Thunderbirds at the Air Force Academy Graduation

Most folks who come to visit Colorado Springs have some association with the military.

That's just how it is, and that's terrific. The military by far is the biggest supporter of the local economy.

This is a video I made of the Thunderbirds performing at the May 2014 graduation ceremonies of at the Air Force Academy. It will give you a little taste of what to expect if you are coming to visit for a graduation. It also is useful if you just want an idea of what the area near the Academy looks like.

Vice President Joe Biden was in attendance in 2014. Over the years, many Presidents have paid a visit.

If you are visiting, enjoy your time here!

JFK visiting the Air Force Academy in June 1963

Overview of Colorado Springs (Pictures)

I thought it might be useful for some to see Colorado Springs from a good vantage point. I chose Greencrest, a park located on a bluff which is a high point on the eastern side of town (though the suburban areas continue far to the east behind this viewpoint). This gives you a good view of the entire Colorado Springs valley (if you can call it that, it is how I think of it though it really isn't much of a valley). Personally, I like views like this when contemplating visits to places for the first time because it helps me to orient myself.

We generally are facing west in these pictures. You see Pikes Peak ahead, Cheyenne Mountain to the left, and the Front Range before us running north/south. Garden of the Gods is the huge red rock formation at the base of Pikes Peak (from this perspective), Manitou Springs is to the left, Ute Pass where the highway runs west (the only easy way west from here) basically is behind Garden of the Gods, running to its left as it enters town and crossing behind it to the right up to Woodland Park.

None of this is news to native Coloradans, of course, but visitors may find some of these shots of interest. These were taken on July 4, 2014.

We begin by looking dead south, then swing around the compass to the west and then north. I do change my vantage point a couple of times (I was hiking), so the area of view to the south becomes blocked in some of the later shots. It was a clear day with very light haze in the far distance and I think these give a good idea of what Colorado Springs looks like from afar.

If you are visiting, please enjoy your stay!

Due south, the mountains are to the right

The Sangre de Cristo range is way out yonder

Cheyenne Mountain is coming into view, as is the Broadmoor section of town to the right in the distance

That's Cheyenne Mountain, downtown Colorado Springs is coming into view

You can kind of see the I-25, it is that white line running north/south just beyond those buildings.

Straight ahead to Pikes Peak, Garden of the Gods coming into view

"The Pass" runs behind that range in front of us. That is where the forest fires of 2012 were caused a lot of damage. Garden of the Gods now is to the left, off-camera

That light-colored area is a scar caused by mining operations in the 1960s. The company that did it has long-ago ceased to exist. Volunteers plant trees there, which helps some on the southern part, but really the view of it hasn't changed much over the past ten years.

You can't see it, but now we are pointing in the general direction of the Air Force Academy to the northwest part of town

The same sweep again, with a broader perspective (lower lens setting).

South again, Cheyenne Mountain to the right

That's it - the built-up area of downtown Colorado Springs. That's all there is, there ain't no more.

Manitou Springs is directly below Pike's Peak to the left of Garden of the Gods in this shot

There's your overview, hope that helps.