Memorable Moments: Vacation in the Mountains, Day 2 (Part 2: Manitou Springs)

After leaving the Manitou Cliff Dwellings, we headed to downtown Manitou Springs where we perused the streets just as we did last year. The nice thing about visiting the same area two years in a row is that it begins to feel familiar, like a home away from home. It is a quaint little town situated in between the Garden of the Gods and Pikes Peak. On the doorstep of many shops is a bowl of water and dog biscuits, in a dispenser much like that of a gumball machine, for the many dogs that accompany their owners for walks up and down the strip.

Our favorite place to kick back and relax is in an eclectic coffee shop we discovered last year called the Spice of Life. They serve much more than coffee though, such as European style breakfasts and lunches. We have yet to try those, but their tea and Italian sodas are fabulous!

Here we are kicking back after a full afternoon of sight seeing.

Madeleine and Audrey enjoyed an old fashioned Root Beer.

I enjoyed the ambiance and a strawberry italian soda.

Just outside the coffee shop are some offbeat benches that the girls thought were cool. Especially Madeleine.

Manitou Springs boasts a wide variety of shopping with stores that appeal to a diverse crowd. Stores such as The Poppy Seed.

This store looks like it was plucked straight from the 70's and sells groovy clothing and accessories. While shopping you are likely to hear Bob Marley blaring overhead. I think I am correct in saying that it was my sisters' favorite store.

Steven liked the Crystal Wizard and purchased a T-Shirt there.

Some other interesting stores were the Trippin' Troll

and the Leprechaun Shoppe. We didn't set foot into either store but thought their names were interesting enough to warrant a picture.

As we walked up and down the streets of downtown Manitou Springs, Steven's creative side kicked into overdrive. He saw the beauty in the ordinary and took pictures.

I think this may be one of the eleven mineral springs throughout town that are fed by the snows of Pikes Peak. **I got that information from http://www.manitousprings.org/**

An illustration of some of the pretty buildings in the area.

We did a lot of walking and exploring.

Audrey did a lot of skipping.

She also kept us entertained with her fascination with hearts. She was seeing them everywhere; in the clouds, in the shapes of plants, & rocks. As you can see from this picture, she also made hearts.