We’ve made it to Day 22 of our journey without being eaten by a bear, falling off a cliff, drowning in a lake, freezing to death, or succumbing to altitude sickness! Yay?

Today’s adventure took us to the top of the highest mountain in the Front Range of the Rockies: Pikes Peak. Originally, we wanted to take the Cog Railroad up, but failed to plan accordingly and found that there were no open reservations for today. No biggie. There are three other ways to get to the 14,115-foot peak: hike up (nope), bike up (double nope), or drive up (yup!).

As I mentioned yesterday, every mountain range has its own unique personality. The exposed rocks and dirt of the Front Range are gorgeous shades of red and terra-cotta. The boulders and rock faces have been weathered by wind. The resulting shapes are gently rounded and full of character. Pines and aspen (some still have not shed their vibrant yellow autumn dress) dominate the lower slopes. We got a good long look at some since we sat in one of the valleys for 15 minutes or so while an accident was cleared up.

The drive up to the summit is 19 miles long and costs $12 a person (not per car, which we thought was odd). We were informed not to use A/C on the way up because it could overheat the engine. We were also informed that the 38-mile round trip would consume 80 miles worth of gas (a combination of the the ridiculous incline of the road and the altitude). Indeed, the ride up was a spectacular mix of hairpin turns, engine-taxing uphill sections, and lots and lots of gorgeous views. Oh…and very few guard rails, despite the steep, boulder-laden, LONG way down.

One of MANY hairpin turns. You can see the peak on the middle of this photo. It’s further than it looks!

The ride to the top took 30 to 40 minutes to complete. We couldn’t wait to get out and take in the views. After all, we were more than 6,000 feet above the valley floor! We threw open the car doors in exuberant anticipation and they almost blew off their hinges. The wind was absolutely insane. People were losing their hats and small bits of sand blasted our faces if we turned into the gusts. It was hard to keep our balance, which was somewhat harrowing on the cliff edges. It was also cold. Did I mention windy? So, we (very) quickly took a few photos and got back into the car. And drove back down (in first gear)!

The view from the top, taken in what felt like hurricane-strength wind. Naturally, the photo doesn’t come close to portraying the expanse or depth of the valley.

Look at the gorgeous color of these mountains!!

This is Crystal Creek Reservoir that is near the bottom of the Pikes Peak road. The peak is the tiny bump on the top of the mountain all the way to the right in the photo.

Back on level ground, it was time to make our way toward the Aspen area, our destination for at least a couple of days. The drive was beautiful. The vast flat valley regions were interrupted here and there by isolated mounds dotted with trees. The mountains often had areas of exposed rocky formations that reminded me of warts (pretty ones). Wind-smoothed shapes sculpted by millions of years in the elements decorated their slopes. Many were the pleasant shades of red and orange that define the area.

And then, right around sunset, we drove through Independence Pass. What a treat that was! Colorado giants looked down on us the whole way through the valley. As we drove, the sun set and turned the sky cotton-candy pink and the moon rose over the snow-dusted peaks. We didn’t know it then, but the road is one of the highest in Colorado. I’m glad I got new brakes yesterday, since between Pikes Peak and Independence, I’m not sure if the old ones would have made it. We were bummed that we hadn’t gotten there earlier to take it all in. We may check it out in the next couple of days.

Tomorrow we are going to check out the Maroon Bells early in the morning. Wish me luck. I’m NOT a morning person :-). Thanks for reading!

Taken near the top of Pikes Peak. I’m obsessed with the rocky shapes that are all over the mountains here.