Ahh ... Colorado Springs in the morning. Up early enough to catch the amber pinks of the first morning sun on Pike's Peak. After a simple breakfast at the hotel of those do-it-yourself Belgian waffles, I spent some time exploring the town. I love old buildings (they remind me of my childhood) so I took the time to drive around Old Colorado City  and Manitou Springs before doing some nice hiking around the Garden of the Gods. These are huge red rock formations jutting precariously out the hills at the base of the mountain. Then it was time to head north to Boulder after a very brief visit to the Air Force Academy.

The Frying Pan

I found a coffee shop in Boulder (not a difficult task, there's one on every corner) and had a quick sandwich and cup o' Joe before heading out to Louisville, where Doug lives. A great time of reunion, remembering old stories, catching up on the latest things our kids were doing, then Doug and family went to his performance with the Colorado Music Festival Orchestra. I stayed at the house and got some much needed practice time in. Later, when Doug came home, we went through a few of the tunes together. This is starting to get very exciting. Tomorrow, we meet up with the rest of the gang ...