Day # 58 - Flying W Ranch

We woke up this morning and were unsure of how we exactly wanted to spend our last day. We made reservations when we got into town to attend a chuck wagon dinner this evening, but still couldn’t decide what to do in the mean time. We had originally wanted to take the cog railway to the top of Pikes Peak. Given Tony and AJ’s breathing issues recently we didn’t think it was wise to drag them 14,110 feet in the air. We had also wanted to visit the Garden of the Gods, but once again we were feeling a little jaded about red rock formations having just come from Sedona, AZ and Moab, Utah. We had read up on the Garden’s visitor’s center and decided that we would start there.

The visitor’s center is really nice. They have an all new 15 minute long movie about the formation of the rocks in the park and also about the benefactor that left the land to the city of Colorado Springs. I didn’t realize that the Garden of the Gods is a city park when we planned this trip. In addition, admission to the park and visitor’s center is free. Apparently, it was a condition of the Perkin’s family when they donated the land to the city that it should remain a free park. We all know I think free is good! The visitor’s center was full of fascinating displays and housed a gift shop and snack bar. The kids loved the display of animal pelts. A volunteer had several pelts and skulls from various animals indigenous to the park. We located the penny press and smashed our pennies. I only have 1 spot left in my penny passport so it’s a good thing we are going home soon. We picked up a map of the park. The park itself is a lot smaller than we thought at a little over 480 acres. Compared to the National Parks we have been in, this park felt very small. Because of its size, the park is very accessible to hikers.

There are several trails to choose from to view the rock formations. To get away from the mid-day crowd we opted for a moderate hike instead of one of the paved trails. The kids had a great time stomping around in the rocks once again. Another great feature about the size of the park is that you can explore a little bit off the beaten path without the worry of getting lost and having to have park rangers come out and rescue you. We were able to putter around and enjoy the views. The view of Pike’s Peak was pretty awesome. We also got an excellent view of the Sleeping Giant formation.

After our hike, we went back to the camper to get ready for the chuck wagon dinner. Early in planning our trip we had decided that we wanted to go to a chuck wagon dinner. When I was a kid, my family went to one during a visit to Colorado. I vividly remember it to this day. I wasn’t real fond of the food, but I was enthralled by the music of the Lazy B Wranglers. I guess it was part nostalgia that prompted me to want to take the family while we were there. In researching the many options available I came across the website for the Flying W Ranch. The ranch is an actual working cattle ranch that has run a dinner and a western show for over 50 years. In addition to dinner and a show, the ranch has a western town that guests can tour prior to dinner. There are several buildings that house knick knack shops as well as artifacts on display. The kids’ favorites were touring the jail cells built in the late 1800’s and watching the blacksmith shoeing a horse. We also liked the one room school house. I enjoyed reading the rules of the school marm and learning that a woman could no longer teach once she was married as it was considered poor taste to consort with men- hmmm there’s a thought.

Before long, the dinner bell rang calling us to dinner. We had choice seats at a picnic table near the stage. Dinner was served buffet style and we were called early to get our grub. The food was actually pretty good – BBQ beef or chicken, beans, homemade applesauce and biscuits, baked potatoes and spice cake. There was coffee, iced tea and lemonade to drink. Abby and AJ didn’t eat much, but we were really proud of picky Sarah for trying and eating a lot of her dinner. One of the upsides to choosing the Flying W was their pricing. Many of the dinners we looked at charged full price for kids, or charged a set amount for all kids regardless of their age. At the Flying W, Sarah was half price and Abby and AJ were only $5 each. A good deal considering they pretty much just ate cake and applesauce! After dinner, the hour long show began. The wrangler band was very good, especially the fiddle player. The jokes were lame as expected and everyone had fun singing along to cowboy favorites. I was waiting for my favorite song Riders (give me a mountain tempo in A minor….) and wasn’t disappointed! After the show we made our way back to our car. Abby and AJ were starving so we tossed them some goldfish crackers. It was a great evening and a fun way to end our trip.