A Walk through the Waldo

A slideshow of a walk along the Waldo Trail, Colorado Springs, Colorado, on March 25, 2012, accompanied by some soothing classical music. We had unseasonably mild weather. Wear some comfortable shoes for this journey, we'll be walking over 6 miles and going up over a thousand feet in elevation!

Looking west, we see Pikes Peak and some nearby mountain tops.  Directly to the east, in that endless plain, is Colorado Springs.  The road beneath us is the only way out of Colorado Springs into the mountains - it is known as "the cut" or "the pass."  To the south, visible in some shots, is Cheyenne Mountain.  That zig-zag road you see to the south is a famous road finished in 1926 up Cheyenne Mountain.  Cheyenne Mountain, of course, is partly off limits due to SAC headquarters, which is very difficult to visit.

The entire region was once submerged under an inland sea, which accounts for the striations in the ancient sediment that now forms the sides of the mountains.

The white rock at the end is known as Pikes Peak Granite.  There is an awful lot of shale on the paths, testament to the oceanic origins of the entire area.

Cave of the Winds is in the next valley to the south, and just beyond that is Garden of the Gods (I have pictures of both on my Random Pictures site).  Up the road to the west is the gambling mecca Cripple Creek, and further on, Aspen, Vail, and all those good places.