El Santuario de Chimayo

El Santuario de Chimayó is a Roman Catholic church in Chimayó, New Mexico, United States. (Santuario is Spanish for "sanctuary".) This shrine, a National Historic Landmark, is famous for the story of its founding and as a contemporary pilgrimage site.

Situated in the foothills of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, the village of Chimayó, New Mexico is just 40 minutes from Santa Fe along The High Road to Taos Scenic Byway. This special place has known for its historic church also features several weaving shops and delectable food.

By then it will be time to reconnect and see why so many journey to Chimayó. El Santuario de Chimayó, is known for its side chapel where the dirt floor is reputed to have healing powers. You’ll want to see “el pocito”, the small pit of Holy Dirt many people claim possesses remarkable curative powers. Every Good Friday, tens of thousands of pilgrims make their way to this “Lourdes of the Southwest.” The santuario is open to visitors 9:00 am to 5:00 pm (October-April) and 9:00 am to 6:00 pm (May-September).

Legend has it that a guy found a shiny crucifix in the dirt and took it to the local friar. The next day, it disappeared from the friars place and reappeared at the same location where it was originally found. This process repeated itself several times until the man and friar decided to just build a chapel/shrine/church on the location where it was found. 

Later on, legend has it that miraculous healings happened in the area of the church. A room to the side of the church was built with an approximate 2 foot diameter hole in the foundation. 

In the hole, is dirt that is supposed to have healing powers and people/pilgrims can scoop up some to take with them. From what I read, the dirt is replaced several times a day and over a year, 25 to 30 tons of dirt is used.

It was such a cute stop off . If you're ever in the area it's something I would suggest stopping off at, if only to grab some healing dirt.

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Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, CO

Cheyenne Mountain Zoo is the only mountainside zoo in America. It is located southwest of downtown Colorado Springs, Colorado, on Cheyenne Mountain it has an elevation of 6,800 feet above sea level. 

The zoo covers 140 acres, only 40 of which are in use. It is located west of The Broadmoor resort along the slopes of Cheyenne Mountain's lower north end. The animal collection includes more than 750 animals, representing nearly 150 different species, with more than 30 endangered species. 

The Cheyenne Mountain Zoo was founded in 1926 by philanthropist, Spencer Penrose to house his growing collection of exotic animals. In 1938, after substantial development, Penrose incorporated the Zoo as a non-profit public trust to the people of Colorado Springs.

I'm not really a big fan of zoo's. BUT when searching for things o do in Colorado Springs, visiting the Cheyenne Mountain zoo, is a MUST. On Yelp or Tripadvisor it is in the top 5 of things to do. So after almost a year here, we decided to visit the zoo. I have to admit, it was worth it. I wish I would've waited until the "off" season, only because it was expensive. But the views from the zoo are totally worth it. 

My favorite part of the zoo was being able to feed the giraffes. Although you pay $3 for a little bit of lettuce, the lettuce looks just like the iceberg lettuce you can buy for $0.99 at the grocery store, we were told that the zookeeper's make sure the lettuce is washed properly without all that extra residue. It might just have been a ploy to make money, but I didn't want to risk the health of the animals.

 If you're visiting Colorado Springs, make sure to visit this zoo, after all a trip to Will Rogers Shrine is included with your admission!

Location: 4250 Cheyenne Mountain Zoo Rd, Colorado Springs, CO 80906

Hours: 9a-5p Daily

Cost: Depends on time of the year, Click Here for More info

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Cave of the Winds, CO

Back in the fall, Drew and I went to Cave of the Winds and I guess I never got around to writing the post about it. Whoops! Time sure does fly.

Cave of the Winds is a cave in the Pikes Peak region of Colorado. It is located just west of Colorado Springs on U.S. Highway 24, near the Manitou Cliff Dwellings. Tours of the complex of caves are given daily. We ended up doing the Discovery tour, there are 2 other tours given daily. I'd suggest buying your tickets online in advance, there was a family that was in front of us, who ended up having to pay for the more expensive tickets and wait an hour for the tour, or wait 2 hours for the next Discovery tour.

The Discovery Tour is an easy, educational, 45-minute walking tour for beginning cavers and families. Our knowledgeable tour guides discuss cave history and geology and answer questions as you explore twisting paths under the mountain. You’ll duck under Fat Man’s Misery, marvel at geological formations like the Giant’s Bleeding Heart and see the Temple of Silence.

The tour it self was very informative, you're not allowed to eat, or have anything to drink on the tour, and they ask you not to stop to take photos, personally I think it's a stupid request, because the best photos aren't at specific spots, so like the rebel that I am, I took pictures whenever I felt like it. HAHA. 

All in all, it was a good day. If you haven't been to Cave of the Winds, I would highly suggest checking it out!

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Info:

Hours: Daily 10-5p

Address: 100 Cave of the Winds Rd, Manitou Springs, CO 80829

Parking: Free

Not Pet friendly

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Crazy Horse Memorial, South Dakota

Down the road from Mount Rushmore, is the Crazy Horse Memorial. We first learned about this monster project when we watched Youtube's version of "How the States got their Shapes". You really do learn something new every day.

The monument has been in progress since 1948 and is far from completion. The last known work was done in 2010. If completed, it may become the world's largest sculpture, as well as the first non-religious statue.

It will depict Crazy Horse, an Oglala Lakota warrior, riding a horse and pointing into the distance. The memorial was commissioned by Henry Standing Bear, a Lakota elder, to be sculpted by Korczak Ziolkowski. It is operated by the Crazy Horse Memorial Foundation, a private non-profit organization.

Crazy Horse was a Native American war leader of the Oglala Lakota. He took up arms against the U.S. Federal government to fight against encroachments on the territories and way of life of the Lakota people.

 

The memorial is a non-profit undertaking, and receives no federal or state funding. The Memorial Foundation charges fees for its visitor centers and earns revenue from its gift shops.

Your entrance fee lets you explore the museums and gift shop areas, if you are interested in heading to the base of the mountain, it is $4 extra per person. I did see signs advertising tour that will take you to the top of, but seeing as how it was the middle of winter it probably wasn't the best idea.

Overall, it was a good stop off, since we were in the area. Everything from admission prices to purchases from the gift shop goes to continuation of the project. I'd love to see it completed, but it seems like it won't be completed for another 3 generations! Maybe I'll be able to take my grandchildren there to see it completed!

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Additional Info:

GPS:12151 Ave of the Chiefs, Crazy Horse, SD 57730

Costs: $28.00 Per car – more than 2 people

$22.00 = 2 people in car

$11.00 = Per person

$5.00 = Per person on motorcycle,

$5.00 = Per bicycle

Free = Children 6 and Under

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Monument Rocks, Kansas

Since we were driving through Kansas, I looked up things to do as we were driving through. What I found out was, if you weren't in a major city, there really isn't much to see/do. When googling things to do in Kansas, Monument Rocks popped up. In my planning I figured out it would add almost 2 hours to our travel time, and since we were on a time crunch we debated skipping it. But the travel lovers in us decided against it. After all, when will we be passing through Kansas again? Not for  long time--hopefully.

Monument Rocks (also Chalk Pyramids) are a series of large chalk formations in Gove County, Kansas, rich in fossils. The formations were the first landmark chosen by the US Department of the Interior as a National Natural Landmark. The chalk formations reach a height of up to 70 ft (21 m) and include formations such as buttes and arches. The carbonate deposits were laid down during the Cretaceous Period in what was then the Western Interior Seaway, which split the continent of North America into two landmasses. They are estimated to have been formed 80 million years ago.

Monument Rocks doesn't have it's own address. I used Google Maps and followed the GPS after we got of the highway. But be fair warned, it is literally in the middle of no where! There are no signs that point you in the right direction until after you get off the highway and out of the city. There is one sign that says "Monument Rocks 7 miles -->" But that's when you're close to the rocks.

Like I've said it's in the middle of no where. There are dirt roads, farm lands, and cows! Be prepared for your car to be covered in dirt and white dust.

Monument Rocks it self is pretty impressive. It is privately owned, but the owners let tourists visit for free. (What else is there to do in Kansas?)

We were the only people there until we left. In total we spent about 15 minutes there, but that was mostly because we were on a tie crunch.  This place is really cool and well worth the detour. So if you're ever passing though and have the extra time, definitely stop off!!

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