Pikes Peak
Pikes Peak was one of the must sees for us while in Colorado Springs. We were so fortunate that our friends Bill, Leigh, Molly, and Doug were in the area for a few days to join us.
Pikes Peak is the highest summit of the southern Front Range of the Rocky Mountains and the most visited mountain in North America and second in the world after Mt. Fuji. It is 14,115 feet high and is located in Pike National Forest. The mountain is named in honor of American explorer Zebulon Pike.
Crystal Reservoir
To get to the top, you can drive or take the cog railway. We decided to drive so we could stay as long as we wanted at the top. We were fortunate to have a clear day and could see the whole way to the Denver Airport about 100 miles away.
Look at that plowed snow. It was several feet high.
In July 1893, Katharine Lee Bates wrote the song “America the Beautiful”, after having admired the view from the top of Pikes Peak.
Cheyenne Mountain Zoo
Cheyenne Mountain Zoo in Colorado Springs is America’s only mountainside zoo with an elevation of 6,800 feet above sea level. We got our exercise walking around here.
Mountaineer Zoo Ride
Scott and I love the zoo, maybe because it brings out our inner children?? This is a really hands on zoo with lots of exhibits and events.
Watch Catharine feed the Giraffe:
Water and Air
One of the recommended agenda items in our guidebook and on TripAdvisor was Seven Falls at The Broadmoor. While pretty – I didn’t feel it was worth the cost of admission.
They do have a zip line. Can you see it in the photo?
That being said the Broadmoor Hotel itself is free to visit. A lot of care and attention is evident everywhere you look. Scott and I were fortunate enough to stay here a few years ago so didn’t tour the hotel this time. (Scott says the golf course here is amazing for the views).
A completely free experience that we enjoyed was the Air Force Academy. There is a visitor’s center with some great information as well as a movie about the students’ experiences as they progress through their four years. Theses cadets are busy from sunup to sundown. Freshmen are not permitted TV in their rooms and have very few privileges. The campus is beautiful…
especially the cathedral.
Row, Row, Row Your Boat
I love rafting. Meandering gently down a snow fed river while the sun shines, you can almost fall asleep. Unfortunately, our rafting trip down the Arkansas River was the opposite. Colorado had so much snow this past winter that the water was raging, creating class three and four rapids. The water was so high and so fast that the rafting company moved our trip from The Royal Gorge to a different section of the river.
We don’t have many pictures since we were paddling most of the time. Three Rocks rapids is the name of the place where we washed out. It is so popular as a wash out point that people stand on the bridge above to video and heckle the rafters. Great! Our raft overturned and while it was only a few minutes, everyone was terrified. Another raft picked up everyone in our boat. Scott had a huge bruise on his bicep from where they pulled him into the raft. Two of the people on our crew were so rattled that they elected not to continue. Now there were only four of us plus the guide to maneuver the rest of the way. Fortunately, the remainder of the rafting trip was uneventful.
If you would like to see what our experience was like, watch the below:
WARNING: The video does contain profanity, if it bothers you, watch with the sound off.
Some of the guides elected to go around the re-circulation in the middle, our guide did not. You will hear in the video the narrator says “they will re-circ for sure.” That means that the water is being caught in a hole or hydraulic where a person or raft is pushed down by and pulled back up into the feature over and over again.
We feel fortunate to have survived.
We stopped by the free observation area at Royal Gorge later that day since we were close.
Extreme Hiking in Manitou Springs
Have you ever heard of the Manitou Springs Incline? I hadn’t until very recently. The Manitou Springs Incline or simply the Incline, is a popular hiking trail rising above Manitou Springs, Colorado, near Colorado Springs. The trail is the remains of a former 3 ft narrow gauge railway whose tracks washed out during a rock slide in 1990. The Incline is famous for its sweeping views and steep grade, with an average grade of 45% (24°) and as steep as 68% (34°) in places. The base of the Incline sits at 6,600 feet and the trail climbs 2,000 feet in about 0.88 miles. Since its closure as a railway in 1990, the trail has steadily grown in popularity as a hiking trail and fitness challenge. This hike is rated extreme, so of course I wanted to stay far away. Scott however wanted to do it and I, reluctantly, agreed.
We got there early and I was personally very disconcerted with all the in-shape people at the bottom. What was I doing here?
See the brown trail amongst all the green? That is the Incline.
Starting out…
View looking up….
Questioning my commitment…
Success!!!
Beautiful views. You can see Garden of the Gods from here (more to come on that soon). Incidentally, a couple got engaged at the top. An interesting place to propose. Their friends brought champagne and fruit which they shared with us to celebrate the event.
So you think your done? NOPE!! The Barr Trail is the recommended way to descend. This is three more miles of hiking downhill. I was sore for days. WTHRVDOING scheduling a white water rafting trip the very next day?
Stuff Happens
We left Durango and headed towards Colorado Springs. Rather than drive straight through, we stopped for the night at Lathrop State Park. It was a nice area with some really good views.
The sites were shaped like a horseshoe which made it a little tough to park our larger vehicle but all in all very nice.
The next day we continued on our way. I hadn’t unhooked the car overnight so near the entrance I stopped where the road was straight and checked the straps which hold the car to the dolly. The car had shifted back a little so I started the engine, pulled the car forward a few inches, put the emergency brake on to hold the car in place and got out to tighten the straps. After tightening the straps we were on our way.
As we pulled on to the highway I noticed some smoke in the rear view mirrors coming from the back of the car. I looked again and suddenly realized my mistake. Immediately pulled to the shoulder which was fortunately rather large. Have you figured out what I did wrong? Yep, didn’t take the emergency brake off. Both rear tires were locked in place as I drug the car down the road. Both rear tires were now flat.
I hadn’t gone too far so the rims were still good. We called the insurance company and arranged a tow to the nearest tire shop. Catharine stayed with the car while they put new tires on and I continued with the RV up to Colorado Springs. To make the day worse, when I arrived at the RV Park and was shown to our back-in site, I realize that the key to the tow dolly lock was with Catharine so I would not be able to remove the dolly and back in to our site. I would have to wait for her to arrive a few hours later. What can I say, stuff happens. You just have to pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and carry your ass home.