The longest drive of our little trip was today - a 6-hour jaunt from Mesa Verde to Colorado Springs. It was accomplished without incident, and I must admit, if one must take a long drive, it would be difficult to find one more varied and beautiful. It was fascinating to observe how minute changes in distance could result in marked alterations to the biomes. One minute we were in desert plain, the next in lush grass and tree-covered mountains, then back to sagebrush and rolling hills filled with hard scrabble rock... over and over it changed. There is no one classification for climate like there is in the midwest.
The drive accomplished, our next task was feeding Erin. We landed at Outback Steakhouse, and after a more-than-ample feeding, we needed some entertainment. What better thing to do than to drive to the top of Pike's Peak?
It's a long drive, folks. Nineteen miles up, and for much of the way, no guard rail. The road ran right along the rim, which meant one moment's inattention would likely be your last. Leisa got very squeamish about halfway up. This was similar to the attack she had climbing up Mesa Verde (a momentary and involuntary reaction to the height). Mesa Verde topped at 8200 ft. Pike's Peak is 14,110 ft. One can only imagine how much more intense the feeling was this time!
It takes a long time to drive that far on a mountain road because it is impossible to go faster than 30 mph. On top of that there are several switchbacks that bring speed down to near nothing. I can understand Leisa's apparent inclination to consider this an Andes Mountain bus ride - I won't lie, it was a thrill to look out the car window and see the sheer fall below - but I like height. Anyway, it is a drive that's supposed to take an hour, and I would guess it was pretty close to that.
First thing you notice on top is how cold it is. Very cold! The next is how heavy your legs feel. I don't care who you are, if you come from our area, you feel this height. I had no trouble running at 8200 feet - I couldn't have begun to consider it today. I could feel my legs tingling from oxygen starvation, and I was only standing!
We stayed a short time on top, then it was the long drive down. We were making decent time, but when we stopped at the checkpoint 6 miles down my brakes were smoking. Stupidly I ignored the warning to run in 1st gear, and now we were forced to take a 30-minute break.
Leisa chose to ride in the back seat on the way down, both because she was car sick and she didn't particularly want to watch the trip down. Erin became my co-pilot, and I daresay enjoyed the view nearly as much as I did.
For now we are back at the hotel, enjoying a few quiet moments. We are heading out to see Snow White in a few minutes, and that will be the evening. What will tomorrow bring? One thing for sure - we're coming home. Beyond that, we'll have to wait and see.
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