Join me as I explore Colorado Springs’ homes, real estate, history, events, and daily life. Never been to Colorado Springs? Stick around and maybe we’ll convince you to move! :)
The snow is almost gone from Pikes Peak, so I thought I’d show it to you at various stages from the past couple of months. None of these are shining examples of amazing photography, but hopefully you get the idea!
March 14th - from the East Library parking lot
March 21st - from the top of the hill on Woodmen, just east of Union and west of Lexington
April 8th, 2009 - From somewhere (?) on Marksheffel Road south of Woodmen
April 13, 2009 - from the parking lot at the Discovery Canyon campus in Flying Horse (love fresh snow!)
May 6, 2009 - from the top of the hill on Woodmen, just east of Union and west of Lexington
May 18th, 2009 - from the parking lot at the Discovery Canyon campus in Flying Horse
May 27, 2009 - from the Hollywood Theatre parking lot at Interstate 25 and Interquest Parkway
June 16th, 2009 - from the parking lot at the Discovery Canyon campus in Flying Horse
June 24th, 2009 - from the master suite of our listing at 7612 Menagerie Lane in the Chaparral Point at Indigo Ranch neighborhood
June 29, 2009 - from the Discovery Canyon Campus in Flying Horse
It can snow on Pikes Peak all year long, but it does usually melt all the way during the summer. I found a chart of snow-free dates for Barr Trail, which kind of gives you an idea of when the mountain is usually snow-free. I don’t think the mountain is probably completely snow-free by the time Barr Trail is, but it’s probably pretty close.
Bummed that the Memorial Park fireworks show was cancelled this year (due to budget cuts)? Don’t let it ruin your holiday, there are still plenty of places to watch a good fireworks show! I think that all of the shows in the immediate Colorado Springs area
Fort Carson is opening its gates to the city for its “Rocking in the Rockies” Independence Day celebration, from 4 to 10 PM on Friday, July 3rd. It’s at Iron Horse Park, and if you don’t have a military registration sticker on your vehicle, you need to enter at gates 1, 4, or 20. The Colorado Springs Philharmonic will be performing live, and of course they’ll have fun stuff like inflatables and food vendors. Find out all the details here!
After every Friday home game, the Sky Sox shoot off fireworks, and this year their game on July 3rd was so popular they’ve already sold out, so they added another fireworks show on Thursday, July 2nd. Find more info on getting tickets here. I’m guessing the parking lots of all of those stores close to Security Service field will be packed with fireworks-watchers.
The Air Force Academy has one of the bigger shows in the area. It’s open to the general public, and the festivities start at 5 PM, and the main event - of course the fireworks show - starts at 9:30 PM. Read more here.
Palmer Lake claims to have the “best small town fireworks show in America” and I’m inclined to believe them - we went last year and it was one of the best fireworks shows we’ve seen! The population of Palmer Lake probably triples or quadruples on 4th of July as people come from all over to see the show. Get there mid to late afternoon to park close to the lake and not have to walk. You can bring a grill and tailgate, or eat at one of the places on Main Street. There’s a whole day of events lined up for the TriLakes area (note that they haven’t updated it for 2009 but it should be similar).
The Broadmoor shoots their fireworks show from the south end of Cheyenne Lake. More info.
Manitou Springs has a fireworks display - watch from anywhere in the downtown area. It starts at 9:30 PM, and during the day they’re having a Buffalo Bar-B-Q Festival and the street performers will be performing. Here’s the calender for the 4th of July.
I think that Green Mountain Falls has a fireworks show, but can’t find anything about it - it would be a pretty place to watch, though!
Another great mountain town is Woodland Park - they’re having an “Old Fashioned 4th of July Celebration” and fireworks will go off behind the high school. There’s a full day of activites, so be sure to check the full schedule.
Here’s another show in north Colorado Springs: Flying Horse (Highway 83/Northgate area) traditionally has a “members-only” show, but this year they’re opening it up to the public. They’ll begin at 9 PM. I’m not exactly sure where they’ll be shooting them off from; this is the only information I could find about it.
Castle Rock has concerts all evening, and an apple pie contest, of course in addition to the fireworks show in the evening. Read more about it.
Got an opinion about which is the best one? I think Jeremy and I would vote for Palmer Lake! One year we tried sitting in the New Life parking lot to see if we could watch several shows at once, and, well, we saw several shows but they weren’t very good from that far away. If there’s a better place to just park and watch, leave a comment and let everyone know!
If you’re out driving around looking at houses in northeast Colorado Springs tomorrow, stop by and see Jeremy and me at 7612 Menagerie Lane! We’ll be there from 1-4 PM, and you can tour a fabulous house and sip a free root beer float!
7612 Menagerie Lane is located in the Chaparral Point at Indigo Ranch neighborhood, just east of Marksheffel off Stetson Hills (here’s a map). It’s being offered at $200,000 and has three bedrooms, three baths, and a great loft! The master suite has fabulous views of Pikes Peak, and the stainless steel appliances in the kitchen are included.
You can view a video tour and see lots more pictures at 7612Menagerie.com, but it’d be even better if you stop by tomorrow (Saturday, June 27th) and toured it in person. Hope to see you there!
One of the many uses of Twitter is tracking breaking news - seems like every major news story now breaks first on Twitter, even locally. It’s the best way to get real-time local news and traffic - a lot of times you’ll see a tweet before the stations even have time to get a breaking news ticket on their screen. The 5 PM newscast is basically old news by the time it airs, because we’ve all heard about it on Twitter, re-tweeted it, and asked the anchors and reporters for the behind-the-scenes scoop!
During winter blizzards, the local media tweet up quite a storm, and it’s really the most useful traffic condition alert system out there, since it’s real time. Of course, it’s not a good idea to be tweeting or reading tweets while you’re driving in a blizzard…
So, here’s a pretty exhaustive list of Colorado Springs media on Twitter for your following pleasure. There’s a lot here, but I’m guessing there might be a few more that I missed, so please share if you know of others!
Colorado Springs is one of the Top 10 Best Places to Start Over, according to Business Week Magazine! The publication looked at the job market, unemployment rate, and housing market to come up with a list of 20 places to find opportunities if you’ve lost your job, can’t afford housing, or are searching for a higher quality of life.
Colorado Springs ranked number 8 in the list of 20. The data was based on a Manpower survey of 28,348 U.S. employers that was conducted in April, as well as information from the US Census, Bureau of Labor Statistics, and Zillow.com. Here’s what the found about Colorado Springs:
Companies planning to hire in next quarter: 22% Best job prospects: Construction, Nondurable goods manufacturing, Wholesale & retail trade, information, Financial activities, Leisure & hospitality, Other services and government. Population: 372,437 Average home price in January: $190,000 Unemployment rate: 8.5%
People that live here are enthusiastic about how much they love this city, so it’s no surprise that it would be ranked so highly on the list (and so many others, as well). See how other cities fared in the full article from Business Week.
The wildflowers are in full bloom in Colorado Springs! Some of the best viewing is just to the north of Colorado Springs, in the Black Forest area. These pics were taken at Black Forest Regional Park (close to the Cathedral Pines neighborhood, in which we have a house for sale, by the way!)
We were just in the mountains last week (Cripple Creek, Woodland Park area) and I didn’t see a lot of flowers blooming - yet, anyway. But, much of the Black Forest is a sea of purple, with some pinks, reds, oranges, and yellows mixed in.
The Meridian Ranch neighborhood in Falcon has some beautiful wildflowers and native grasses in the neighborhood landscaping. They’re planted in the center median along the main drives and different varieties bloom all summer long. They’re not native, but they are certainly beautiful!
If you’ve purchased a new home in Colorado Springs, the city will give you a certificate for a free tree! It’s called the New Home Tree Certificate Program, which was started to help establish tree-lined streets in the Springs.
Streets with little to no trees in Colorado Springs
Streets with trees in Colorado Springs
Here’s a few details from the city’s website:
The certificate can only be used at a participating nursery, including Colorado Tree Farm Nursery, Garden Center at Flying Horse, Greenside Nursery and Landscaping, Harding Nursery, Homestake Enterprises, Marshall Nursery, Phelan Gardens, Pikes Peak Nurseries, Rick’s Gardens, and Timberline Landscaping.
Tree selection must be one that is “suitable” as a street tree in the Trees for Colorado Springs information. Pines (not spruce or fir) are approved in hillside areas and in other areas with approval from the City Forestry office. Complete list of approved trees.
The tree must be planted along the street frontage (i.e. parkway/right-of-way area).
Spacing must be 20′ from the private trees and 25′ to 40′ from other street trees depending on the size tree you select. (See the Trees for Colorado Springs information.)
Corner Lot Owners: Trees must be planted 40′ from a corner to avoid any future traffic hazard.
To request your certificate, just complete this form!
I also just found out you can get free mulch for your landscaping projects from the city! Public mulch piles are available at Cottonwood Creek Park, Memorial Park, or at the Forestry Operations Center. More details here.
Though there’s certainly a lot of drama involving the city of Colorado Springs and the United States Olympic Committee these days, for now, at least, we’re still the home of the USOC headquarters and have the opportunity to view Olympic hopefuls training in our own city!
The US Olympic Training Center is open for public tours. You can see the Olympic Hall of Fame, take a walking tour of the compex, and see various athletes in action.
Of course, a lot of Olympic athletes have personal coaches or are professional athletes, but you can still see some of them training here, including the men’s gymnastics team and wrestlers. It was somewhat ironic to see the gymnasts playing table tennis instead of hanging from the high bar!
It’s definitely not an all-day activity, but if you’re interested in Olympic sports at all, it would be worth an hour or two! Free guided tours are offered daily (check for schedule and winter/summer hours). The tour was about 45 minutes long, and I’d recommend allowing about 30-45 minutes to tour the main visitor building, including the hall of fame.
If you’re selling your home in Colorado, you need to make sure you have a carbon monoxide detector installed soon - house bill 1091, the “Lofgren and Johnson Families Carbon Monoxide Safety Act”, which goes into effect on July 1st, 2009, requires sellers and rental owners of property “containing a fuel-fired heater or appliance, a fireplace, or an attached garage will be responsible for assuring that a carbon monoxide alarm is properly installed within 15 feet of the entrance to each room lawfully used for sleeping. No person shall have a claim for relief against a property owner or their authorized agent if a carbon monoxide alarm is installed in accordance with the manufacturer’s published instructions.” (from SpringsRealtor.net)
A carbon monoxide detector isn’t expensive - they cost around $15-20 and you choose from ones that are hard-wired or battery operated.
The bill is named after the Lofgren family, who died from carbon monoxide exposure while vacationing in Aspen, and Lauren Johnson, college student who died in her apartment due to carbon monoxide poisoning. It’s an inexpensive item than can save a life, even if you’re not selling your home!
If you’re thinking about selling your home in Colorado Springs, you can request a market analysis from Jeremy - he’ll compare your home to other homes sold recently and give you an idea of what yours might be worth! You can also text or call him at 719.231.9043 to find out more about the services we provide to home sellers.
Glen Eyrie is a private Christian conference and retreat center located just north of Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs. It’s run by the Navigators, and the property is not only beautiful, it’s also historic! It’s home to the castle the General William Jackson Palmer (the founder of Colorado Springs) built for his wife, “Queen”, in the 1880s. The historic castle has been converted into a bed and breakfast and conference center - you can reserve a room, have a tea time, or take a tour of the estate.
Though it’s private property, Glen Eyrie is also open to the public on a limited basis for hiking from Mondays through Thursdays (on non-holidays). They allow up to 24 non-guests at a time on the property to explore the 20 miles of trails. We went last week and hiked the Queens Canyon trail up to Dorothy Falls. Here’s a video of some of the natural beauty:
The Glen Eyrie trail map marks this trail as “difficult”. We took our three kids (ages 4 and under) on the hike and made it to the falls just fine; I would say “difficult” is a stretch unless you want to hike to the punchbowls at the top of the falls. Keep in mind they when they say “crisscross the creek” they mean “crisscross the creek”.
In all, we crossed the creek 13 times one-way. They were all pretty easy crossings, but Jeremy will have you know that he made two trips across and back at each crossing because the kids couldn’t cross on their own. It took us about 2 hours to get to the falls and back - you could go much faster without kids!
As with all hikes in the mountains, it’s a good idea to go in the morning or early afternoon to avoid afternoon thunderstorms. Note that Glen Eyrie is making a change to their hiking policy - as of June 1st, you’ll have to register online before arriving at the gate. For more information on hiking and tours, visit their website.
SpringsHomeBlog is all about life in Colorado Springs! Carrie Isaac blogs about local events, news, the real estate market, and local homes for sale. We hope you'll find it an entertaining resource, whether you're a current or prospective resident of our beautiful city!
If you’re selling your home in Colorado, you need to make sure you have a carbon monoxide detector installed soon - house bill 1091, the “Lofgren and Johnson Families Carbon Monoxide Safety Act”, which goes into effect on July 1st, 2009, requires sellers and rental owners of property “containing a fuel-fired heater or appliance, a fireplace, or an attached garage will be responsible for assuring that a carbon monoxide alarm is properly installed within 15 feet of the entrance to each room lawfully used for sleeping. No person shall have a claim for relief against a property owner or their authorized agent if a carbon monoxide alarm is installed in accordance with the manufacturer’s published instructions.” (from 
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