While the comprehensive city bicycle routes and trails map is (fingers crossed) close to completion and due out sometime this spring, Google Maps has just added a not-entirely-comprehensive-yet-pretty-darn-good bicycling directions to their already excellent maps feature.

While we might take issue with some of the zig-zagging routes and points of entry and exit, the bicycling map function generally finds the route that will keep you off main roads and on trails as much as possible. Here’s what we got when we bicycle-mapped a route from the KRCC studios to Garden of the Gods.

The function doesn’t seem to have made it to iPhone yet, but if you’re looking for something portable and tangible with single-track, we recommend only the finest: The Pikes Peak Atlas (also available at independent mountaineering shops and bookstores).

These guys are fun: laconic Iggy Pop + pacific Violent Femmes + old world Modern Lovers. Who the hell writes generational anthems these days, anyways? They do!

(Monument Park Pool by E.L. Fowler (Gift of Ralph Fowler), 1916. (c) Pikes Peak Library District. All rights reserved, 001-2252.jpg)

“Swimming pool at Monument Valley Park shortly after it opened with stucco building in background. A crowd of people, many holding umbrellas, line the sides of the pool. One person is diving in at the left of the picture.”

Hard to believe it’s been there since 1916. Without a whole lot of financial help, city pools will be closed this summer. Click HERE to learn more and donate.

Last year’s Meadowgrass Festival was wet and amazing and the lineup is just as good, if not better, this year. Here’s a sampler that includes live music from last year followed by free songs by bands that will play at this May’s festival at the beautiful La Foret. You can download the entire set of 9 songs by clicking on the link to the .zip file below the tracks. TICKETS FOR THE FESTIVAL ARE ON SALE NOW AT KRCC, 912 N. Weber, Tues.-Fri., 9 to 5: $15 single day tickets, $40 full festival passes for KRCC members at the KRCC Studios. $20 Single day tickets, $50 full festival passes for General Public. General Public tickets at all Independent Records and Video locations, and on-line at www.ticketweb.com. See you there!

(You can download the individual songs by right-clicking or option-clicking on the blue hyperlink or you can stream by clicking the green play button)

Songs from Meadowgrass, 2009

1. “Talk To Me Devil, Again” by Magnolia Electric Co.

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2. “Nowhere Good” by Edith Makes a Paper Chain

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3. No Title (“Marry Myself to the Sea”) by The Haunted Windchimes

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4. “No One Will Every Love You” by Sarah Borges

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Songs by bands coming to Meadowgrass in May 2010

5. “Everything is Moving so Fast” by Great Lake Swimmers

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6. “All There Is” (Live @ KEXP) by Gregory Alan Isakov

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7. “Buried Treasure” (Live @ KEXP) by Grant-Lee Phillips

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8. “The West Was Burning” (Live at KRCC) by Martha Scanlan

9. “Peace of Mind” (Live at Studio Bee) by Cahalen Morrison

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DOWNLOAD THE ENTIRE MEADOWGRASS SAMPLER:
Complete Meadowgrass Sampler

(Thanks for all your support, everybody. KRCC is made up of you and you and you! Leave comments below or email us at thebigsomething@krcc.org. Thanks!)

(ca.1980s, (c) Pikes Peak Library District. All rights reserved, Image 001-688)

“A uniformed police officer and a minister sit in a police car while the minister speaks on the car radio.”

Yeah, we’re still trying to figure it out, too.

(copyright Bijou Tomas. Click to enlarge.)

Interior of Bishop’s Castle.

Click HERE to see more photos from the KRCC Flickr photo pool.

Click HERE for instructions on how to join.

We don’t know about you, but we’re ready for Spring to be here. If it won’t get here of its own volition, we can take solace in this slide show of iris we ran last June. Hopefully this will get your garden in the mood.

78 photographs of iris is probably overly indulgent, but we couldn’t help it: they were myriad and many-colored and so, so …. sigh.

Why doesn’t Colorado Springs have an iris festival? They couldn’t be easier to grow in the Colorado Springs climate and to share with your friends and neighbors. In fact, HERE are some excellent instructions on how to divide your iris whether you want to give them as gifts or simply add abundance to your own yard.

Anyway, what better way to start off the week than with a garden tour set to music? (If you don’t want to hear the music and just want to look a the images, just click pause and advance the images with the arrows).

Thanks to all who submitted photographs!

By the way, if you liked the music that went along with the slideshow, you can download it for free here:

To read our post about the many wonders of the FreeMusicArchive.org click