Garden of the Gods is a 1,367-acre park of towering red sandstone. The park was given to the city of Colorado Springs in 1909 by the children of railroad magnate Charles Elliot Perkins, in fulfillment of his wish that it be kept forever open and free to the public.

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Interestingly enough, the kissing camels were easy to spot at the top of this formation.

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Walking among these awe-inspiring formations gives one time to reflect on the beauty surrounding them.

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Balanced Rock was exposed more than 60 million years ago when the existing Rocky Mountains rose. To make its current shape, the soft bottom layer of shale eroded faster than the harder sandstone and conglomerate above. Al only thinks he's holding the rock in place!

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Al continues to practice his ukulele.

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The first train to carry passengers through the Royal Gorge was on May 7, 1879. The men who built this railroad through this deep chasm had their work cut out for them.

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This is one of the most complex railroads in North America with raging class IV and V rapids of the Arkansas River on one side and solid granite cliffs towering over 1,000 feet above on the other.

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This bridge is said to be the world's highest suspension bridge. It was built in 1929 and spans the scenic Royal Gorge 1,053 feet above the Arkansas River.

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Hanging Bridge, completed in 1879, was designed by C. Shaler Smith and cost $30,261 to build. Suspended between the steep canyon walls and hanging lengthwise above the river, the 300-foot long bridge traverses the narrowest (30-40 feet wide) and deepest part of the Royal Gorge. The bridge hangs from supporting A-frames, their ends embedded into the rock on either side!

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We had a great weather day so we spent most of the trip in the open viewing car.

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Benedictine monks established the Holy Cross Abbey in 1926 and bottled wine there in the early years. The monks are long gone and the Abbey is now rented out for private functions but the impressive Tudor structure still stands adjacent to the Abbey Winery where we tasted some of the local offerings.

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We were surprised to find black squirrels running around our campground. The owner told us they started out with one and now have quite a few.

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