Welcome to JOYFUL REFLECTIONS. Also welcome to DECEMBER . Hope you have an awesome and grateful month!

Wednesday, October 3, 2012

Pikes Peak, Colorado--Part I

Neither George nor I had ever been to PIKES PEAK before---so we were excited to be able to go there on September 14.   If you want more information about Pikes Peak,  click HERE.   We decided to drive up the mountain (rather than riding the train)  ---and feel as if that was a great decision since we could stop all along the way for some great photos.

One of my Facebook friends asked me if this was my first time to be at 14,100 feet...  I think it was!!!!  I know that we were at 12,000 feet at Rocky Mountain National Park--but weren't nearly that high while in Yellowstone and the Tetons. 

I love climbing mountains (in a comfy car of course---ha) ---and it's always GREAT to see SNOW on the top of the mountain, as we did here.   (Remember in 2011 when we saw snow at Cedar Breaks National Monument in Utah???  The elevation there was about 10,000 feet.)

I've divided our trip up and back down Pikes Peak into two posts--today and Friday!  Hope you enjoy the photos.  Please click on them for enlargements.

Above is a great picture if I say so myself.  We were just beginning our journey up that big mountain.  I love seeing the snow-capped mountain with that blue sky --and then framing the photo with pine trees and gorgeous yellow Aspens. That is Colorado at its finest!!!!




George took this picture of me at one of the stops as we started up the mountain.  As you can tell,  it was fairly warm down there at that elevation.... HOWEVER,  the farther UP we went,  the colder it got!!!! ha




Here is a picture of one of the many lakes in that area.  This is another favorite  picture of mine ---even showing some reflections in the water.




Here is a picture of us at another one of our stops --as we motored up that mountain.  A biker (there were LOTS of them on the road) had stopped and he volunteered to take our picture together.




We started seeing some SNOW --as we went higher and higher!!!




This girl loves SNOW.  I had to get out of the car and play in it!!!!!  (Silly Girl!!!!)




Of course,  you know that I had to take lots of pictures of the snow!!!   The people who worked at the visitor center on top said that they had had about 6-8 inches of snow altogether...




This is a picture looking back down ---as we drove UP-UP-UP.    You can see our road below us!!!!    Isn't that a gorgeous view?

Stay tuned for Part II ---as we reached the summit and then headed back down...

IF you ever get a chance to visit here,  you would enjoy seeing Pikes Peak.

Have a wonderful Wednesday.

Hugs,
Betsy