Hi there. So last Saturday, we finally got some much needed sun around here. It had been cold for over a week now (lows usually in the teen's or single digit) and so the family and I decided that it was a perfect day to go out and do some exploring.
We first drove to Monument Lake. We've heard about it but have never really seen it. Monument is just north of Colorado Springs and it only takes us about 15 minutes to drive there. We packed some lunch so we can eat with this lake as our view. Little did we know that our "quiet picnic by the lake" would not be so quiet. Once we got there, we found out that there was an ice fishing tournament going on. The crowd was exciting to watch, especially since none of us has ever experience ice fishing before.
Being that I was born and raised in a tropical country, I was apprehensive seeing men and women walk on a frozen lake. I was afraid that any minute the ice underneath me would collapse and I will sink into a deep cold pool of water. But after a close look and knocking on the ice (yeah I think everyone was looking at me and laughing at how crazy I was) I realized how thick the ice over the lake was and then I was fine.
We weren't sure if being a spectator was allowed but we parked and watched anyways. I admired those people sitting in cold temperatures patiently waiting for a fish. We really didn't see anyone grab a prize (fish) but I found it fascinating how the whole "sport" is done. I saw this one guy drilling a hole through the thick ice so he can reach the water. Later I found another guy drilling but using a motorized drill instead. Now that's smart!
Here's a look at a drilled hole. I would say that the ice over the water was about 6" thick.
So we ate our lunch on the back our truck while watching all the fisherman with their very patient faces. I don't think I can ever be a fisherman. I would scream at the fish cause they're taking so long to grab my bait!
After lunch, Mitch wanted to walk across the lake. He wanted to add "walked on an icy lake" in his "done that" list. When he got back to our spot, him and the kids noticed a sleek icy part of the lake and decided to explore it. They realized that because the ice was so sleek, they can actually try to skate through it.
Being the scared mom that I was, I was praying the whole time that the ice won't break underneath the kiddos. They were all safe and was having a blast slipping and sliding over the ice.
Hubby even got into the action. Sometimes I feel like I have three kids instead of two.
After Monument lake, we drove west to Cripple Creek. It's a small mining town about an hour away from Colorado Springs.They had a Heritage center by the entrance to the city and we stopped by there to learn more about the history of the area and admire the different artifacts inside the museum.
I always find it humbling how things are a lot easier now in my time that it was for people 100 years ago. Through reading the different displays in the museum, I learned that the average daily pay for a miner back in 1928 was $3. Their average yearly income was $1000. Now the cost of living back then balanced out what they were making since the price of bacon, for example, was only 18 cents per pound versus the average $6 per pound today. But the amount of actual labor people had to do back then makes me feel grateful that I don't have to travel in a wagon, wash my clothes by hand or milk my own cow!
After touring the museum/Heritage center, we drove down to Cripple Creek's "downtown". It was a short main road filled with old buildings that has now been converted into casinos. I guess since this area was a mining community for gold, they figured that it was the perfect little place for you to "loose" all your gold. Here's a picture of the town down the valley. This photo was taken inside the museum. It was cold and I didn't want to go outside to get a better shot. Lazy I know!
On the way home, we stopped by Donut Mill in Woodland Park. Since we packed our own lunch, we figured that we could splurge on dollar donuts that are humongous!
So that was our first excursion of the year. Hopefully it won't be the last.
Till next time,
Grace
No comments:
Post a Comment