A "peak" experience. :)

We started our day heading up Pike's Peak highway, then coming down after a few miles when we realized we needed to fill up with gas before entrusting our Jeep to the climb. :) The nearest gas station to Pike's Peak is SIX MILES from the highway entrance, which is surprising since I am sure we are not the first people to want to fill up before making the climb.

The drive up was GORGEOUS! Fall colors (almost entirely yellow aspen) were in full brightness at this higher altitude. We paused at a reservoir with perfect, glassy blue water and a nice view of the summit, still several miles in the distance.

The summit of Pike's Peak is the one with the cloud over the top.

 

Incredible fall colors!

Pike's peak and fall colors.

It took us around an hour total to reach the summit (with a couple picture-taking stops :) ). Pikes Peak Highway is only about 19 miles, but has a very steep grade and lots of hairpin curves with sheer dropoffs and few guardrails; we were definitely driving pretty slowly! Once we reached the top, I found myself periodically gasping for air, as it was so thin! Since the day was clear, we could see a long way; they say you can see five states on a clear day! We definitely saw Denver's smog cloud hovering north of us.

View from the top of Pike's Peak, facing south.

View to the north from a lookout point close to the summit.

After wandering around the summit a bit and visiting the gift shop, we drove back down Pike's Peak Highway and stopped at a little rock shop (the owner of which had kindly given us directions to the nearest gas station before we went up!), and they had some incredibly weird stuff for sale! (supposedly all real...) Lots of fossils, including mammoth teeth and turtle poop. We bought a stone dish that was made from a stone with shell fossils embedded in it.

headed back into Manitou Springs. We ate a delicious lunch at Suzy Q's barbeque, sharing a pulled pork plate sitting at their outdoor counter, which made for great people watching. After lunch we did a silly tourist thing that I have always wanted to do: we got "old tyme" pictures taken at Olde Tyme Photography. We planned to have me dress as a saloon girl and Gavin as a Native American, but Gavin was uncomfortable with being bare chested besides a small breast plate, so he traded outfits to be a "gambler cowboy." The effect was pretty hilarious. We took several serious and smiley ones where the photographer posed us very precisely, then she had us improvise one silly one and said, "Nobody ever chooses the silly one..."

Aw, aren't we cute... :)

 

But this silly improvised one makes me laugh every time I see it!

While waiting for our photos to get framed, we wanted around and did a little shopping. I ended up buying a coffee mug at an artists' gallery while I of course was willing to spend $20 on because it had a kitty on it. :) We then headed in to Denver to check in to our airport hotel, as we have an early flight tomorrow. We met Gavin's brother, who lives close to Denver, at the Denver Chophouse and Brewery for an absolutely DELICIOUS steak dinner. Then we headed back to our hotel to end our trip with a very short night's sleep.

Though I am not a huge fan of road tripping, being much narcoleptic in cars whether driving or riding, this trip to the Southwest had some amazing things to see and do! Now that we've had a "sampling" of the Southwest, I look forward to going back and spending a bit more time, perhaps hiking down and spending the night at the bottom of the Grand Canyon, spending more time in the crystal clear waters of Lake Powell, white water rafting down the Colorado River, or finally getting to do our hot air balloon ride in Sedona! I look forward to many more adventures in the Southwest!

 

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