Day Nine -Colorado Springs

We needed a day to sleep in and this was it. We got up around 10:00 am and had breakfast. We packed up and headed south to Colorado Springs. It was a short ride, compared to the rides that we have been taking! We went through Denver and headed south out of town.

Castle Rock is kind of neat and has a whole community built around it. The ride from Denver to Colorado Springs only took about an hour and a half. Just north of Colorado Springs I noticed that in front of the Air Force Academy they have a B-52! It looks like it is elevated (on stands) but it is hard to tell from the road. I wasn't able to get a picture.

We were really looking forward to taking the bikes up Pike's Peak while we were here, so we checked into the Holiday Inn Express by the airport in Colorado Springs, threw our bags in the room and headed for the big rock.

The ride up was a little overcast but still beautiful. Because there are so many twists and turns in the road we were unable to take a lot of pictures. About two miles from the summit A cloud rolled over the mountain, the temperature plumeted, and it started hailing. By this time there were cars in front of us, cars behind us, and nowhere to stop and turn around anyway! We were committed to continuing to the top!

This is a picture of our bikes at the summit of Pikes Peak, 14100 feet and sleet. About the time we got here there were lightning strikes at the summit and park personnel suggested that everyone stay inside for a while until that part of the storm passed.








We went inside for about 20 minutes until they said that the lightning danger had passed. There is a cog train that goes up Pike's Peak and unloads at the visitor center. I was prepared to leave our bikes at the summit and ride the train down. I asked a park ranger if that would be OK. He said that there was no way that we could leave our motorcycles at the summit! He said that we had to take them down!

He said that we did not have a choice. Another park ranger followed us and he was followed by some other folks who were making their way down the mountain. The sleet was not only slipery, but hid the irregularities in the dirt road and we only got about a mile and a half before Mark and I had both dumped our bikes a couple of times.





We decided that we were just not going to go any further! A nice woman with her two children in the car offered to drive us all the way to our hotel. We managed to get the bikes to a pull-over area and parked them.















We were sure thankful that someone as kind as this woman was there to help us. Mark sat in the front seat to give her directions to the hotel and I sat in the back with her 11 year old daughter and 10 year old son. They fought and were loud the whole way, but I was glad to be getting off of the mountain. The park ranger at the base of Pike's Peak told us that if we got there at 0630 tomorrow morning, that we could get a ride to our bikes with the first ranger that goes up to check the road conditions. We have ordered a taxi for 0530 tomorrow morning and our intention is to go and pick up our bikes, come back to the hotel for breakfast, and then head to Santa Fe.

I did a lot of praying at the summit. Someone showed up to help us get down in one piece....our bikes are not functionally damaged....and we have a plan for recovery in the morning.

Thank You!

I wish that I had been taking better notes....I could write a book.