Ron lived in the Denver/Boulder area for about 10 years in the 70's but this is Mike's first visit to the area and the Rocky Mountains. Our first stop was Colorado Springs and included a visit to Garden of the Gods to see amazing vistas and rock formations.
The next day we conquered Pike's Peak Jeep trip to the summit! The Pikes Peak Highway is a 19-mile toll road that runs from Cascade, Colorado to the summit of Pikes Peak in El Paso County at an altitude of 14,115 feet. It is at least partially open year-round, weather permitting, i.e. open up to the altitude where snow removal becomes excessively difficult. When we left camp it was foggy, cloudy and in the low 40's, proceeded up PP Highway and as we got above the clouds around 7000' it became sunny and clear with temps rising into the mid to high 50's and then started dropping as we got higher. The summit was clear, 22 degrees and very windy (hold on to the Jeep doors!). Mike's fear of heights was tested and his eyes were closed for much of the 19 mile trip up to the summit! It didn't help when he heard Ron yelling "Oh...My...God! Oh...My...God!" as we took the very steep, narrow road (with no guardrails!) up the mountain.
After so much BBQ in the Southeast, great seafood along the Gulf coast, and Tex-Mex in Texas with New Mexico Mex in Albuquerque and Santa Fe we were ready for a change and enjoyed dinner at a popular German restaurant in Colorado Springs.
No trip to Colorado Springs would be complete without a visit to the historic and famous Broadmoor Hotel and Resort, located in the old Broadmoor neighborhood. The famous landmark property is a member of Historic Hotels of America. Its visitors have included heads of state, celebrities, professional sports stars, and businessmen.
The main resort complex, situated at the base of Cheyenne Mountain, is 6,230 feet (1,900 m) above , and 5 miles (8.0 km) southwest of downtown Colorado Springs. The architecture and the color is like the grand hotels that would be found on the coast of the Mediterranean, in an Italian Renaissance style. The pink stucco of the façade also helps to blend in to the Pikes Peak area landscape. The main buildings are connected on a circular path around a lake. The original hotel building is Broadmoor Main that was built in 1918. The others—built between 1961 and 2001—are Broadmoor South, Broadmoor West, Lakeside Suites and West Tower.
The main resort complex, situated at the base of Cheyenne Mountain, is 6,230 feet (1,900 m) above , and 5 miles (8.0 km) southwest of downtown Colorado Springs. The architecture and the color is like the grand hotels that would be found on the coast of the Mediterranean, in an Italian Renaissance style. The pink stucco of the façade also helps to blend in to the Pikes Peak area landscape. The main buildings are connected on a circular path around a lake. The original hotel building is Broadmoor Main that was built in 1918. The others—built between 1961 and 2001—are Broadmoor South, Broadmoor West, Lakeside Suites and West Tower.
RSS Feed