Thursday, June 20, 2019, Drive up Pikes Peak, Colorado Springs, CO

The last of our big sightseeing activities while in the Colorado Springs, CO, area was a drive up Pikes Peak. The weather today was promising. Mostly clear and sunny (in the mid-50s) but the temperature at the top was only 34 degrees. It's like they don't know it's the middle of June here.

Pikes Peak is one of Colorados 58 fourteeners. Its height was adjusted from 14,110 to 14,115 a few years ago.

We had discussed making a lot of stops on the way to help us acclimate to the altitude, but there were not very many pullouts on the right side of the road and we were quickly over 11,000 feet. Our first stop was near the top of the tree line. We walked around a bit and snapped some pictures before we noticed the furry little marmot scampering around. He put on a show for us for a few minutes before he moved on and we continued up the mountain.

When traveling up Pikes Peak (or any mountain) the temperature drops about 3.5 degrees every 1,000 ft and different life zones are experienced.

Yellow-bellied Marmot, nicknamed "whistle pigs"

Once the trees no longer provided cover it was easy to see the road below snaking its way down the mountain. Looking up, there were only occasional signs of the road unless there was a vehicle chugging up the slope.

We rounded one corner and found this group of bighorn sheep having breakfast at the hay bale bar. I think the older ones were all female and the others were just babies.  

The bales of hay are being placed on curves in preparation for the 97th Broadmoor Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, also known as The Race to the Clouds.

It is an invitational automobile and motorcycle hill climb to the summit of Pikes Peak held annually on the last Sunday of June.

A car coming toward us stopped right next to them and then honked to make them look up for a picture. As you might expect, that riled them a bit so they headed over the edge.

How rude!

We waited a couple more minutes and some of them returned for more of that delicious hay. We were able to take a few close-ups without honking but they were still a bit uncertain about all of the attention.

At mile marker sixteen, we were forced to park and take a shuttle to the top. There was a lot of construction at the top working on a new visitor's complex that won't be completed until 2020 or beyond. The shuttles were sorely needed due to the lack of parking at the top. As we were discussing the thin air at the high altitude, our driver told us her asthma made it difficult for her at 6,000 feet - so why was she driving a van at over 14,000 feet?

We made it! Still breathing and no altitude sickness. Research told me the effective oxygen level at our campsite at 8,000 feet was about 75% but at 14,115 feet it was just under 60%. I certainly noticed the difference and made sure I kept my exertion level to a minimum.  

I would have very much liked a few more layers as it was in the mid-30s and with the gusty winds, it felt more like the mid-20s.

In general, the top of Pikes Peak is 30 degrees colder than at the Depot in Manitou Springs.

The facilities at the peak were in a sad state. The single building housed a gift shop and snack bar that only seemed to have donuts. The new Visitor's Center and restaurant are sorely needed.

Least chipmunks were everywhere - I suppose many of them were expecting handouts. I disappointed them.

It looked like there was an observation deck here at one time that crumbled. The dedication plaque below looked like it was ready to slide down the mountain. Good thing I have a zoom lens so I did not have to work my way out onto the broken rock. 

I learned something new. I needed to know if it should be Pike's Peak or Pikes Peak. The US Board on Geographic Names does not permit possessive apostrophes in place names. (Can you name the 5 exceptions to this rule?)

The panoramic view from the top was impressive but not really something that translated well into pictures. It was more something to be experienced and since it was so cold and windy we did not feel the need to experience it for very long.

Back down at the parking area at mile marker 16, the weather was not much more conducive to sightseeing. Joani, of course, was mostly interested in looking for rocks. Pikes Peak granite was a unique mix of feldspar, mica and quartz and she found a few appropriate sized souvenirs for the road.

It is difficult to find two articles that agree on the heights of the 14ers because they are still growing (uplift continues, but so does erosion), and new methods of measuring give different results.

In the distance in the picture below is a strip mining operation, Cripple Creek and Victor Gold Mine, that we were told recovers a million dollars a day of gold. It would be interesting to know how many tons of rock they process to yield that much gold. I suspect their operating overhead must be quite high but they would not continue if they were not making a profit.

We spent more time hiking around some interesting rock formations just off the roadway (at just over 12,200 ft) than we did at the summit. The rocks seemed to be home to many, many marmots. A few of them came out to greet us or maybe they were telling us to get off of their lawn.

The traffic, both up and down the mountain, was getting heavier by the hour - I was very happy we chose to head up when they opened at 7:30 am.

Our Pikes Peak experience was mixed - disappointment with the facilities but thrilled with the views and hiking opportunities. We look forward to a return visit in a few years when all of their upgrades have been completed.