In Houston we
have a wonderful museum called the Art Car Museum. To our surprise, we found another such museum
in Trinidad, Colorado! Of course we had
to make the detour to go to the Art Cartopia Museum:
Colorado
Springs:
We had
wonderful Airbnb hosts where we stayed near Colorado Springs. Actually, all of the Airbnb hosts we had in
Colorado were fabulous!
Garden of the
Gods is a must-see! This beautiful park
of sandstone formations was purchased by Charles Elliott Perkins, the head of
the Burlington Railroad, in 1879. He
never built his intended summer home on the property as he decided to leave the
land in its natural state for the public to enjoy.
Deer also
enjoy the park:
Love this
view of Pikes Peak!
Although we
have driven to high elevations, the thought of driving to the top of Pikes Peak
frightened me. We were there the day
before the annual Pikes Peak “Race to the Clouds”. I soon learned why they call it that!
The Cog
Railway is currently closed for repair, so other than driving ourselves, the
only option was to drive up partway and then take a free shuttle to the
summit. This was a great option
because: 1) there was practically no
parking at the summit, 2) the 15 passenger van allows both me and my husband
the luxury to take in the views, 3) the road is narrow with lots of twists and
turns.
So we drove 13
miles to the shuttle stop, which is at an elevation of just over 11,000
feet! Great views on the way up:
We’ve seen
several signs to watch for wildlife and cattle, but this is a new sign:
Guess
what! We saw Big Foot!
Our shuttle
only had to go up another 6 miles … to the summit which is 14,115 feet in
elevation. This is why it feels like
you’re driving to the clouds:
The views are
amazing!
We made it to
the summit!
We also had to
try the Summit House magic doughnuts that are not found anywhere else on
earth! If not eaten at the summit
elevation, they supposedly spoil in the thicker air below. A shuttle driver told us that there are also
fewer calories when eaten at the summit (they’re lighter!) So I had to get two!
Going back
down the mountain was just as scary!
Estes Park / Rocky Mountain National
Park:
I had never
been to Estes Park, the gateway to the Rocky Mountain National Park. This park has
some of the most majestic mountains, lush valleys filled with abundant wildlife
and the Trail Ridge Road.
Majestic
mountains:
Lush valleys:
Abundant
wildlife:
 |
| Big Horn Sheep |
 |
| Elk in velvet |
Trail Ridge
Road to the Alpine Visitor Center – mountain tundra:
 |
| Rocky Mountain High! |
Next week we complete our visit in Colorado with a visit to Denver!