Incredible Colorado!

We visited Colorado with a couple of friends a few years back. We drove from Illinois to Colorado. We did not have a minivan then and went in a rental Ford Explorer. Although quite comfortable, it was a little crammed for space for six people, four adults and two kids. All the same, it was not bad at all.



The whole trip consisted of about nine days. We left our home in the afternoon of the first day and drove until Omaha, Nebraska, where we stopped for the night. We stayed at the Radisson, a pleasant hotel. The next morning we visited a temple at Omaha and after breakfast drove on. We reached Colorado Springs that night at about 10.00 pm, Mountain Time. As we drove into Colorado, we could see the majestic Rocky Mountains ahead of us. It was a magnificent sight. I’ll never forget that first glimpse of the Rocky mountains. Seems like whenever we travel there has to be a storm. This time was no exception. At one point it started to rain so heavily that we couldn’t see an inch in front of us. We just had to stop at the side of the road. There was so much hail and the noise was deafening. To top things off, we had a huge load of luggage tied to the top of the vehicle. Being a small vehicle, we couldn’t carry all the stuff we needed for 10 days in the car itself. So, we had the brilliant idea of loading it all on the top and tying it there securely. It worked well, although every few minutes, we would have to look up to make sure nothing came undone! Anyways, even with all the excitement, like I said we reached Colorado Springs in one piece, with all our luggage safe, if not a little soggy.





We went straight to bed and the next morning we decided to see the “Garden of the Gods.” This is a National Natural Landmark. It consists of about 1300 acres of red sandstone rock formations. One can drive through the park, take a horseback ride, or ride a bicycle. There are paved bike paths in the park. There is no fee to drive through the park. There is a visitor’s center that offers multi media shows focusing on the American Indian heritage and the geologic formations in the park.

We had a great time driving through the park and taking pictures. The next day we drove up Pikes Peak. At a height of more than 14,000 ft, this is a visible landmark for many miles to the east, far into the Great Plains of Colorado. The view from atop Pikes Peak is breath taking to say the least. It is at the summit of this mountain that Katherine Lee Bates was inspired to write “America the Beautiful” her most famous poem. The overwhelming beauty of the open skies, fields and the majestic Rocky Mountains inspired her to write that poem. The drive up was beautiful. We stopped from time to time to take some pictures, but I don’t think any picture can do justice to the natural grandeur of the mountain. The temperature was very hot at the foot of the mountain, but when we reached the summit, it was actually snowing!



Another mode of transport to the summit of Pikes Peak is the Cog Railway. The Manitou and Pikes Peak Railway is supposed to be the world’s highest cog railroad. This railway is said to be running for almost 114 years, taking passengers to the summit of Pikes Peak. We took the Cog railway the next day to get a first hand experience of this train. It was awesome. It took us up a steep incline all the way to the top. The kids had a great time looking out the window at the mountainside. At the summit we had some coffee and hot chocolate in the small restaurant. We looked at the vast stretches of land from the top once again and marveled at the wonders of nature.



That evening after dinner, we went to see the famous Seven Falls. To be frank, I was a little disappointed. It was a mere trickle. After having visited the Niagara Falls, all other water falls pale in comparison. But in all fairness, the lighting was very good. They had different colored lights dancing to the timeless tune of the waterfall.



The next day we visited the Royal Gorge. From there on we drove south to Durango where we camped for a couple of nights and visited The Mesa Verde National Park and went rafting in the Colorado river. But that’s going to be another post.