Military Reunion in Colorado Springs, CO.

This August I hosted a large military group in Colorado Springs for their 2013 Military Reunion. These military men with their families get together once a year in a different locations of their group choice through out the country. Last year they went to Branson, next year they are going to Washington DC.
The group was close to 200 people and they stayed in Colorado Springs for about a week. We offered them almost 20 different tour options (2-3 a day) which included US Air Force Academy, Garden of the Gods, Cog train to the summit of the PIkes Peak at 14,115 ft, Old Colorado City, town of Manitou Springs, Seven Falls, Cave of the Winds, Indian Cliff Dwellings, Colorado Capitol, and others.
It was a lot of planning and preparation work on my part, but this project ended up being one of the funnest and most enjoyable jobs I've ever done! Many people came and thanked me personally at the end, we exchanged phone numbers  and email addresses, friendships were made, new lessons learned, and some new ideas got planted into my "business head".
I am looking forward for more Military and other groups to serve in the future!

Colorado Indian summer.

Garden of the Gods with Pikes Peak on the background.

One of almost natives.

"Not Native but I got here as fast as I could" - this is common bumper sticker you will find on vehicles of those people who live here and truly love Colorado. I consider myself one of them, hence few years ago I started professionally showing it to others (after I practiced it for 10 years on my relatives and friends).
Colorado is beautiful colorful state, and also the most mountainous state. We've got Rocky Mountains! They came with 320 sunny days a year, very mild winter, hot summer, warm, long and very  pleasant fall.  Most people who come to visit Colorado, come to see natural  beauty, wildlife, mountains, canyons, water falls. It is not like busy New York City or partying Miami, but it is true USA too. 

Things to do in Colorado Springs

If you think of coming to Colorado Springs and spending some time here, I have a few ideas for you. There is always plenty to do here at 6035 feet above sea level. There are endless activities to keep you busy for a day or a month.
First of all - do a tour and get outside! It is literally essential in Colorado! Go hiking (or just leisurely walking) on one of many Colorado Springs hiking trails which are free and beautiful. You will be amazed by these mountain views, clean air, blue sky 325 days a year. With abundance of wildlife , you might get lucky and come across of some deer, big horn sheep, red fox, or coyote, not to even mention tons of birds, squirrels, chipmunks and some other small curios Colorado creatures.
If you are not a hiker, you can also ride a horse (there are several stables in town which  offer 1, 2 , or 3 hour long packages), or do some regular or mountain biking, but consider the weather. You don't want to start your riding experience at 11 a.m. in July, simply because it gets too hot in the afternoon. You can also try your hands and feet at rock climbing. Colorado Springs is a mecca for scaling rock. Garden of the Gods has some excellent classes for beginners  as well as for advanced climbers.
So, get up before 8 a.m. and get outside, you won't regret it.
After your outdoor time have lunch at one of downtown Colorado Springs or Manitou Springs, or Old Colorado City restaurants. Study the sculptures on an art walk as you are digesting your food, or try some mineral waters if in Manitou. The water is free and you can locate several drinking fountains in town. Manitou Springs also have a great shopping  opportunities as well as Cave of the Winds, Indian Cliff Dwellings Museum, and it's own Castle - Miramont Castle.
Number one attraction of Colorado Springs is Garden of the Gods. It is a city park created of natural giant red rocks. This place is rich in scenery and history. Make sure you visit it. Just south of the Garden of the Gods you will find yourself in Old Colorado City - the oldest part of town which used to be not a mining town, but mining supply town with bunch of saloons. The story of that era best represented in the Ghost Town Museum -well thought and put together exhibit .
One of the most popular things to do here is to ride on the Pikes Peak Cog Railway to the summit of Pikes Peak at 14,115 feet. It is half a day adventure where you will have free hour at the summit.
Make sure you go tour United States Air Force Academy (including their infamous Chapel) and Olympic Training Center just east of Colorado Springs downtown. Those tours are free and very educational, but be prepared to do some walking (about a mile total at the Academy and little less at the Olympic Center).
Downtown Colorado Springs is very clean and neat. My favorite place to visit there is Pioneers Museum (it's in the former county court house). Just north of it you will find Fine Art museum, next door is one of the best in the world Money Museum, followed by Colorado College campus with it's unique grounds and architecture. Visiting all these and other places require having a car or some other transportation in town since distances are not short. If you don't have a vehicle, consider hiring Colorado Personal Tour Guide for a few hours or days depending on your budget and time line.
Whatever you choose to do, I promise you will have a great time in Colorado Springs all year around! 

Colorado Springs fire 2012

We are all in shock here. Last Saturday afternoon during my son's baseball game, we spotted smoke on the mountain side. We all decided it must be a house fire because it looked very close to town. Just an hour later this smoke pole grew into a much bigger one, and we've learned it was Waldo Canyon fire. 

The weather in Colorado has been extremely hot since mid June - no rain and very low humidity. All these factors created perfect conditions for this fire to grow quickly. For us personally, it's a little better now than it was 2 days ago. The fire is moving north, and we live in southern Colorado Springs. We have not been told to evacuate, but we have our things ready. It is smoky and we feel a bit panicky as we are only about 12-14 miles away from the fire now. Yesterday this fire moved on the grounds of the Air Force Academy, and NOW (after 4 days of burning) federal sources are finally getting involved. President Obama will arrive tomorrow, so we hope things will get better very soon.

Meanwhile, I've been taking tourists outside of the city, down south to the Royal Gorge and rafting on the Arkansas River. Garden of the Gods is closed (fire is just west of it) and very smoky, many other popular attractions are closed too. 

From Colorado Springs to Yellowstone

Few days ago I took an experimental road trip from Colorado Springs to Yellowstone and Grand Tetons National Parks. I wanted to do this trip for a long time, and finally my desire came to action! Now I feel ready to take clients there if they ask me to do it, though I'd say it is at least 4 days long trip, five would be even better. It take around 9-10 hours of driving to get to those parks from Colorado Springs, no traffic problems in Wyoming :)) So, you need two solid days just for the commute, and then few days to both parks. Yellowstone is exotic, very alive and beautiful, and Tetons are really grand! We were lucky to see lots of wildlife - Rocky Mountain elks and moose, lots of buffaloes with calves, pronghorns, foxes, rabbits, and  few more small creatures. Seing so many wild animals was a thrill for my foreign group of tourists, they aren't used to such abundance of wildlife in Europe.  Personally, I was hoping to spot a bear, but I guess it was too much to want :)) But main subject of Yellowstone were hot steam geysers and fountains. I felt like I was suddenly on a different planet! Especially when wind blew over our way tons of steam and vapor. I totally would recommend visiting Yellowstone if you haven't yet.

This is our group enjoying simple western breakfast in Cowboy Cafe in Dubois, WY.

More Europeans will visit Colorado. Guess why?

About a month ago I've learned about new Airline from Europe will start flying to Colorado this year. If you are in the airline industry, you probably know how hard it is for any U.S. airport to land a new international contract, especially if you are not a major airport on the U.S. East cost. So, guess what? DIA did it again! Denver is a new destination for Icelandic Airlines.
Their very first direct flight will take place on May 10, 2012 from Reykjavik, Iceland to Denver, Colorado, USA. We are thrilled about it! Iceland is the most western lying country in Europe, and Reykjavik International airport is s very busy place, meaning we will receive more tourists, and as Colorado tour guide I'll get more work! :)))
So, welcome newcomers from Europe and Asia to Colorado!!!
Honestly, I have my own (kinda professional) reason to cheer this fact, because I'll have a client flying on that very first flight - it's a small group of senior citizens form Iceland coming to visit our beautiful state for the first time. We will do bunch of different local tours with them originated in Colorado Springs, CO.

U.S. Women’s Open at The Broadmoor, Colorado Springs

July 4-10, 2011 one of the greatest golf events going to be held at The Broadmoor Hotel. It is the U.S. Women’s Open! We are going, probably on the 4th of July. You can find all the information here.

Chaffee County or Now you are in Colorado

Week or so ago I've made a day trip to Salida, CO. This town is located a little over 100 miles south-west of Colorado Springs. The day was gorgeous, just right for me and my little adventure!
When you leave Canon City and continue west on highway 50, you are literally getting further away from Central Colorado populated areas and into the Rocky Mountains. The road lies right along the Arkansas River, on the bottom of shallow mountain canyon, and this drive west is very beautiful. I saw a good dozen fishermen on the river, a couple river rafts were going down stream even though the water is still low this time a year, twice I've spotted big horn sheep grazing on the other side of the river.
The coolest thing on the road was the sign where you leave Fremont county and enter the Chaffee: "Now you are in Colorado".

Colorado plan for next September

Next September I am taking a small group of clients to go on 6 days long Colorado Tour. We will start in Colorado Springs and go down south-west for a giant loop through Sand Dunes, Alamosa, Pagosa, Durango, four corners, Ouray, Gunnison.  I am really looking forward to it!

One on my favorite things to do in Colorado is to soak in the hot mineral water pool, especially if it’s outside. We will be going to several hot springs pools on our trip, one of them is Sand Dune Pool  in town of Hooper. It is large outdoor pool and family swimming center. Swimming pool, decks, greenhouse lounge, and family picnic area. The “Hooper Pool,” as it is affectionately called by locals, technically is not quite a hot springs, since it is fed by warm water from a 4,400-feet-deep well that delivers water instead of black, gooey oil. While there are over 15 different minerals found in the chemical analysis, the four most abundant minerals in the water are: sodium chloride, potassium sulfate, calcium sulfate, and calcium bicarbonate.

Both extremes in Colorado in one month

Both extreme temps took place in Colorado within month of February 2011. Beginning of the month was extremely cold with temperatures down to 23 below in the day time, and even 30 below at night. Colorado Springs schools were closed for three days - unthinkable event! But in other Colorado communities such as La Veta, schools were closed even longer - 4-5 days.
Yesterday, February 12, we've had temp of 71 degree during the day. How about it?! It felt like summer.
So, as we know, it's Colorado, and the weather changes fast here.
You can find our daily temps here.

Red-colored earth

That's how the first European explorers referred to the region of "Colorado" when they first came to this land in the late 1500s. This area was ceded to the U.S. in 1848 with the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo that ended the Mexican-American War  of 1846-48. Located in the Rocky Mountain region of the western United States, the state's abundant and varied natural resources attracted the ancient Pueblo peoples and, later, the Plains Indians. During the Plains Indian Wars (1860s-80s), Colorado's wild frontier was the scene of intense fighting between Native Americans and white settlers. Colorado joined the Union as the 38th state in 1876, today it's America's eighth largest state in terms of land mass. In 1858 gold was discovered in Colorado and that discovery attracted thousands of new settlers.

Trip from Colorado to New Mexico

I love hot springs pools. I've been to the most of them in Colorado. My favorites so far are Pagosa Springs, Glenwood Springs and Mount Princeton. I've heard a lot of good about Steamboat hot springs. It's a bit out of our way, but when the occassion arrises we'll take a drive and sample the Steamboat water.

In December my husband and I found some free time and decided to visit Ojo Caliente, New Mexico for the first time. Drive time from Colorado Springs, CO is aproximately 5 hours. Ojo Caliente hot springs resort is located in a secluded valley high in the rocky deserts of Northern New Mexico.

Ojo Caliente Mineral Springs undoubtedly was a sacred therapeutic area long before the Spaniards arrived there. As well, they claim to be the oldest hot springs in North America. What makes this place different from many other hot springs is a combination of four unique minerals that well up with the waters in this area. Guests can choose between natural springs with lithium, iron, soda and arsenic. My favorite was an iron pool. Not so much for the iron itself, but the evening temperature was a chilly 14 degrees outside and this pool had a very comfortable water temperature to be in while outside. I also tried out the arsenic steam room - I enjoyed it a lot! I was also hoping to get into some mud, but unfortunately the mud bath was empty.

The thing that struck me the most was the number of stars I could see in the sky. I think there were millions of them, literally. I love stargazing, and I do it often during the summer in Colorado. But that night in Ojo Caliente was the most spectacular night sky ever! I felt like I've never seen the night sky before.

Ojo Caliente was a pleasure to visit and we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. This is one little trip I would recommend to anyone who likes hot springs. We definitely enjoyed neighboring New Mexico - it was full of fun and lots of relaxation.



In Taos, New Mexico



It would be nice...

To have a partner to share interests and passions. In my case, I would love to have someone to visit all the cool places in Colorado. Recently I met John Fielder at one of my professional monthly meetings in Denver. If you don't know who he is, he is the most recognized and accomplished photographers of Colorado. He has his own Gallery on Santa Fe Drive in Denver. 

He spoke to us so passionately about preserving Colorado's beauty for the future generations. It’s obvious to me how much he enjoys the searching through Colorado to all those special places for the perfect photo’s. Totally not surprised, but very impressed that he has the awesome ability to give the directions off the top of his head to any place in the State he's been to. He truly has a love for all this business of traveling through the area. 

Wouldn't it be great for all of us to have our perfect partner and to share the passion?


Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs, CO



Ski season is here again.

Last Sunday I went skiing at Loveland ski area in Loveland, CO. It was my opening of the ski season and first time in Loveland. I liked it there. Not too busy, but plenty of powder to enjoy. The weather was beautiful, a little windy, but it wasn't cold at the base.

My two favorite activities in this world are whitewater rafting in the summer and downhill skiing in the winter. I just love it! One thing that makes skiing even better is a visit to an outdoor mineral hot springs pool at the end of a long day of skiing. There are few ideal places in Colorado that come to mind: Glenwood Springs, Mount Princeton resort (not too far from Monarch) and Steamboat Springs. Of course in Colorado, there are a few other places as well. I am hoping to make a trip to Monarch/Mnt.Princeton with my friends over the Christmas break. Wish me luck! 

Young musicians travel to Colorado in 2011

Lately I've been working a lot on planning touring and performing itineraries for large groups of young people which will come to Colorado Springs April and May 2011. 

I had no idea how many high school musicians from all over the country come to Colorado every spring! April and May are two major high school music months. Many different choirs and bands ride their school buses from Texas, Louisiana, Alabama, Kansas, Oklahoma, Iowa, and even Florida and Georgia (I mean that's fa-a-ar). They usually add a couple days of fun to their trips for the kids to sightsee our area and to visit our cool places. That's where I'll be hopping up on the bus to direct the driver and to tell all the stories about Colorado - Rocky mountains, wild west, gold rush time, etc. As any tour guide, I have to spice it up for the tourists, and often the only way to do it is to make up some funny or wild stories. These are usually the most memorable ones for everyone. :))

Happy Thanksgiving 2010!

Happy Thanksgiving Day to all my friends, relatives and clients! I am appreciative and thankful for all and each of you! I also have many other things in life to be thankful for, and hope you are feeling the same way.

2010 Colorado season is over

Usually Colorado has a beautiful long fall, and this year was no exception. This summer I've been very busy with Colorado tours, especially in the fall of 2010. My clients were from all over the world - USA, Canada, Russia, Ukraine, Australia, Mexico, Ireland, Spain, Thailand, China, Philippines. Mostly I've worked with the private parties, couples, or small groups of colleagues. However I've been a step-on bus guide a few times as well, mainly for the military reunions.

Today I've spent lots of time preparing a small group tour next September. It will be 5 days long!

Basically we are going to make a giant loop through southwestern Colorado. This includes several of the most unique and scenic areas and National parks such as Black Canyon of the Gunnison, Pagosa hot Springs, Mesa Verde, Great Sand Dunes, Box Canyon (by Ouray), and more. So far, we already have 6-7 participants and it's very exciting!