 through Cisco to get to Moab and it was every bit worth the drive. The pillars of red rock and the sparse desert make for countless OMG moments.  We highly recommend that if you’re coming from the east into Utah during the day that you take this road into Moab.  You won’t regret it!  As you get closer to town you’ll be following the Colorado River and you’ll see lots of camping sites.

Just outside of Moab is Arches National Park.  I had seen pictures.  I thought it would be pretty.  We drove through the park in the late afternoon and I was absolutely blown away with the size of the park and the rock formations and absolute uniqueness of the arches.  Ok, I will say it.  We were giddy at all the photographic possibilities.  We planned out what we wanted to see on the following day and made our way to camp.

Ladies:  First off, I want to tell you that Utah National Parks have the cleanest bathrooms of any National Parks I’ve seen so far!!!

Everyone that visit Arches National park will have a different perspective on what’s important and what’s special to see.  If you’re an active outdoorist, walking/hiking type folks, I’d recommend 2-3 days there.  There are short and long hikes that are easy all the way to difficult.  There are many pull offs to just view the mountains in the background with the rock formations in the foreground.  Countless, and I mean countless, photographic moments.  We went back 2 days at sunset at Windows to capture the way the rock changes color and the moon rises through the arch.  We had to come back to capture the incredible uniqueness of Double Arches in the daytime.  We made the .8 mile hike to Landscape Arch and learned that it had been formed in 1991.  Can you imagine being there when the rock broke away???

North Window, South Window, Delicate Arch, Landscape, Turret, Double, Balanced Rock, and so much more, offer an unforgettable vacation for folks of all ages.  Get this one on your “Bucket List”.  It was my favorite of all the Parks we visited.  Make it a part of a wonderful Utah adventure!