Day 6 North Cheyenne Canyon and Rockies game.

OK so this was our last day exploring in Colorado. The day before we found out that the Colorado Rockies had fired their manager so our trip to Coors Field was cancelled. So to improvise we went to North Cheyenne Canyon and decided to go on another hike

So we decided that the medium trail was our best bet and we had a blast. Throughout the trail there were numerous waterfalls and and rivers flowing and the whole thing was relaxing.

The only difficulty with the hike is that when we got to the top of the hill we had hiked 1,00 feet up in elevation. A lot of the trail was steep inclines and a lot of us had to take a break and catch our breath.

A long the way we would catch an awesome view of the city of Colorado Springs. It was a great view and with the waterfalls in the background it was truly awesome. We were also amazed that as we were going up we got passed by a lot of cyclists both going up and down. Those paths were very narrow and I was nervous walking the path let alone riding a bike on the path.

Coming down the hill was more interesting than going up. It was very easy to go down but the step incline turned into a steep decline and going down the hill was interesting. The path was slippery at times and we ere all in a hurry because we had a rainstorm on the way.

Now this is the twist in the trip that I just had to post about. On the way down the path a couple members of the group decided to run. When they got to the part where the trail met the road they stopped and waited for the rest of us. While they were waiting a lone cyclist was coming down the road and when he hit a dirt patch he lost control of his bike and slid down the road to where our students were. One of the students Mike, helped the guy out of the road and helped him to the side of the road. Our assistant athletic trainer at Aurora, Nicki, came and assessed the individual to make sure he was alright. The cyclist insisted that he was fine but he had cut up his elbow and knee really bad. He also told us he had fallen before. We assessed him and immediately called 9-1-1. The ambulance came and took care of him. Afterwards we talked about the whole situation and what happened. We noticed that the bike was a one-speed bike and the tires had no traction. This is not good for riding up on mountains and could have contributed to his fall. But this was enough action for one day and we went back to our hotel to get ready for the Rockies game.

Later that night we went to the Colorado Rockies game to watch the Padres and Rockies play. The game was a good one and the Rockies won with a walk-off double in the bottom of the ninth to win. We then went off to have some ice cream and the retired to hotel to prepare for our trip back to Chicago.

In the end this trip was amazing, we all had different parts we liked and everyone had something that they were interested in occur on the trip. We loved everything and would not have changed everything that went on with the trip. I would definitely recommend the the trip to anyone interested because you will not get so many great experiences in one experience.

I have one more post before Colorado is over. I hope you enjoyed these posts and I look forward to the last post of this may term. Until then take care and enjoy!

Day 5 Flying W Ranch

So later in the evening we went out for a relaxing dinner at the Flying W Ranch. This was a working ranch and had an area set aside for tourists to go through and learn about the old west.

We went through the replica wild west town and just enjoyed the sighs and sounds of the whole area. We saw an Indian tribe perform some dances in traditional outfits. We also saw what the churches and housing complexes back then looked like. We also went into a tepee and walked around the rest of the town.

Besides walking around the town we went into this saloon looking area for our dinner. The dinner was a chuck wagon style set up and the food was amazing. I had a steak, baked potato, apple sauce and biscuits (from scratch), all the lemonade and ice tea we wanted. The meal was great and we all got our fill. If anyone did not want to have steak they had the option of chicken or beef that was barbecued.

After dinner we were treated to a western music performance. This was a good time to just sit back and relax and enjoy the evening and we did. The Flying W Wranglers were the second oldest western band in the world and they were a very talented group. After the performance we retired to our hotel for the night. The next day would be our last day in Colorado unfortunately but we have a fun day of events planned. So stay tuned for my last post of the trip.

Day 5 Air Force Academy Part 2

OK so these next couple of posts will not be as long as the others but I still want you to know about everything we did. So we headed back to the Air Force Academy to meet with Allen Hedrich, Director at the National Strength and Conditioning Association headquarters. We met with him at the Academy because the NSCA headquarters was hosting a symposium and we didn't want to get in their way.

So at first we had a 1 1/2 hour presentation on periodization and the various ways to set up a conditioning program. We learned a lot of variations to the basic periodization model and Allen was very helpful in answering a lot of questions that we had. We went through different cycles and different scenarios that can occur during a year-long conditioning program.

We then went out into the weight room. Allen showed us some different kinds of exercises and showed us how to get a workout in with water-filled kegs. We did a variation of squats and lunges and these were not that easy. We then went to floor exercise with barbells and Allen showed us how to do some core exercises with one end of the bar anchored into the ground.

The last thing we did was go through a shortened tutorial about how to do the Olympic movements with dumbbells rather than barbells. This was the best part of the weight room session because there were some people in our group who had never done an Olympic movement before and to get a lesson from one of the best strength coaches in the countries is not a bad place to start. After the session we thanked Allen and went on our way. We went back to the hotel and relaxed for a few hours because later that night we went to the Flying W Ranch. Until then buh-bye!

Day 4 Pike's Peak

Back again with more fun in Colorado. Here is our excursion of the day. After the Air Force Academy we decided to catch a train and take it up to the top of Pike's Peak. Where we were staying was around 6,500-7,000 feet above sea level. The top of the peak was over 14,000. As we drove around the previous days we noticed a big mountain the distance with snow covering the top of it. Little did we realize that that was Pike's Peak and that we would end up on the top of it.

To get up the mountain we took the Cog railroad and the trip itself was a little over 45 minutes.
We were part of a 3 car system that took us up the mountain side. We were told to make sure we had a jacket or sweatshirt with and we would soon know why.

At the start of the trip we went through a thick forest with a lot of dips and turns. We didn't see much wildlife but there were numerous rock formations that resembled things like an elephant, diamond, Santa's sleight, and a seal. We had a an enthusiastic tour guide and learned a lot of little tid bits of information about the mountain and surrounding areas.

As we made our way up the mountain there were markers that pointed out every 2,00 feet that we had risen. As we got about halfway up the mountain we realized a slight change in temperature and we notice a difference in the air.

At about the 3/4 mark we were 11,50 feet and when you looked out the side of the train we noticed how high we were. At one point on the trip we could see past Colorado onto the plains of Kansas. We also were able to see the tallest mountain in New Mexico. On the way up we also saw the largest gold mine in the world and many lakes and forests throughout the mountain range.

The closer we got to the top we started seeing snow on the ground and some of us in the group were getting headaches or sick. We found out that we were suffering from Acute Mountain Sickness. By the time we go to the top of the mountain it looked like a Chicago winter up there.

When we got to the top we were informed it was 31 degrees and that we were at 14, 429 feet above sea level. We had heard that at the top of Pike's Peak they had the best doughnuts around. I thought it was weird when I first heard that but I go to try one and they were actually really good.

When we left the train station is was 78 degrees and sunny and when we got to the top we still had the sun but it was 47 degrees cooler. At the top the view was amazing and we could not believe how far we could see.

On the way down we were told that the song America the Beautiful was written when the songwriter looked out over the mountains and was inspired by the view she saw. As we made our way down the mountain we could see how she was inspired and we all felt better as we came down the mountain. All in all we enjoyed ourselves and loved the journey. We have two more days in Colorado which means I have a few more posts to do so until then, talk to you later!