Pike's Peak

Buffi with Winston

 



Winston striking a pose!

 



Buffi my best friend of 27 years

 



 

Mountain Sheep



 

 Couldn't resist taking a photo of those freckles.

 

 

At the Top



At 14,110 feet, Pike's Peak located 10 miles south of Colorado Springs, Colorado and is just one of 54 (14,000 feet peaks) in the Rocky Mountain chain; however, it is the most eastern of the peaks.  It is worth the trip going up, and while I like to climb this baby takes hours to climb which isn't something I wanted to do with a six year old with a heart condition, so we took the Cog Railway which is a three hour journey round trip.  You can also drive to the top, but I thought it would be more fun to take the train.  We saw so many animals along the way such as mountain sheep, marmots, birds, and deer.  The guide has said they have seen a bear or two along the way.  If you decide to visit, make sure you drink plenty of water and bring a warm jacket.  The temperatures at the top are considerably cooler than below and the water will help you from getting altitude sickness.  I definitely felt the altitude and caught myself getting dizzy on a couple of occasions.  The view from above is beautiful!  If you are familiar with the song America the Beautiful than you won't be surprise that the view from the top was what gave the writer the inspiration for the poem that was turned into a song.  Winston and Roman thought it was cool that you can see all the way to Kansas.  Don't forget to taste the warm doughnuts up at the visitors center too!  They were fresh, hot, and very tasty!