Viewpoint: The Search for Something Better
We were feeling like maybe we needed a change of venue. Since moving to the area in 2005 we have enjoyed Lake Isabel. We have enjoyed fishing there, hiking around it, camping at one of the two camp grounds, using our kayaks, and enjoying the lodge.
But, 2005 was a long time ago, and it is several hours from our kids and grandkids. We pondered the possibility it may be time for a change, closer to the people we wanted to spend the time with.
We have made it our mission to discover a better place to go. Over Labor Day weekend we explored two spots. We made a trip to Paradise Cove Swimming Hole and Trail near Florissant. Nothing like an old swimming hole to bring out the kid in everyone.
From the parking lot the trail is a heavily trafficked one mile out and back trail. Our first hint should have been that it was described as a “Moderate” trail. The baby, the two-year-old, the four-year-old and even the six-year-old couldn’t do this moderate trail.
There are numerous cautions that jumping into the water from the cliff is not a good idea because the depth varies a great deal. You are told alcohol is prohibited because, well, it probably makes it more likely you’ll jump off the cliff.
As good grandparents we forged forward. You know how sometimes you can pass people and they have been drinking so much that it is oozing out of their pores? Yep, lots of those. The trail down to the water was steep and rocky. We were a little concerned about the young man carrying his less than a year old baby in some kind of front carrier. Didn’t look safe to us.
The water hole was not all that big and you really couldn’t wade in it because of all the people climbing up a cliff and diving in. Some of them held onto the “do not dive” sign in preparation for their jump. No replacement for San Isabel there.
We also tried Rampart Reservoir west of Colorado Springs.
Rampart opened in 1974. It opens in May and closes in October, partially because you are at over 9200 feet. There are camping areas, picnic grounds, fishing, hiking trails, and non-motorized water craft are allowed. It contains 13 billion gallons of water designated for Colorado Springs drinking water.
And you can’t get in ANY of it. You can’t wade. You can’t swim. You can’t even touch the water when you are trying to get in and out of your non-motorized craft. When you ask why, you are looked at with a funny little smirk, and it is explained to you that the water is for drinking in Colorado Springs.
It is all right if the ducks are swimming in the water. It is permissible for the fish, which are stocked into the reservoir, to swim in it and, of course, go to the restroom in it. It’s OK for your non-motorized craft, which has been sitting in the garage since last summer, to be plopped into the water complete with dust and spider webs.
It is OK for the wind to blow in debris, for rain to wash dirt and silt into the reservoir, but it is not OK for my frequently bathed children and grandchildren to get into the water.
It is a weird world we live in, where kids can’t play in the water. Don’t you think?
We will continue the search, although, the drive to San Isabel doesn’t seem so long and out of the question anymore, does it?