The Garden of the Gods Park, a Registered National Natural
Landmark in Colorado Springs, is open from 5 a.m. to 11 p.m. in the
summer and 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. in the winter.
The Garden of the Gods Visitor & Nature Center is open
from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the winter months and 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day weekend.
Both the Park and Visitor Center are Free and open to the
public
When I lived out here, I watched US Cycling Team Member, Jeff
Evenshine win the Junior World Cycling Championships on the road
that winds through the park. I used to train in this park when I
was a semi pro cyclist myself. I would later become team mates with
Jeff Evenshine on the US World Military Cycling Team and support
him at the World Military Championships in LaAquila, Italy in 1994.
I been in the Garden of the Gods hundreds of times and have lived
in Colorado Springs on and off throughout 1990-2000.
The Kissing Camels formation sits at the very top of North
Gateway Rock. These lovestruck camels are often said to be engaged
in the longest kiss on record.
The Geology
Geologists claim that the story of the Garden of the Gods began
nearly 300 million years ago, when sediment from the Ancestral
Rockies was carried eastward and spread out into great alluvial
fans. This sediment was then reddened by ferric iron and long
covered by a shallow inland sea.
The outstanding geologic features of the park are the ancient
sedimentary beds of red and white sandstones, conglomerates and
limestone that were deposited horizontally, but have now been
tilted vertically and faulted by the immense mountain building
forces caused by the uplift of the Pikes Peak massif. Evidence of
past ages; ancient seas, eroded remains of ancestral mountain
ranges, alluvial fans, sandy beaches and great sand dune fields can
read in the rocks. There are many fossils to be seen: marine forms,
plant fossils, and some dinosaur fossils.
The Garden of the Gods seems to have attracted not only the
Mountain Ute Indians, but also the nomadic tribes of the plains -
first the Apache, then the Comanche, and finally the Kiowa, Pawnee,
Arapaho and Cheyenne. Early white settlers claimed that the Garden
was a favorite campsite for the various bands of Utes, especially
in late fall and winter. It was said that the Utes came to the
Garden during those seasons not only because of the absence of
their enemies, the Plains Indians, but also in order to hunt the
great herds of elk which fed upon the nearby mesa. With the start
of the Indian wars in the mid-1860's, the Arapahoes and Chyennes
discontinued their visits to the Pikes Peak region. Not so the
Utes, who continued to camp in the Garden of the Gods throughout
the 1860's and 70's.
Physical evidence for these Native American campsites still
exists in the form of hidden petroglyphs, ancient fire rings,
broken pottery, and innumerable stone tools and projectile points.
These bits of archaelogical findings, coupled with the accounts of
the early pioneers, only serve to confirm the suspicions of modern
historians that the Garden of the Gods was an American Indian
crossroads up into historic times.
To get credit for the find post a picture of you (face included)
with GPS in hand and the Kissing Camels rock formation in
background and answer the following questions. Picture can be taken
from anywhere in the park. The logged photo has to have the Kissing
Camels in the background to get credit for the find.
1. What is the Kissing Camels rock formation made of?
2. How tall is the rock formation that the Kissing Camels sit
on?
3. For extra credit and more picture opportunities, go
between the two rock formations, where the trail goes, and read the
large bronze plaque on the Kissing Kamels side and tell me who
donated the land to the public for all to enjoy.
PLEASE READ! BEING A OWNER OF ANY CACHE TYPE CAN BE A JOURNEY
IN ITSELF WITH THE VISITORS WHO LOG THE CACHES, BE IT A GOOD
EXPERIENCE OR BAD.IF YOU LOG THE EC IN ANY LANGUAGE OTHER THAN
ENGLISH, I AM ASKING FOR YOU TO TRANSLATE THE LANGUAGE TO ME
THROUGH EMAIL BEFORE POSTING. IF YOU USE ACRONYMS ONLY KNOWN TO
YOURSELF, AGAIN I AM ASKING FOR A DEFINITION BEFORE POSTING.
FAILURE TO FOLLOW THE POSTED LOGGING REQUIREMENTS WILL RESULT IN A
LOG DELETION.
DO NOT LOG UNTIL YOU HAVE A PICTURE TO POST
| Cav Scout has earned GSA's highest
level |
 |
Do not log this
EC unless you have answered the questions and have a picture ready
to post! Logs with no photo of the actual cacher (human face
included) logging the find or failure to answer questions or
negative comments will result in a log deletion without notice.
Exceptions will be considered if you contact me first (I realize
sometimes we forget our cameras or the batteries die). You must
post a photo at the time of logging your find. If your picture is
not ready then wait until you have a photo.
Sources of
information for the EarthCache quoted from the Garden of The Gods
website. I have used sources available to me by using google search
to get information for this earth cache. I am by no means a
geologist.. I use books, internet, and ask questions about geology
just like 99.9 percent of the geocachers who create these great
Earth Caches. I enjoy Earth Caches and want people to get out and
see what I see every time I go and explore this great place we live
in.