Wednesday, August 2, 2017 – Two years ago we traveled for several months through the western states on a different travel path than we are going this year but we are again staying at Colorado Heights Resort in Monument, Colorado. After staying in non Coast to Coast parks for a week on our way to Monument it made us really appreciate Colorado Heights Resort which is a Coast to Coast park. The weather here is so perfect that we’ve slept every night with the windows open and most of the day the windows are open and the air conditioning is off. We are surrounded by mountains and I couldn’t be in a happier place! This was one of our first sightings of mountains and it even got better from there!
Colorado Heights Resort
There are a few things we saw the first time that we will be seeing again. We did not see Focus on the Family the first trip, but we did see Garden of the Gods. Today we went to both of those!
These were hidden at the Focus on the Family property.
If you do not know what Focus on the Family is, here’s a little summary: Focus on the Family has long been a global Christian ministry dedicated to helping families thrive. They provide help and resources for couples to build healthy marriages that reflect God’s design, and for parents to raise their children according to morals and values grounded in biblical principles.
They produce a half hour radio program, in the studio below, which began airing in 1977 and is now aired daily on 2000 radio stations in the US.
Focus on the Family welcomes visitors to the ministry’s Welcome Center in Colorado Springs. There, guests can become better acquainted with the ministry via a self-guided walking tour of that building, as well as have fun with their children in the Kid’s Korner play area and Whit’s End Soda Shoppe.
The Welcome Center has had more than three million guests walk through its doors since its opening
in 1994, and is located next to the on-campus bookstore. Learning about the history of their ministry was very interesting but I have to admit the kids play areas was lots of fun! I especially loved their bookstore and bought a few things there!
Downstairs in the Welcome Center, young visitors were having a great time newly expanded Kid’s Korner. One of the main attractions is A-Bend-A-Go, a three-story corkscrew slide that’s 76 feet long.
KYDS Radio is where a child can record his or her voice on an actual Adventures in Odyssey episode written just for KYDS Radio. They get to take home a complimentary CD ! They wouldn’t let me in. I think I was too tall! Couldn’t be my age!!
From there we went to Garden of the Gods’ to see that amazing and natural creation of the one and only God. Last time we were in Colorado I wrote about our visit to Garden of the God’s. The rmountainous rocks are still the same rocks they were then so here’s a link to that visit. 2015 visit to Garden of the Gods The first part of that blog post was our visit that year to the Olympic Training Center. If you don’t want to see that just scroll down to the Garden of the God’s info and pictures!
A couple of things were different this time. They have a new place there called the Trading Post. It is a super gigantic gift shop that was lots of fun to stroll through.
The other thing that was different was that the last time we went through the park one time. This time it wound up being three times around. Their sights for which way to when coming to a fork in the road. A clear sign that said “Exit” would have been quite helpful. It started storming somewhere near the end of our first time around and we couldn’t even see the signs so around we went again. Then near the end of the second time around the skies cleared up and when we came to another Y in the road I told Roy to go one way which turned out to be the way to go around the park again! Finally Roy decided not to listen to me and turned a different way than I thought he should and guess what We Got Out!!! It felt more like we’d been around four times but three is bad enough to admit to!!
This rock below was left by me outside the Trading Post. 
When it was found the finder posted a picture of it on Facebook!
That particular saying was funny and people liked it. so I’m gong to make another with that same saying on it! I absolutely love painting and hiding these rocks. My hands are usually covered in paint, mod podge and glue and it takes time to do this. The positive comments I’ve gotten and the happiness that children are getting from finding them makes it all worthwhile. Mom’s have shared with me how much finding one meant for their child and one lady shared with me how stressed she had been and that the saying on the rock lifted her spirits. God absolutely uses a simple thing like a painted rock to speak to someone in need.
Ya’ll come back now, ya’ hear!!
Click on the links below to go there!
Wacky Wonderful Wednesdays published on Wednesdays
Some Things I Learned About Dementia published randomly
BECAUSE HE LIVES 
I lived in Colorado Springs for 13 years. I love the message of Focus on the Family. I visit my son there every Fall. What an absolutely lovely area.
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