Sunday, April 26, 2009

A Weekend in the world of Spencer Penrose

So this evening Shannon and I just returned to our cozy home after a weekend of wining and dining at the Broadmoor Hotel in Colorado Springs. This place is pretty cool by the way. There are employees all around tryng to help you out and take care of anything you need. Every morning when I would leave for my ride out the front door the door men would ask if I needed anything, way cool. Not only that, but everyday when they came to clean your room they refreshed the ice bucket for you without asking. No need to find the ice machine, we couldn't as it was, they just do it.

Other cool things about this place is the history of the building. It was built in 1918 right after World War I by this guy named Spencer Penrose. He made a bunch of money investing in mining and hit the jackpot with a copper mine in Utah. In so doing he and his wife decided that they wanted to bring the east coast luxuriousness found in New York and Virginia to the Wild West, and the Broadmoor was born. Lots of cool history all around the halls.

In addition to this Mr. Penrose invested in a large number of different projects around Colorado Springs to attract people to it as a vacation destination of class. The road to the top of Pikes Peak was his doing. Refurbishing the cog train up as well. The Cheyenne Mountain Zoo is and was created for the many exotic animals he kept and then was given to the public. Finally the Sun Shrine a shrine to Will Rogers above the Zoo. All very cool things to go check out while you are in Colorado Springs.

The food at this place is pretty cool too. This morning, after exploring the mountains the some and wishing I had more time to get lost on many trails up above Seven Falls and Cripple Creek I went to sunday brunch with Shannon and her parents at the Broadmoor. There was so much food I did not know what do with myself except eat a lot. So breakfast/lunch was: 3 egg omelette with green chile, mushrooms, onions, and cheese; potatoes; cheese blintzes; eggs benedict no canadian bacon; chocolate croissant; assorted berries and other fruits; coffee; orange juice; and baked alaska.

After a very tasty breakfast we made our way to the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, a place I grew up going to when I would spend my summers in Colorado Springs while my dad worked at the Air Force Academy. They have done some great improvements, especially the habitats for the Rocky Mountain animals and the Asian Animals. Well worth another visit if you have not been there in a long time.

The other thing that I got to do was check out the Sun Shrine or Will Rogers Memorial up above the Zoo. I have never been up there, and it is well worth the drive up the steep mountain road. There are great views and you learn a bunch about Spencer Penrose and Will Rogers.

Well that is all for now.

Cheers.

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