A Herd Of Yaks - Another Gem - Manitou Springs

 

Song: Hot Fun In The Summertime

Group:  Sly and the Family Stone

I had this mad craving when I woke up this morning...

I just had to have some good Mexican food.

I am trying different restaurants in my area.

I have already found my NY Style Pizza place...

now I am searching for my other favorite food places.

Today...

I embarked on a quest in search of the best Mexican food...

especially tacos.

I was driving along the highway on my way to the nearest big town...

and just beyond to the next...

Manitou Springs 

(just this side of Colorado Springs).

I was part way to Woodland Park when I spotted...

what I was almost certain to be...

a Yak.

I couldn't believe it...

so I turned around and backtracked some and then turned around again to 

go back to the Yak I thought I had seen.

I pulled off the highway and saw a whole herd of Yaks.

I just had to capture this moment.

Yaks...

it makes sense to have imported them...

as they are high altitude...

cold weather animals...

indigenous to the high altitude areas of the Himalayas around Nepal and Tibet...

the Hunza Valley of upper Pakistan...

and other near areas.

They are also what had sustained the Mongols on the cold steppes 

of Mongolia.

And so...

they are a perfect match to the high altitude mountain areas of Colorado.

I had actually researched them for a novel I was planning to write...

and here they were...

right in my backyard...

so to speak.

I drove through Woodland Park and down the highway for just a bit more.

My destination...

Manitou Springs.

It is this beautiful community of niche shops and a festive atmosphere.

The temperature when I left home around noon was 38 Degrees F (3.3 C)...

but at Manitou Springs...

being over 3,200 ft. (about 1 kilometer) lower than my elevation...

it was in the low to mid 50 degrees F (About 12 C).

I drove with all my windows open...

as the song on this article played.

It felt like summer here...

and I played this song over and over...

there and back...

singing the whole way  :)

(Hot Fun In The Summertime)

What an absolutely gorgeous day.

I parked at an inexpensive lot and walked through the downtown area.

It had the ambiance...

the mixture of a festive and fun atmosphere...

along with a bunch of niche shops which reminded me 

of a combination of San Francisco's Fisherman's Wharf...

and Santa Cruz' Boardwalk and Pier.

These were two of my favorite places in California...

especially as a young boy...

and later...

as a young man.

There were side alleys filled with more shops and cafes.

There were various street performers plying their trade.

The line up the mountain is the famous Manitou Incline...

an over 2,700 step hike up a mountain.

These are two more restaurants I will be trying in the future.

I arrived at the Mexican restaurant I wanted to try.

I tried a tostada...

Torta...

taco...

and I got a burrito to go...

for Bandi.

She loves Burritos...

as do I...

but I already knew it was good...

as the other food was so good.

After eating...

I ambled back down the street...

taking my time as I looked at the sights.

People everywhere were smiling...

and in a good mood.

That is what I love about this whole area of Colorado.

People all seem to be in a good mood everywhere I go.

I still think it has to do with the altitude and natural beauty all around.

The crisp arid air just makes one feel so good all the time.

I have always loved street performers.

I just love their free spirits.

I love street cafes.

This sign says it all.

I love Manitou Springs...

and I have found another gem of a place where I can go at will...

as it is so near my home.

As I played this song...

I changed the lyrics to...

Hot Fun In The Wintertime...

and if people could have heard me singing it...

I think they would have gotten it.

What a free spirited day it was.

I think everyone there felt the same way.

As I drove through Woodland Park towards home...

I saw the major trauma and treatment hospital that I will be using if needed...

as it is part of my health care plan.

The relatively close proximity to this hospital was the main reason I had picked

my particular area.

I could have all the benefits of the serene mountain area in which I live...

and still be close enough to a major hospital...

and to many hidden gems to visit and to fully enjoy.

The crisp mountain air in which I live just makes every day...

a great joy to be alive.

I am home again.

I fed Bandi...

took her out to use the bathroom...

and now...

it is me time once again.

I think I will get some ice water to drink...

recline in my recliner...and read...

maybe even take a short nap in my recliner...

and later on...

I may grow some sprouts...

or make a batch of yogurt...

whatever takes hold of me in the moment.

In the house of Toller...

only Toller Time exists...

and this is what makes life...

so good.