Sept 3, Thursday Tom was busy all night listening to the Buckeyes; he found it on IHEART radio. It was not a quick win and kept everything exciting till the end. 45-31! O-H! We are off at 8:30 with only 240 miles to reach Colorado Springs! The panorama on I 70-West looks just like Kansas ought to look: flat highway, wind mills, golden brown corn fields, infinite horizon, hefty cow feed-lots, scant settlements and light traffic. As we traveled into Colorado the scenery was much the same, but the roads were . . . worse! Swinging southwest off of I 70-West onto State Route 24, the 2-lane road taking us into Colorado Springs was a bit better. We arrived at Cheyenne Mt. State Park at 11:30, where we thought we had reservations. When it was obvious that we did not have reservations, we were able to snag a campsite at a local RV park – The Golden Eagle Ranch; lucky because it is Labor Day Weekend! Although this park has all the acceptable amenities, it also had a run-down appearance and red clay dirt roads that promise to turn into a mudslide if it rains! Nonetheless, we dropped the trailer, walked Pippa, and left for . . . PIKES PEAK! Tom and I had both done Pikes Peak as kids – but never together or with our kids! We were camped 16 miles from the little Cog Railroad Depot in Manitou Springs that would take us to the top. We were able to secure tickets for the 2:40 train. Pikes Peak . . . is PIKES PEAK; is there any need to recap the notoriety of this mountain? It is called “America’s Mountain” and is a favorite with many ways to enjoy the peak: hike the 13-mile Barr Trail, drive the Pikes Peak Highway in your own car or take a shuttle, or take the recently renovated Cog Railroad to the top. You can also ride the train up and take a mountain bike down! Either way, the summit is at 14,115’ and it is the most visited mountain in North America. Manitou Springs is a strange little tourist town -- just this side of run-down with hints of 1960s hippies and head shops, but lots of tourists and restaurants. We drove straight through town and up a steep road that led to the Cog Railroad Depot. The train has been climbing Pikes Peak since 1891 and The Broadmoore Manitou and Pikes Peak Cog Railway is the highest cog railroad anywhere. The Depot and cog system opened again in May following an extensive renovation – everything was fresh and new. Our seats were assigned, and we were three abreast, knee-to-knee facing another family. We were riding up the mountain facing backward, and would be facing forward on the way down. Starting out the 8.5 mile trip was steep with limited views as the train climbed up a narrow gorge. There was a swift-running, narrow stream, a caretaker’s house, and a waterfall that was higher than Niagara Falls – NOT TALLELR – just at a higher elevation! Our conductor kept up an animated narration, pointing out features . . . and telling some lame jokes (like the one about Niagara Falls.) Eventually, the scenery opened up for views of the lower and the upper elevations; Ultimately, we left the tree-line and the entire view opened up for some great visions. At the top was the newly-minted Visitor’s Center; our conductor made us repeat after her several times: “The train will leave to go down promptly at 4:40. If you are late – you are called a hiker!” The Visitor’s Center was very nice and surrounded by look-out platforms on every side. Unfortunately, the outside of the center was still under heavy renovation, and it was inconvenient and not very pretty. One thing we were completely unprepared was the 60% oxygen available at that 14,000 elevation! Into Thin Air! When I first felt the wobbly knees, giddy mind-set, and unbalanced walking, I thought it would go away as I became acclimatized. It did not, and our whole time on the top was a sort of other-worldly and “heady” experience. (Rocky Mountain HIGH – I get it!) The return trip was slower than the summit trip – the cog goes 10 mph up the hill and 8 mph down the hill. The Conductor told us that the train had three sets of brakes! Although we had thought to go out to eat in the evening, it was peak time on a busy Laborday, Friday night weekend. At the camper we grilled hamburgers and fixed Mac & Cheese (thank-you Bob Evans!)
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October 2021
We don’t go camping any more . . . we go ‘streamin’ ! The “SIlvermine and His” is our 2018 25' Airstream Serenity with Salsa interior and front twin beds., and ‘streamin’ is the name we use to describe our adventures. Stream along as we document everything from weekend trips to longer summer excursions and full-blown vacations. You know what they say: if you’re not in an Airstream – you’re just camping!
Tom & Ella Brown |