PIKES PEAK COG RAILWAY

We got a call from friends saying they were in our neck of the woods and wanted to meet up.  We met Gene and Maria Wakefield in Alaska, they're home base is in Jojoba Hills, California.  We got together in Colorado Springs for lunch at the same Italian restaurant Denis and I went to for my birthday last week. It was fun catching up on what they've been doing.

They were planning on taking the Pikes Peak Cog Railway the next day and because we've never been, we decided to join them. The weather cooperated and we had fun.  The railway has been taking visitors on this unforgettable adventure for well over 100 years.  We climbed to 14,115 feet above sea level, traveled through four life zones and saw some wildlife along the way.  We learned that Katherine Lee Bates, who wrote the words to "America the Beautiful" was inspired by a trip to Pikes Peak in the late 1800's.

View from the top and our train all above the clouds

Saw a few Yellow-Bellied Marmots

Saw a few Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep - missed the shot of a very large buck (but we saw him)

One of the many views from the window of our train

Stopped at the visitors center to see if they had discount coupons for the railway, they didn't but they had coupons for  free high-altitude home-made donuts ...yum.

Gene, Maria and Denis at the depot waiting for the train to board

Glad I brought my coat, hat and gloves

One of the many things I love about this lifestyle are the friends we make along the way and how we keep bumping into each other in our travels.  Thank you Gene and Maria for sharing your Pikes Peak Cog Railway experience with us.  Until we meet again.