Shopping could be nearly a full time job in this area if you’d let it, but this week we’ve checked out something out of the ordinary tourist shop, something I’m sure LeRoy has missed terribly. 
He checked out his coupons before we went and as always, came away with more than we went in to buy. But hey, it was cheap, right? Since we fly our American flag all the time, we had resorted to cheaper Wal-Mart varieties since it’s only going to last 3 months or so anyway. Harbor Freight had a nicer, embroidered one in just the size we needed for less than we have been paying. AND we got to use the 20% off coupon! How’s that for a deal?
Sunday, the 10th of July, was our 46th wedding anniversary. It hardly seems possible, except for the ages of our children. I used to think that anyone who’d been married 50 years was old, but I’m going to have to raise my estimation, I think. That time is just around the corner! In honor of the occasion, we replaced our 3-year-old digital camera with a new Canon PowerShot. Since I carry the camera in my purse all the time, having one that is half the size and weight of the old one is a real plus. And besides, it’s prettier! The last picture I took on the old Olympus is of the new camera.
Since we’ve been somewhat less than disciplined about exercise since we have been on the road, we’ve decided to kick it up a notch while we’re in Colorado. We usually walk about 2 miles in the morning, then another shorter walk in the evening, just so we’ll stay in shape to keep up with grandkids as they visit. Today instead of the usual walk through Old Colorado City, we hiked some of the available trails in Red Rock Canyon just up the road from us. 
Since the monsoon has been delivering lots of rain to the area, we came across lots of places that were eroded and muddy, but the trails are very well maintained in general. The combination of trails we hiked were about 3 miles and took us about 2 hours, including stops for water and photography. 
That mountain in the background with the cloud on top is Pikes Peak, a staple on the landscape just about anywhere you go in this area.
If you look closely just past the tree, you can see a white cross. It is on the grounds of a church just up the hill from our RV park and when we located it as a landmark, we knew we had to be getting close to the end of the trail. I couldn’t help but think of the contemporary Christian song, Thank You for the Cross, in another way entirely from what the writer had in mind! We met several hikers with dogs in tow (or maybe it was the other way around) and a few bikers. One fellow asked if we were on Lower Hogback Trail and we told him we thought so, although it was our first time on the trail. He said he hoped so, or he was going to have to ride all the way back up! I can’t imagine riding a bike up those slopes. Walking and breathing at the same time is hard enough. Downhill is much easier on the lungs, not so much on the knees. A salad and a big diet Coke sure tasted good once we were back home.
This week we’ll be catching up with one of my high school classmates and his wife, Virgil and Pat Yost. They moved to Colorado Springs after their retirement to be closer to their kids. We’re looking forward to lunch with them.
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