Colorado Bound, Episode III

   Our second day in Colorado Springs took us to Pike's Peak. It is over 14,000 feet high and if the road is open, you can drive to the top. You can also hike it or take the cog train to the top. Thankfully the road was open and we drove our little Silver Bullet to the top. You should know that there are very little guard rails on the entire road. It was a little freaky at times.

Here we stopped at a little rest stop and reservoir which was almost the half-way point. Up to now, the road was pretty easy.

The mountains were so pretty!

The one photo where Gunther wasn't sticking his tongue out, but he still wouldn't look at the camera.

At one point along the way, we turned a corner and found a man on the side of the road with his skis hitchhiking. I stopped and he asked if we would take him back up to the top, as he had just skied down. So he managed to get all of his gear in our back seat and we continued our way up. Along the way, he told us that he has been skiing down Pike's Peak for 26 years in a row. And that day, he was out with some friends, but that he had lost them on the way down. While on his first run, he ran into another group that was skiing, and one of the guys had crashed and dislocated his shoulder. As we were driving up, he pointed out the best chutes to run down, the man on the hill with the dislocated shoulder, and the more dangerous chutes. He also pointed out a corner in the road that had no guard rail and was a 350 foot drop off. He said that if you managed to run off of the road there, you stood a good chance of not surviving. He also told us stories of how he and his friends used to drive up there when it was a dirt road and all slick and muddy. Neither Jason or I envied him those trips!

When we dropped him off at his starting spot, his friends were at the top waiting for him. They were 3-4 older guys, about in their 50's, and all looked like professional men.  They weren't your hippie bums like you would expect. Here they are getting ready for run #2.

And down there is where they were headed!

 According to this gentleman, the snow pack that you see on the side of the road is about half gone already. So imagine that being twice as high in the middle of winter!

We finally made it to the top! It was breezy and a little too chilly for my spring attire. I stayed outside long enough to take these pictures.

The cog train that you could ride to the top. I hear it is a long ride.

And driving back down the mountain, mostly in 1st gear.

Jason commented on how this would be a really long rock climb.

The view was absolutely beautiful, even if it was a little cloudy.

Checking out the different chutes for skiing on the way down.

Can you see the skiers at the top of the far right chute?

After hearing that one guy's stories about skiing Pike's Peak for the last 26 years, I have decided that I want to snowboard it. However, I will be doing a lot of practicing before I head up there!

Stay tuned for Episode IV!