Western Trip #2 Day2: Pikes Peak and Manitou Springs, Colorado-July 9, 2019

When my husband and I came to Colorado in 2012, one of the things we planned to do was take the cog wheel train up Pikes Peak. We'd had our tickets for months that night we arrived in Colorado Springs to find the exit closed due to the fire in Waldo Canyon on the other side of the ridge. It was not that the fire affected the mountain, but that some of their employees had lost their homes and also out of respect for the people who worked at a tourist ranch that was destroyed up in the canyon, that they canceled the trips up the mountain that day.
This trip was my chance to take that train ride. However, when my daughter J and I started planning the trip last year, she discovered that the railway was shut down for major repairs. We hoped that it would be open this year, but no such luck. In fact, it won't be open until 2021. Then, I said the most insane thing- I'll drive up it! I've never driven up a mountain. Well, I take that back. I drove up Mount Nebo in Arkansas over 20 years ago, but that is only 1350 ft. Pikes Peak is one of Colorado's beloved 14ers. I hated the switchbacks on Mt. Nebo and I still remember them. There are sure to be switchbacks on Pikes Peak. And I'm driving up it today. I can't have J do it; she lives in DC and rarely drives. So, it's me. And one more fun fact- I'm afraid of heights. No, seriously. My daughters still laugh about how I yelled at their father when he stood at the edge of the Grand Canyon to take photos and totally freaked me out. So, there it is. This will be an interesting day.
We got up at 7:30 and saw that it was 62 degrees outside. In spite of our early rising, the breakfast room was pretty busy. It was the same kind of breakfast spread you'd see at a Hampton Inn or a Fairfield and it was good.
J filled the metal water bottle I'd brought from home with ice and put it in the small cooler bag I'd brought. Then, we added in our regular water bottles. Snacks were in their bag and we had jackets, hats, sunscreen, and the Scottish backpack. We loaded it all in the car and were off at 9:08 with the odometer reading 41648 and the car showing 76 degrees outside.
It was a beautiful morning. Yesterday's clouds had cleared out. The road cut through some red rocks reminiscent of Garden of the Gods. J did a good job of taking photos, including the first sight of the mountain. Now, in case you didn't know it, Pikes Peak is the mountain referred to in Katherine Lee Bates' poem "America. A Poem for July 4", which you probably know as the song "America the Beautiful". The purple hue of Pikes Peak when she saw it  is the "purple mountain majesties" inspiration and what inspired her to write the poem in the first place. It did not look too purple yet. In fact, it just looked like a giant rock. Maybe, it takes a different light later in the day...

 

In ten minutes, we turned onto Pikes Peak Highway, which started out with older houses on it. We were climbing a bit, when two minutes later, we arrived at the Gateway, where we'd have to pay. I took a look at the line and decided we should take advantage of the way station, as we didn't know when we'd find a bathroom again. So, I parked the car, remembering which way to point the tires on a slope, and prayed I could turn them well to get us back from the edge of the road/mountain, when I came back.

We joined the line at 9:31. J had prepaid our entry fee of $15 each online. I wound up turning off the car multiple times as we waited on other cars to pay their fees. The sky was clear and it was 74 degrees.
When it was our turn, the ranger asked if I knew how to use the gears in the car. Of course, I did not; it wasn't my car. So, she explained, kindly, even though you know she must get sick of doing it. She said to put the car in 2nd for the steepest parts downhill. J even noted it for later. A sign next to her window said that there was a 150-mile view at the summit and it was 38 degrees up there.  I thanked her, took the brochure welcoming us to "America's Mountain" and the card with a map of the road and answers to frequently asked questions, and we drove on at 9:45.
J told me some of the essentials. We had a practically full tank and I turned off the air conditioner, as the card directed.  As we drove along, I didn't feel too stressed; I could even enjoy the scenery. The Gateway is at 7800 feet. They actually don't let you drive all the way to the top. I wanted us to make it to the parking lot at mile 16, which is the farthest they let you drive. If that fills up, they force you to park at the mile 13 lot. In spite of my fears, I wanted to conquer this mountain and drive as far up it as possible, even though it struck me at times as nuts.
Our first stop was at the Visitors Center at Crystal Reservoir at mile 6, which is at an elevation of 9,160 feet. It was 9:58 and our odometer read 41661. Before going in the building, we took a lot of time to take photos. It was also a good way to get used to the altitude. The scenery was just beautiful. The reservoir was very low and a helpful sign explained that it was built in 1935 and the dam needed upgrades, so the  foundation had to be exposed. The water here is part of the Colorado Springs drinking supply, but that was not negatively impacted, because they moved the water to other storage reservoirs. They began lowering the water this year and the reservoir is expected to be refilled in 2021. It actually made for some rather dramatic photos.

There were some nice little flowers to take pictures of, but what I really liked were the signs telling you what the mountains were on the far ridge. Then, you just look up or to the side and there they are. Although, honestly, I don't know how they decide where one mountain ends and the other begins and the signs didn't say!

Eventually, we went in the shop and found some pins and postcards. We also found t-shirts that bragged about climbing the mountain. I got one for me and J let me get one for her for Christmas, because there was a deal. We did not buy this shirt, but thought it funny and appropriate. Read the fine print.

We braved the line for the restroom, which, like the one at the Gateway, was a glorified outhouse before heading out at 10:32. The views were getting more dramatic. J handled my phone, my camera and her camera admirably. There were a couple of switchbacks past mile 12, but my heart sank, when J said they weren't "the" switchbacks. There was "traffic" as we approached Glen Cove (11, 440 ft.) at mile 13 and we saw a lot of cars in the lots there, but we got waved on! J noted it was now 57 degrees.

The road got twistier and I really didn't like how close J was to the edge. Later, I found out, she didn't like it either, but had wisely not said anything in the situation. We were also getting above the treeline. Finally, we reached The Switchbacks after mile 15. They were long and not fun, but I did them. The fourth picture in this set shows just how tight they could be.

We were both very excited by the bank of snow we passed shortly before we reached mile 16. We could see water melting from it and running across the road. But, still, snow in July!

There were guys all bundled up standing in the road at mile 16, "Devil's Playground" 12,780 feet, directing traffic off the road to the right and down an incline into the dirt/stone parking area. I went down a lane that kept me from parking on a terrible incline. The odometer read 41670 and we started gathering what we needed for the rest of our excursion. We took a few minutes for photos of the tremendous view of the foothills of the Rockies and found we were easily winded, especially after climbing up the parking lot to wait for the shuttle. We were amazed to see people climbing up the hill and rocks on the north side of the lot. That would not be us.

The wait was not long. The shuttle was actually a van that seated quite a few people. They had a carton for us to step up on to be able to get in, which was very helpful. We were on our way at 11:20, and I was finally able to take in the scenery. The mountain was shades of brown, not purple.  There were some vans and private vehicles coming back down the mountain. We found out at the top, that handicapped folks can go all the way up in private cars. The driver warned us to stay hydrated to avoid altitude sickness.
At 11:52, we were at the summit. It wasn't purple here either, although I didn't expect it to be. I figure the purple hue comes when the atmosphere is just right. Anyway, you won't find a photo of the Visitor Center here, because I didn't bother to take one. The building is really rundown, which is surprising. You'd think they'd really work to keep it up with so many people coming here. Instead, they are building a whole new building, the construction of which was rather noisy and actually utilized drones. We did get in line to take our photo with a sign announcing we were at the peak of 14,115 feet. Folks were kind enough to take photos for the group either in front of or behind them. That's a really nice thing to see.
When we finished, we headed in the crowded building and decided we'd better eat right away. It was decided that I would hold two seats at a counter looking over the food line, while J got the meal. She got 2 hot dogs for $4.99 each, a bottled green tea for me for $3.49 as they had no Coke, a soda for her for $3.99, chips to split for $2.49, and 2 donuts for $1.99. It is traditional to eat donuts up here. It had been a thing I'd been telling people about. You can't bring them back down the mountain, because they'll taste awful. They are made for that altitude. They weren't fabulous, but they weren't bad. Having had Voodoo Donuts yesterday did not help us love these. I was feeling a bit iffy, not sick but not perfect. It was the altitude, no doubt. The food and drink helped a bit. I decided to just be careful.

We decided to explore before dealing with the gift shop. So, we went out the back of the building, which was the south. There we found a very different view-flat. We also saw the cogwheel railway tracks,which we'd seen no sign of on the way up. They must start from a different side of the mountain than the road. There was a summit sign here, too, no doubt for the use of those coming up by train. The ground out here was not level and had stones. To get down to the tracks required care. I took my time even deciding to go down to the tracks, as there was no railing out there. J, on the other hand, went down immediately.

See the folks on that small observation platform in the second picture? I knew that would not be me. The people beyond them made my chest tighten with how close to the edge they were. However, I'd made it this far; I had to go down to those tracks. So, I picked my way down what was left of the steps. I did cross over the tracks, but I'm not nuts. I didn't got out to even the rock the guy is sitting on just beyond the tracks in the second picture. But, that's fine. I got an incredible view and very nice photos. The second picture shows where the train comes up to the station, but it also looks like it must be really steep beyond it, since you can't see it. I was a little freaked by the end of the tracks. The rock down there looks like it couldn't stop a train, but, if it did, it would derail it and there's nowhere to go up here.

 

We went around to the observation area, which looks northeast. There were more crazy people clambering over the rocks, giving me a little heart failure. The zoom on my camera was good enough to see the triangular plaque on ground that they were climbing to. The rectangular one was more fenced off and they couldn't get to it. We were also able to see the Rockies over a ridge. So cool! So absolutely cool!

While we were out there, we saw an older woman, a younger woman, and a guy in a wheelchair. I was just thinking how nuts it was to have a wheelchair on this uneven terrain, when the young woman handed us her camera to snap them. I was still trying to figure it out, when the guy proposed to her!! I honestly don't know that I got photos, but I did notice the older woman had a camera. Hope she got shots of the acceptance. What a neat experience for all of us!
We found the restrooms inside and they were okay. The shop didn't really have much that the shop down below didn't have, or at least, that we'd want. I was feeling a bit better than earlier, when we got in line for the shuttle at 1:02. It was very windy, coming out of the southwest.
We were on a van and on our way by 1:08. The lady driving told us that it had tried to rain on the mountain yesterday, but wound up being a little snow. That must have been part of the weather we saw. Going downhill was a little nerve-wracking for me and I was incredibly grateful to not be driving. I tried looking out the side instead and got to see sheep!

When we got back to the lot at mile 16 at 1:20, we could see sheep-or goats, not really sure- on the hillside on the opposite side of the road. 

 

We decided to take a little hike and see what was on the western side of the lot and at least get to pick up a bit of the snow that was piled up. There were random rocks that had just been left behind and not really any kind of grass. I think it was lichen. But, there were a few tiny flowers.

 

 

We saw some McLaren cars go by. They are really, really crazy expensive sports cars. So, it was surprising to see them here.

At 1:52, it was time to head back down the mountain. This took an awful lot of shifting and I found it much more stressful than driving up had been. I felt like J was sitting on the edge of the road way too often. She took some pretty good photos as I drove.

 

It took 18 minutes to drive the three miles down to Glen Cove Inn and Mile 13 Lot (41671). When we got down there, we had to wait in line at the ranger station in the middle of the road. There, he used a machine to read the brake level. No idea what we could have done had it been bad. We did see five cars in the lot with their hoods up, obviously overheated. 

We decided to pull into the parking on the right side of the road to check out the inn, which was on that side. However, when we got out, our attention was immediately drawn to a white semi and some sports cars, that turned out to be the McLarens. They'd been shooting a commercial this morning for the Pikes Peak Edition McLaren. I'd never seen these cars before, but then again, I don't have northwards of $180,000 for a car. They were really cool looking and even had gull wing doors.  I really wanted to see one driven into the truck and J humored me. Guys got the cars into position, but when one driven into the semi, it was by a woman. I did manage to get video. We were not the only people watching, of course. They attracted a fair amount of attention.

 

While waiting to be able to videotape the action, we took photos of the surroundings and read up on the road. The cogwheel railway opened in 1891 and the road fell into disuse. In 1951, it was decided to build a Pikes Peak Automobile Highway. Above mile 9, the workers had to rest half of the time due to the altitude. The road cost over a quarter of a million dollars. The company that built it operated it until 1935, and then gave it to the Forest Service. It was a free state highway until 1948. Since then, the City of Colorado Springs has operated the road under a special use permit. Over 300,000 people a year go up the road.

We left at 2:34 and it was 58 degrees. Just sixteen minutes later (41679), we took advantage of a pull out called Crystal Creek. We got some nice scenic photos. I suppose the mountain looked a little purple. Cool thing was that we could see the moon.

We headed off again at 2:54 and at 3:06 (41685), we were through the exit.  I did it! I drove up- and down- Pikes Peak safely and without a heart attack. Hurrah!

Now, it was time for some more down-to-earth exploring. J guided me to Manitou Springs downtown and a parking area. We arrived at 3:22 (41690) and it was a very warm 85 degrees. J paid the $5 at the pay station. As we set off to look around, we saw this rather odd shop across the street. The photo also shows how they just build the houses up the hill.

We walked along what was basically a back street and saw Fountain Creek, which was really rather pleasant. Up on the main street, a restaurant or two was along it.

We ducked in a few shops and were disappointed to find them rather warm. They really need to recognize climate change and put in air conditioning. I know we were in long pants from going up the mountain, but still they were warm. It wasn't long before I had to stop and get an ice cream. The place was the Heart of Jerusalem Café, which, as you can see in the sign, was a weird place to get a scoop of mint chocolate chip ice cream for an expensive $4.35. We sat outside while I ate, because it was too warm in there, too. J held off getting ice cream for a while.

We followed a map we picked up to find various sculptures and fountains as we roamed. It was a good town for that, even if it required walking uphill sometimes. There were plenty of people around.

The giant matryoshka appealed to us after having been to St. Petersburg last summer as part of our Baltic cruise. I particularly liked the Stratton Spring fountain. 

We began to get hungry and started looking for a place to eat. Our roaming took us along the creek again and we saw this great street sign.

J didn't want hamburgers, so we headed down the street to PJ's Stagecoach Inn, which we reached at 5:05. It's supposedly historic. The entrance wound up being on the far side and the walk lead us past the outdoor seating. Inside, there was no one to greet us and we climbed up the steps (painfully for me) to an upper seating area to find someone. She offered us seats inside, but said the air conditioning was out. It definitely was; that room was hot. So, we said we'd eat outdoors. There was a couple farther down the deck, who were in a lot of shade. We picked the shadiest seats, we thought. But, J had to move and I kept scooting to keep myself under the small canopy. That sun was hot. Service was slow and the waitress wound up mixing up the sides. It also took a while just to get drinks. We ordered the House Smoked Brisket Sandwich for $12.95 and the Bison Meatloaf Sandwich for the same price. Neither was fantastic. This was the most disappointing meal I've ever had on a trip. Trying to avoid a sunburn was no help. Across the street was a park, where musicians were tuning up. We thought it was really cool that the community had concerts like this and we could see obvious locals coming with lawn chairs.

 

We left the restaurant at 5:58 and were back at the car just seven minutes later. We arrived at our hotel at 6:15, with the odometer reading 41692. I'd only driven 44 miles today, but I drove up a mountain.

We spent the evening repacking our bags for our departure tomorrow and relaxing with sewing and video games.