So I'm enjoying a musical performance at the Soda Springs Park Pavillion by Shakedown Street, a popular Grateful Dead cover band, and there's crowds of happy and anebriated hippies dancing around, wiggling their arms, heads and hips each in their mellow, laid-back styles. By the way, I really should have taken pictures of the dancing hippies. Foolish me!

Anyway, the performance ended, and Erin (the girl who once dropped her mocha and rejected me on a date offer) needed someone to stay overnight in the park to "baby sit" the sophisticated audio equipment from being stolen or vandalized, for they had another full day of performances happening the next day on July Fourth. I was sober and reliable, she reasoned, and offered to pay me money to stay in the park. How could I say no? :)

So here's a chronological pictorial of my night in Soda Springs Park in Manitou Springs! Enjoy! Love, Steve :)

Pictures from 9:30 p.m. to 7 a.m.

9:49 p.m. Erin was so happy that I agreed to stay in the park. Otherwise, I think it would have been her that would have been required to stay.
9:52 p.m. As the band was taking down some of their equipment.
9:53 p.m. There were vending tables throughout the park, and I got a great shot of this tie-dye stand before it closed up soon after!
10:11 p.m. Alright, here was much of the equipment I was keeping an eye on: Some speakers and special lights, as well as the "controls" (right) with all that wiring.
10:13 p.m. Shortly after 10 p.m., Soda Springs Park was virtually empty, with me sitting under the pavillion all alone. I started to freak out as I asked myself: What the heck did I get myself into?! ;)
10:52 p.m. Brian came by, a local Manitou dude, and we talked for awhile. Sadly, Brian was the last person I would have a meaningful conversation with for the rest of the night! :(
11:07 p.m. I brought the following books with me, which helped me reach Midnight. Why Americans Hate Politics is a classic by E.J. Dionne that I figured I'd flip through again. Also, I've found J. Vernon McGee's commentaries challening and easy to read. While I got you here, have you visited the following forums? Politics & Public Policy Forum Religion & Spirituality Forum Books & Literature Forum In the bottom photo, I appreciated McGee's expounding on the nature of prayer, and I think I paced back and forth in the park for a good 30 minutes having a private conversation with God.
12:02 a.m. I sat on a swing for a little while. Notice how good the flash is on my camera! ;)
12:23 a.m. I stood right in the middle of the Manitou Avenue & Ruxton Avenue intersection, and with the exception of the noise coming from The Ancient Mariner (site of the Ms. Pac Man machine), it was eeriely quiet!
1:03 a.m. This is when the boredom got really painful! I laid down inside my sleeping bag on one of the pavillion benches, which was quite uncomfortable, so around 2:30 a.m. ...
2:38 a.m. ... I drove my car onto the grounds besides the pavillion. (Photos from inside my car) 3:05 p.m. BOTTOM RIGHT: I didn't sleep too well in my car at first ... just look at me! :( Either I couldn't sleep or I had just been assaulted by a 35-minute campaign speech by liberal John Kerry. Ha ha! Goodness!
5:22 a.m. Somehow, I napped for a bit and woke up to the light creeping up to the east. I was so happy! :)
5:25 a.m. - Fountain Creek!
5:38 a.m. - A lovely array of orange cones.
7:15 a.m. Hooray! I was done! Looking at the park rules, it appears I only broke one law - sleeping in my vehicle. Now regarding driving on the grassy area, the sign says no vehicles on the sidewalks and concrete ... so for the record, I only broke one park rule! ;)