Day 49 to 50 - Garden of the Gods & Pikes Peak

Our last parks before we start our journey home, Garden of the Gods & Pikes Peak in Colorado Springs. We left Rocky Mountain National Park and took a different route to get back to I-25, less steep than our route in, but still very scenic as we followed a river through the gorge and out of the mountains. It is quite a contrast as you drive south on I-25 towards Denver, mountains to the west, flat plains to the east. The drive through the mountains was easy compared to the heavy traffic and fast drivers all the way south and through Denver. We were surprised to see signs along the highway to report road rage and DUI drivers, we never saw signs like that before.

We visited the Garden of the Gods visitor center after setting up camp to learn more about the park. The park is famous for the highly visible red sedimentary rock formations that have been ‘stood up’ and softer material eroded around them. These sandstone formations were first noted by two surveyors in 1859, one remarked it was a “capital place for a Biergarten” the other exclaimed, “Biergarten! Why it is a fit place for the Gods to assemble. We will call it the Garden of the Gods.” It has been ever since. General Palmer founded Colorado Springs in 1871 and by 1879 urged his friend Charles Perkins to establish a home in Garden of the Gods. Perkins purchased 240 acres for a summer home and added property over the years but never built on it, instead leaving his wonderland in its natural state for the enjoyment of the public. The land was available to the public, but Perkins died in 1907 before he was able to establish it as a park. In 1909 his children did that for him, donating his 480 acres to the City of Colorado Springs “where it shall remain free to the public … where no building or structure shall be erected except those necessary to properly care for, protect, and maintain the area as a public park.” Garden of the Gods is ranked as the #1 City Park. Enough history, about our visit, we got up early and into the park before sunrise to capture the sun as it shines the morning light on the red rocks. We planned ahead this time and bought donuts the night before so we could have coffee/tea and donuts with the sunrise. We had our cameras and tripod all set up to capture the sunrise and started talking to 3 nice young men from NYC, also there to capture the sunrise. They took out their cell phones, grabbed some rocks

to balance them against and set the phone on time lapse. Pat was intrigued and they showed him the results; we wondered why we are carrying so much photo gear. It was a beautiful sunrise and then we explored more of the park including ‘Balanced Rock’ where a family told us there was a hot air balloon launch about to go off. We waited a while and then heard that the launch had been canceled due to high winds aloft. Too bad as it was a beautiful morning and would have made lovely pictures. Back to the rig for a quick nap before Pikes Peak.

In the afternoon we drove the 19-mile highway to the top of Pikes Peak, America’s Mountain. They recommend allowing 2 – 3 hours to make the round trip and I can see why, there are various pull outs to see the changing landscape as you climb higher and higher. You start at 7,800’ at the gateway and climb the twisty narrow road with sharp drop-offs up to 14,115’ at the summit, in between we stopped at the Crystal Reservoir, The Switchbacks and Devils Playground where they check to see if you have a summit pass. We did but still got caught in a traffic jam at the top, in fact a bicyclist passed us going up. Must admire the guy, peddling up to 14,115 feet in thin air. There is limited parking up top, so they stop you a mile from the summit and control the assent based on available parking. After a short wait we made it up and parked. Stunning views from platforms and visitor center where they serve world famous donuts. Of course, we got coffee/tea and sugar donuts, the ones we didn't get at Rocky Mountain National Park, to fuel ourselves before starting the drive down. While at the summit we saw the Pikes Peak Cog Railway, it travels from Manitou Springs to the summit. It’s amazing to think it was started in 1891! We walked around, shopped in the gift store and purchased a new sweatshirt to counter the 53 degree and windy weather at the summit. We started our descent, they stop cars 6 miles down to check your brake temperature, we were at 342, they want you below 300, so we stopped and visited the café while waiting for the brakes to cool. After that, I became very adept at using first and second gears to drive down the mountain. We finished the day on a high note, we were blessed with three large bull elks grazing by the road. We got out and watched them for a while and took a few pictures. Such beautiful creatures.

A couple fun facts- 1) “America the Beautiful” written by Katharine Lee Bates, whose experience on top of Pikes Peak in 1893, moved her to pen the poem that became one of the most patriotic songs honoring America. 2) Commissioned by Thomas Jefferson to explore the Great Plains, Lt. Zebulon Pike first saw Pikes Peak from the eastern portion of Colorado in

1806. As he approached the magnificent peak, rising abruptly from the plains, Pike swore this mountain would never be climbed by man. By the mid-20th century Pikes Peak had been conquered by tourists from all over the world – by car, motorcycle, bicycle, train, mule, horse, and on foot. 3) Race to the Clouds hill climb is held each August on the Pikes Peak Highway, the course starts at 9,300’ and ends at the summit, boasting 156 turns over a 12.42-mile course. The race was started in 1916 with a winning time of 20 minutes and 55.6 seconds, course record was set in 2018, 7 minutes, 57.148 seconds. Much faster than the hour plus it took me to make it to the top! Stats: 160 miles Weather: Sunny, high's mid 80's, low's mid 60's unless you were on top of Pikes Peak, low 50's Photos: Garden of the Gods sunrise, Pikes Peak roadway, views, summit and elk.