I’ve been trying to squeeze in a few last minute adventures before 2018 is over, so I decided to drive south and spend a day in Manitou Springs. Manitou is about 6 miles west of Colorado Springs and when people ask where are the springs in Colorado Springs, the answer is Manitou. Also in Manitou is a replica of native cliff dwellings and Cave of the Winds. While I didn’t feel up to spending the day down in the caverns, I did feel like walking around the cliff dwellings.
It was brisk but sunny day and the cliff dwellings are fairly small. They are a good indication of what life was like for natives living in the area before colonization and genocide, though let’s keep this light hearted and just look at how intricate these dwellings were.
After finishing up at the cliff dwellings, I went down to Manitou Springs downtown. Everything was decorated for Christmas and I decided to walk to each of the 8 natural springs available to taste through the town. I even brought my race cup so I wouldn’t use up any disposable cups.
While the town offers official tours, it was only a couple miles out and back to reach all the springs and each one has an historical plaque telling of the frontier people who discovered them and helped establish the area.
First up was 7 Minute Spring. I didn’t love the taste of this water and each spring has different mineral makeups, with some being more effervescent than others.
Next up was a cluster of springs in the heart of town. Only the Navajo Spring was dry, located within the old fashioned arcade amusement area.
A couple times I got turned around but the whole town is pretty small, so I was never more than a minute or two off track. After this cluster of springs, I crossed the street to head up the road where the remaining springs were.
The final picture above of the Twin Spring was definitely the best tasting. I ran into a townsperson there as she was filling up multiple bottles. She explained that she used different springs in town for different home purposes, such as lemonade, tea, or drinking water. It’s nice to see free, fresh water for people to use. I currently boycott Nestle because their CEO believes that clean water is not a human right and is working hard to buy up the water rights to all sorts of natural springs so he can make a profit on one of the most basic human needs. To me, that is a special kind of evil. I digress…
The final spring was a hike up the road towards the base of Pike’s Peak. The road is primarily residential, giving a look into how the majority of Manitou Springs lives. That all the homes ran along a gurgling creek was a bonus. The town is definitely centered on its water sources.
I should have heeded the name of the Iron Spring Geyser. It is very high in iron, so it tasted like blood. Quite unpleasant. Then I had to walk back to Twin Spring to wash the taste out of my mouth. However, it was still a fun adventure.
The town of Manitou is really cute and I look forward to return visits and maybe future tastes of the springs there…minus Iron Spring. Once was enough for that.
