Picture was taken by David Shankbone

Two surveyors, M. S. Beach and Rufus Cable, in August 1859 had left Denver to begin a town site known as Colorado City and were exploring the nearby areas when they stumbled upon these massive rock formations. M.S. Beach first suggested the area be the “capital place for a beer garden,” but Cable didn’t agree. Cable returned with “Beer Garden! Why it is a fit place for the gods to assemble. We will call it the Garden of the Gods.”

The ability to visit the Garden of the Gods is thanks to Charles Elliott Perkins. During the 1870s, the railroad lines had worked their way to the west by gentlemen like General William Jackson Palmer. In 1879, Perkins was the head of the Burlington Railroad and was encouraged by Palmer to build his railroad from Chicago to Colorado Springs. Along with the repeated suggestion of building the railroad, Perkins was also urged to build his home in the Garden of the Gods.

Perkins railroad never made it to Colorado Springs, but he did take Palmers suggestion by buying 240 acres in the Garden of the Gods for his summer home. Just like the railroad, Perkins never built the summer home or on the property at all. He added to the property in later years, but wanted to leave the Garden of the Gods untouched for the public to enjoy. Garden of the Gods was open to the public, but Perkins passed away in 1907 before the official arrangements could be made. In 1909 his children, knowing very well of his wishes, gave the 480 acres to the city of Colorado Springs so it would always be known as the Garden of the Gods and "where it shall remain free to the public, where no intoxicating liquors shall be manufactured, sold, or dispensed, where no building or structure shall be erected except those necessary to properly care for, protect, and maintain the area as a public park."

Ancient prehistory can be viewed at Garden of the God’s as people walk the same path as the dinosaurs walked making it a living history book. Within the park, there are dinosaur tracks that lead the way including a new species of dinosaur which was discovered and named after the park, Theiophytalia kerri.

Garden of the God’s offer many activities other then just sight seeing and history including walking, hiking, mountain biking, horseback riding, and rock climbing. With many activities, there is a ample amount of choices to be able to view and enjoy where the gods assemble at the Garden of the Gods. 

We've planned this trip for a while now, and it was already time to make the move. My cousins' Ford Fusion, was perfect to go such distance. It was his brand-new car, red, and very sophisticated. We also had a police radar, because if we were getting there on scheduled time, we had to speed every now and then to make up for the awfully inevitable traffics that I-95 was famous for.

Now that we were ready, suitcases thrown in the trunk, and blankets and pillows in the back seats, my cousin flew in head first inside in the passenger seat. Delilah and Kate, the two women in my life, my girlfriend and my best friend were finally ready to jump in. Obviously, everyone was sleepy. But the driver, that would be me, had a very enormous disadvantage. I had to stay awake the whole time, or all of us would put an end to the press' silly season.

It was time to go now, but not quite in the direction we were supposed to. Feeling as drowsy as I was, I drove to Dunkin Donuts and got two cups of coffee so I'd keep awake. Looking in the rear-view mirror, the only thing I saw of those girls was their heads. They were all covered up in their blankets, sleeping as soundless. It was late winter, and still chilly in Florida. I looked over and so was George, his head cocked, leaning against he window, and was sleeping, but not as soundless as the girls. However, we had a schedule to keep, and I was ready to hit the road.

11:13AM

After making a couple of restroom stops, we finally made it to Georgia. Florida is not as scenic as the other states, nevertheless, some interesting things had caught our eyes here and there. For instance, it was kind of like tradition to count up all the accidents we'd see, and how many cars are pulled over by the cops. So far, the score was 4:7. Another things that caught our attention was the Fuller Warren Bridge, since we went over the Acosta bridge instead which was more parallel than perpendicular to the Fuller Warren. This is where we had stopped for our second bathroom break, in the heart of Jacksonville.