Sip, stroll and soak up the vibe

YOU cross an invisible border between ultraconservative Colorado Springs and Manitou Springs, its funky, smaller sibling, as Colorado Avenue segues into Manitou Avenue. Quirky midcentury modern auto courts coax you along, and you begin to notice shops with names such as Whispering Winds, Valhalla and Poppyseed. And you wonder when you hopped over the rainbow.

Nathan Tate, a friend and a transplant from Austin, Texas, my hometown, had told me that this hamlet below Pikes Peak had a special allure. The region’s Native Americans certainly believed so. For centuries, the Utes, Arapaho and Cheyenne converged in this box canyon, a neutral ground for warring tribes, to sample the healing springs and meditate among the majestic rock formations.

White settlers felt it too, naming the town Manitou, an Indian word meaning “deity or spirit,” and calling the rock outcroppings above town “Garden of the Gods.”

When my husband, Andy, and I visited family recently in Colorado Springs, Nathan invited us to his rambling blue Victorian. We figured we’d spend a couple of days here but wound up staying longer.

Nathan’s house nests in the hillside beneath the Pikes Peak Cog Railway and just above Twin Spring fountain, one of several in town. A visit to the spring became our morning ritual. Though the cool, sweet water is said to have more lithium than the other springs, each has varying amounts of minerals; their contents are detailed on metal plaques.

The attention to nature and health manifests itself in less obvious ways too. Instead of fast-food chains, we found a pleasing array of cuisines and consumables: Moroccan food at Tajine Alami, South American mate at the Mate Factor, Continental fare at the Blue Vervain and at the European Cafe, corndogs at Patsy’s Candy and fondue at Mona Lisa.

Most of these are settled along Manitou Avenue, the main drag, and its offshoot, Canon Avenue. Tooling around these streets my first day, I lost track of time in such places as Thymekeeper, an “herbal apothecary,” and the neighboring Mountain Man shop, where you can get black powder for your muzzle loader rifle.

Across the intersection is a museum-quality arcade, circa 1930s. It drew me back several times to play penny pinball and to “wager” on an old-timey tin-horse race. Wheeler Spring (behind the arcade) is part of the draw for kids: The peculiar blend of minerals in its waters can give sippers or sniffers a brief, giddy buzz. I took a sip and felt a pleasant little rush.

I got a different kind of rush at the Craftwood Inn, a 1912-estate-cum-restaurant. The rambling structure merges English Tudor and American Craftsman architecture, and its interior wood paneling suggests European clubbiness. Patios and dining rooms offer Pikes Peak views.

But the menu is the star. We sampled crab-artichoke bisque (outstanding), pheasant in filo pastry (heavenly) and a trio of tenderloins (bison, wild boar and caribou, each perfectly cooked and subtly seasoned).

The next day at the family-run Dutch Kitchen, circa 1949, I devoured a scrumptious corned-beef-and-cabbage sandwich and dived into a blueberry-cheese crumble. And, though I’m not a big dessert fan, I’m sure I could have eaten a second piece.

I then headed toward the 55-room Cliff House hotel -- a turreted beauty, begun in 1873. There I roamed the downstairs halls and lobbies, which form a sort of informal museum crammed with historic photos. Guests relaxed on the hotel’s veranda. Some nested in wicker furnishings with books; some readied for a hike on the nearly five-mile Intemann Trail just above Iron Spring on the western edge of town; or psyched themselves up for the Barr Trail, a grueling 12 1/2 miles one way, with an elevation gain of 7,258 feet.

I chose a gallery walk instead. I checked out Filthy Wilma’s, which has a so-so selection of contemporary sculpture, ceramics, paintings, glassware, then stopped by Phototroph, a high-end photo gallery featuring national artists and then Ruxton Trading Post, a cool antiques and Western-arts emporium.

I also cruised the Commonwheel Artists Co-op, which highlights the work of dozens of artists.

Later, we took the Cog Railway up Pikes Peak, luxuriating in the crisp, cold air and the 14,110-foot view. The railway is designed to ascend a 25% grade, and the journey, through aspens and cedars and snow, takes 90 minutes each way, with a 20-minute stop on top.

Our return to town coincided with “tea time” at the Ancient Mariner, a darkish cafe-bar strung with giant fishing nets and other maritime effects. The place is pow-wow central for many of Manitou’s characters.

We met Nathan for a couple of Mass Transit ales, a Colorado brew, and noted that, though it’s a locals’ joint, outsiders and travelers found it easy to strike up conversations.

The following morning, we drove to Garden of the Gods Trading Post, losing ourselves in the historic building that was by far one of the coolest trading posts I’ve seen. The New Mexican-style adobe houses reams of crafts, including exquisite silver jewelry by Native American artisans and irresistible kitsch.

We later meandered through Manitou’s Soda Springs Park, which hosts a festival almost every weekend. (On this occasion, it was the Buffalo Barbecue.) I roamed the booths, noshing on barbecue and sipping spring-water lemonade, purchasing sweaters from a Peruvian vendor and chatting with the town clown, who flits about in full red-nose regalia and hands out his card: “Dandy Lion, Busker Extraordinaire.”

Struck by the psychedelic-arty-woebegone tone of it all, I commented to Nathan on Manitou Springs’ surreality. He said that was the thing he loved about the town: the quirkiness, the ease of things, the laissez-faire.

I felt the same: Without realizing it, the two-day visit had evolved into four. Andy and I had been so besotted with the mountain beauty and so relaxed by the hang-the-clock pace, that it seemed we’d just arrived, yet had been there forever. Perhaps the lithium water worked its magic.

*

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX)

Natural springs retreat in Colorado

GETTING THERE:

From LAX, United offers nonstop service to Colorado Springs. Restricted round-trip fares begin at $313.

WHERE TO STAY:

Cliff House, 306 Canon Ave.; (888) 212-7000, www.thecliffhouse.com. Restored grande dame hotel overlooking downtown. Continental dining highly rated. Doubles begin at $145.

Onaledge B&B;, 336 El Paso Blvd.; (877) 685-1272, www.onaledge.net. Wonderfully restored stone Tudor. Regal, friendly. Doubles begin at $115.

Wheeler House, 36 Park Ave.; (800) 685-2399. www.wheelerhouse.com. Classic motor lodge downtown. Clean, mountain-rustic kitchenettes. Doubles from $46.

WHERE TO EAT:

Ancient Mariner, 962 Manitou Ave.; (719) 685-5503. Cool, divey hangout with microbrews, steaks, burgers. Live music weekends. $6.75-$14.75.

Blue Vervain, 56 Park Ave.; (719) 685-2400. www.bluevervain.com. Upscale Asian fusion and Continental; cottage setting. Entrees $18-$34.

Dutch Kitchen, 1025 Manitou Ave.; (719) 685-9962. Family-owned diner with good sandwiches, plate specials. Awesome pies. Lunch under $10.

Spice of Life, 27 Manitou Ave., (719) 685-5284. Neighborhood deli with dozens of coffee and teas.

TO LEARN MORE:

Colorado Tourism Office, (800) COLORADO (265-6723) or (303) 892-3885, www.colorado.com.Manitou Springs Chamber of Commerce & Visitors Bureau, 354 Manitou Ave., Manitou Springs, CO 80829; (719) 685-5089, www.manitousprings.org.

-- Shermakaye Bass