Pikes peak on the Cog Rail - May 21st

Back to work for Rob this AM, and Suzanne has a play date with Shannon and Barbara and kids, so I borrow her car, and go on some errands. There's a bit of a tradition in my world that when I visit a friends, I often help out on some projects, so I picked up a few parts for their BBQ, some food units to cook up, some odds and ends for the RV, and back to the house.

Then Barbara, Delilah and I head in to Manitu Springs for a lunch - attempting to eat at the Shwarma hut there called "City of Jerusalem", but they had run out of Pita of all things... So we end up going to a quicky burger joint which is charging a premium for the privelage of eating their food - a few burgers, an order of frys and an ice cream comes to almost $30! Ouch! From there, up the hill to the Cog Railway.

Turns out the over 100 years ago, Mr. Simmons (the guy that started the Simmons Mattress company) decided that he wanted to see "The Wonders of Pike's Peak". He road a train to the nearby depot, and from there hired a donkey which he road for three days to get to the peak. Upon returning he claimed that the view was the most fabulous thing he had ever seen, even for having to endure the most uncomfortable 3 days of his life. He went back home and raised $1.5 million dollars to have a Cog Rail built to go up the mountain and in a few years it was done. In those days, the tickets were $5 - the equivalent of about $150 dollars today. It has a center split flat gear rail, that is basically two rack gears 90 degrees shifted, laid side by side which allow it to climb grades of up to 25%. Pike's Peak Cog Rail has the honor of being the highest (terminating at 14,110ft) and longest (over 12 miles) Cog rail.

It was a bit pricey at $30 per adult, and $16 for kids, but the views were stunning. Some of the most beautiful views I have seen in my life were of this pristine alpine landscape. It is a long ride - about 1:15 each way and no restrooms on the tram. Half hour at the top.

At the top, there is a lookout tower, but on the way up we went from a mostly clear day with a few drizzles, to a full blizard with limited visibility. There was a coffee shop at the top, which is also a stopping point for folks choosing to ride on the Pikes Peak highway. They announced that the highway was closed, and that the ranger was there to escort drivers down the mountain. Glad we didn't drive... Between the snow and the wind chill, the temp was definitely down there - I would guess in the teens.

The trip back down was even more stunning than the one coming up, the snow quite suddenly broke and gave way to some fabulous vistas. There was actually a sick hiker that we stopped for at mid way for a while, which allowed us to get out there and take some more pictures.

Really a great trip - definitely something to do if you come to Colorado Springs/Manitue Springs.

When we got back to the Chansky's, we finished up the upgrades to the BBQ, and they cooked a great meal of gourmet burgers and corn. In the mean time, we loaded my new ice cream ball (thanks mom!) for its first run, and everyone enjoyed rolling and playing catch with it as we made the VERY tasty ice cream for desert. Then the kids supposedly went to bed, as we watched "Oklahoma" - only to hear the kids running around at 11:30 claiming that they were thirsty... Oh well, I guess they will sleep tomorrow!