Glen Eyrie Castle

Some of the most interesting things end up being in your own back yard. Glen Eyrie Castle is one of those things. Lynn and Jamie did a little 1-night staycation there and thoroughly enjoyed it. Did the High Tea, took the tour, and lived for one night at the top of the castle in a magical room. Also did one short hike of many hikes available from the property (for guests or with permit), short to long, easy to moderate. And stumbled onto some wildlife as well. Lots more photos are here.

At the entrance (far left) to Glen Eyrie Castle, a family residence built by
General William Jackson Palmer.

High Tea

Stylin' hats were available for the ladies.

We got to pick out our own tea cups. And among the choices was
Noritake "Marywood" - our wedding china! I took that one. Lynn
went for a Lenox red-flower pattern very similar to my Mom's.

Glen Eyrie is just to the north of Garden of the Gods, and the geology is
just as magnificent. Loved this lighter-colored, harder rock layer
dipping from the back/upper area down toward the castle grounds.

Two very old eagles' nests. First bald eagles, then
golden eagles, and now Red-tail Hawks inhabit
these structures. The eagles have long since left.

The view from our room at the top of the tower.

The Creamery, one of the other buildings on the property. General Palmer,
who built the castle for his family's residence, was one of the very first
in North America to pasteurize milk. He made a trip to Europe to learn from
Louis Pasteur himself. One of many fascinating stories about General Palmer
and his family that we learned on the tour.

We saw these big-horn sheep, wild turkeys, and a very large mule deer. We're
told there are carnivores about as well (bear, mountain lion, etc.) but never
caught sight of those. No pets or domesticated animals on the property, but
lots of these natives, who seemed totally indifferent to humans.

View of the castle from Dawson Trotman's grave. Mr. Trotman was the
founder of The Navigators which purchased the castle property in 1953 and
has been managing and operating it ever since as a conference and
meeting facility and, to some degree, a regular bed and breakfast.
This version of the residence was completed in 1909. There were
two earlier versions, both wooden structures, one modest and one large.

Upon advice from our tour guide at the castle,
we visited the Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum
downtown. Wonderful history museum, and we
learned even more about General Palmer.

General Palmer is in the middle of the lower three. To his right is General
Custer, much more famous for all the wrong reasons. General Palmer had
a quite distinguished military career during the Civil War.

In addition to founding Colorado Springs, General Palmer also founded
the Denver & Rio Grande Railway (D&RG). This photo and the above
photo are in the Pioneers Museum.

Lots more photos from our trip are here.