10/12/15 Monday. “Rocky Mountain High, Colorado” by John Denver. Well, maybe not too high. The last post said we needed a new truck transmission. We were required to wait for the transmission to come into the shop. We were required to leave our last campground because it was full for the time that we needed. Thank goodness we had the easy choice to move to the Air Force Academy campground. We were not upset because the Falcon Meadow RV Park was so bad that we couldn’t get out of there fast enough! We moved Monday morning early and what a nice campground this is. We had been here twice in the past over the years. We are now camped in the woods under beautiful Ponderosa pines with views of the mountains.
It is so nice up here. The weather is cooler, even though we did have a couple of 80 degree days. It is now in the low 70s with nice breezes and low 40s at night. There are so many trees, that we don’t see the sun until much later after the actual sunrise. The same for the sunset. It gets dark earlier in the woods. There are lots of pretty birds up here, including the black and white Magpie. I had also forgotten that most of the squirrels solid black. Early this morning a flock of about 15 wild Turkeys walked by close to our site. The other wildlife up here is Bear and there was a sign in the laundry that a Mountain Lion had been seen and heard. Don’t think I will walk very far by myself!
When driving through town, we have closer views of the Rockies and Pikes Peak, named after the explorer Zebulon Pike, and where Katherine Lee bates wrote “America the Beautiful”. We could see the mountains from Falcon, but now we see better views . We had taken a cog train to the top on a previous visit. It isn’t something I would do again because I got sick at the higher elevation at 14,115 feet.
The United States Air Force Academy is a military academy for officer candidates for the United States Air Force. Its campus is located immediately north of Colorado Springs. It is the youngest of the five United States service academies, having graduated its first class in 1959. Graduates of the Academy's four-year program receive a Bachelor of Science degree, and are commissioned as 2nd lieutenants in the Air Force. The Academy is also one of the largest tourist attractions in Colorado, attracting approximately a million visitors each year. A secure nomination, which usually comes from the member of Congress in the candidate's home district is what gains a Cadet entrance. Tuition along with room and board are all paid for by the U.S. Government. The main attraction on the base is the Chapel. It can be seen from the interstate and is an iconic landmark. Being higher up, also gives us views of the plains spreading to the East.
We got the call this morning that the transmission arrived, so we took the truck into the shop and picked up our rental car provided by the shop. The work should only take a day, maybe 2 at the most. Now let’s hope that all goes well.
Here's hoping the repairs don't take any longer and the bill is less than expected.
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