Pike's Peak, Garden of the Gods, and a Blogging Friend -- Nonfiction

John, Anabel, and me

on top of the world

On a clear day it really does seem that you can see forever from the top of Pike's Peak. At 14,115 feet, it's the highest point from there east to the Atlantic Ocean. And looking southeast across the prairie you can see Oklahoma's high point Black Mesa at 5,705 feet. If you know what to look for. That's about 250 miles away. Of course it's much easier to see Pike's Peak from Black Mesa because it seems to rise up alone, right out of the prairie.

Looking west, all you can see is range after range of mountains. Pike's Peak is one of Colorado's 53 Fourteeners -- mountains higher than 14,000 feet above sea level.  It's not the tallest, but it's the most visited mountain in North America.

That snow covered peak rising above the other mountains is Pike's Peak. I took this photo from the top of Green Mountain a couple of miles from my house. And about 100 miles north of Pike's Peak.

There are so many ways to get to the summit 14,115 feet above sea level. There is a paved road to the top and a cog railway.  Motorcycles are popular. You can rent a bicycle or hike it. You can even take the railway part way up then hike the rest of the way. There are outfits that will take you to the top in a van then you can bicycle down. There is an annual marathon running 13.32 miles up then back down again. And the 2nd oldest auto race in North America, The Pike's Peak International Hill Climb covers 12.42 miles of the 16 mile highway to the top. It's a timed race -- one car at a time. For a vicarious adrenaline rush you can watch video of it on YouTube.

When I was growing up in Oklahoma our family vacations took us either to the mountains in Colorado or the beaches on Texas' gulf coast. And, of course Colorado included on one occasion a car trip up Pike's Peak. In those days the highway to the top was not paved. There were even fewer safety rails along it then than there are now, and there are none to many now. Because of the altitude my Dad had to stop in Colorado Springs and have our car's carburetor adjusted so we could make it to the top.

My Momma was afraid of heights. Actually, I am, too. But I love Pike's Peak! Momma liked Garden of the Gods better. It's a beautiful public park in Colorado Springs at the foot of Pike's Peak. It has dramatic, natural sandstone formations. And no heart-stopping drop offs.

Did I say "on one occasion" Daddy drove to the top of Pike's Peak? I didn't make it up again until my husband Scott and I moved here five and a half years ago. Since then I've been up it several times and enjoyed it every time. There are, after all, special donuts in the gift shop/snack bar at the top. Making donuts at that altitude takes a very special recipe. And they are wonderful.

When I heard that my blogging friend Anabel of  The Glasgow Gallivanter and her husband John were coming to the U.S. to explore Montana, Wyoming, and Colorado, I quick quick contacted her and asked if we could meet while they were in Denver.

As a matter of fact, we ran across each other's blogs during an A to Z Blogging Challenge. She is a retired librarian and writes travel blogs. John does her photography and is an electronics engineer and Dean at the University of Glasgow.

We agreed to get together one day while they were in Denver on their way home. I don't know about Anabel and John, but I had great anxiety about meeting her in person. I do very well with people reading and writing, but in person there's always the concern that they might not like me. Or like the things I like. Or the places I like to go.

From reading her blog I knew they hiked a lot. But by last September my hiking days were pretty well on hold. I needed knee replacements, but couldn't get that done while my father still lived. He was in hospice care and I needed to be able to see him everyday or at least almost every day. And I needed not to go further afield than a couple hours from home. There had been no time for me to have surgery and rehab.

So I was pretty limited to within close driving of Denver and things we could do that didn't require any serious walking.

My three favorite places in Colorado are the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, Rocky Mountain National Park, and Pike's Peak. In that order.

Anabel and John were planning to see Rocky Mountain National Park on their own, which was good because it was too far away for me to go. That left DMNS and Pike's Peak. Well, I figured as many places as they've been, they've seen their share of museums. Then Scott offered to drive us up Pike's Peak.

Honestly, that's the most exciting way to see it. Before you get above timberline it's not so scary, because if for some reason you missed a turn, the trees are thick enough, they'd break your fall down the mountain. Trees don't grow above timberline -- too cold, not enough water, and high winds. In Colorado that varies from 11,000 to 12,000 feet. Above timberline, there's nothing to break your fall if you miss that curve.

I trust my husband's driving unreservedly.

And you really must read Anabel's blogs about their visit to Tibet. Pike's Peak couldn't possibly be that big a deal. (See the link above to the Glasgow Gallivanter.)

Needless, to say, we made it safely up and down and then drove through Garden of the Gods.

                    

John and Anabel                                                      and Scott       

Living proof that we made it back down the mountain to Garden of the Gods

And I guess they liked me well enough, because they took us up on our invitation to the Denver Museum of Nature and Science the next day.

I must say, I thoroughly enjoyed our visit with them and they taught me what it takes to be a good traveler -- the courage to take a chance and the flexibility to deal with whatever comes up.

I've got new knees and am working hard at rehab, so the next time they come through Denver, maybe I can keep up with them. And we can actually do some hiking.

#atozchallenge