The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1884-02-21
GARDEN OF THE GODS.

No one should try to paint the ssGardel
OF the Gods When you see it's vivi.
reds transferred to canvas, they becom
too realistic, too glazing. The naillieu il
requires is the free air, and for backgroun,
the Colorado sky. When you approach
this garden about mile south of Glel
Eyrie, winding gradually along the mes,
TO its mighty gates, you see two tower
ing, colossal slabs of rocks ranging them
selves at right and left, with q lowe
pillar of sandstone in. the centre, By
the side of which passes the road. Boil
these rocks are vivid red, the higher three
hundred and thirty feet from the high
est pinnacle to base, where some white
and green slabs rear themselves against
| the red. The aperture frames green-clad
mountain sides and the white cone OF
Pixies Peak. To enter the shrine with be-
coming humility, tuln to the right and
drive slowly along the road skirting the
northern rocks, toward the gypsum quarry,
you feel the veriest fly crawling by an i'm
rmense expanse, on and on you go, past its
eroded sides, where wave and wind and
stone have worn smooth and circular cav
tiles. The water line still seems to ripple
along the sandstone. Near the summit is
small circular aperture, framing bit Of
blue; you think your hand, or at most
your hat, would cover it, but it is large
enough to permit the passage of a wagon
and horses. were such furnished with wings
to reach it. The gateway passed, you are
within the garden driving away over red
road, past red slopes thinly grass-sown and
strewn with red rocks, and you understand
why the country was named Colorado
s'colored." The gods had rare Titanic
sport in this their garden. There are
ruined temples, gigantic mushrooms, gar
goyles, sarcophagi, unknown monsters,
prows of ships, peering faces, stone giants.
Some are named, others you may christen
to your liking. On the inner side of the
gateway is lion in profile, and the guides
will point to you the seal, bear, frog, st.
Patrick, His Satanic Majesty, and the rest
Of the statue gallery. Up hill and down
dale you ride, till at the last summit is
the Balance rock, big and square and red,
estimated at weighing three hundred tons
and poised on a point of rock as if touch
from your finger would send it crashing
down. But not even the most persistent
blizzard has SO far swayed it from its
equipoise. Theroad winds down and joins
the highway to Manitou which is two and
half miles from the gateway. The same
trip can be made, with Manitou as start
ing point, entering the garden by the bal
anced rock, which some one has felicitously
termed the ''back gateway" and so on to
Glen Eyrie beyond. An inexhaustible SUBJ
terranean stream has just been discover cd
here which may possibly be used to in
crease the water supply of Colorado
Springs.
Pixies PEAK.
The Pixies Peak Railroad Improvement
Company has just been Incorporated at Col
orado Springs, with capital of $500, 1000. Its
object is to construct a railway to the sum-
NIT of Pike Peak by which the trip may
be made in four hours. This will enable
a vast number of persons, who have been
hitherto debarred by the fatigue of long
ride, on the discomfort felt from remain
ing for hours at a high altitude, to see the
most celebrated peak Of the Rockies. The
company hopes to have the line in opera.
ton during the present year. The old
fashioned method of ascending Pixies
Peak is by a ride on horse or burro. Over
live thousand persons visited the peak in
this way last summer. The journey from
Manitou is usually begun at seven a.m.,
and with fast riding may be made in day.
The route lies through Englemann's can
yon and passes Cameron s Cone. At tim
Der line is Lake Moraine, large sheet of
water, portion of which may possibly be
diverted down..the mountain side some day
to supply the growing needs of Manitou
and Colorado Springs. The Pixies Peak
trail from Colorado Springs lies through
Bear Greek Canyon, the road to which
branches off southwark at Colorado City.
The flora in the canyon has struck happy
medium between the density of the tropics
and the spare delicacy of eastern woods.
It is thick, broad -leaved, brilliant and lux
uriant-it is also feathery, dainty and fra
grant. AS you ascend in an afternoon
journey leaving woods behind, the path is
stony, narrow, and bare, with precipice
and noisy stream below on one side and a
blank wall of granite high above, on the
other. In every direction the glance meets
the brown SUBMITS of mountains, bristling
with ruined pines, whose scathed trunks
stand as so many reproaches to the light
ming which had robbed them of their ten
der shoots. Lower down stray cotton
wood, in advance Of the season, extends a
bough of leaves, yellow as those of the
mystic tree in the Eneid. Bear Creek is
small Niagara long drawn out ; all thro'
the ascending canyon does it fall down to
meet us in succession of cascades. with
thousand eddies, ripples and foam tipped
streams. AT sunset the last wooded tract
is passed and youreach Seven Lakes, which
lie just at timber line III 800 feet) The
Seven hakes House is capital resting
ing Of three stories, very neat and COM
Portable, the property of DR.. M. G. Smith.
Furniture and walls are of white pine.
fresh and Odorous. Roaring fires are built
every night and meals and lodging are
furnished to travellers. A pleasant and
comfortable way of ascending the peak is
to go to Seven Lakes iii a carriage over
Cheyenne toll road and at the Seven Lakes
House take one of the DOCTORS horses or
burros to the summit of Pixies Peak. The
Seven Lakes are strung lilSa the diamonds
of a necklace. In front of the house is
the largest, Where q boat SWAPS back and
forth at its broken pier Tall green pines
crowd round ii.to see their forms reflected
in it's oval looking-g glass. and above, beyond,
everywhere rise tile mountains, out of
reach,