Colorado

Pikes Peak was our goal in Colorado and as a bonus we came right through the "Garden of the Gods" near Colorado Springs. Everywhere you turned there were those beautiful red rocks against the clear blue of the sky.

The Pikes Peak railroad is a cog railroad. This means that it travels on cogs to pull it up and down the steep mountain sides. Notice the cogs that run through the middle of this track.
The train moves at a walking pace up the steep track.

This photo was taken from our coach. In the distance you can see another train making it's way up the steep mountain side. The broken rock scattered over the land is caused by the repeated freezing and thawing temperatures.

Ironically....our tour guide informed us that the peak gets it's name from a man who never actually stood on it. Pikes Peak is named for Zebulon Pike, an early explorer of the Southwest. Lieutenant (later General)Pike first sighted what he termed the "Great Peak" in mid-November of 1806. A few days later, he attempted to climb it with a small band of men. Heavy snows in the 10,000 foot area turned them back. Pike estimated the mountain's height at over 18,000 feet (he was only 4000 feet off!) and is said to have claimed that it might never be climbed. However, a botanist, Edwin James, did climb it in 1820. By the mid-1800's, a trail was well established to the top, and in 1858, the first woman, Julia Holmes, climbed to the peak..

This is the top of Pikes Peak. The view was spectacular even with the cloud layers and fog.

When we boarded the train in the valley we were sweating heavily. When we stepped off the train at the peak we were feeling the high altitude chill. I noticed that sweat shirts were selling fast in the gift shop so we weren't the only ones not thinking ahead.

More info:
http://www.cograilway.com/
http://www.gardenofgods.com/home/index.cfm?flash=1