My husband has been to the top of Pike's Peak when he has been out here for business, however this trip the family was not so lucky. When we arrived it had snowed the night before on the summit, and there still was ice and snow on the summit road. In addition, the wind gusts were very high so we were not allowed to venture beyond 11,000 feet.
Pike's Peak is what Coloradans call a "Fourteener", meaning that the summit is over 14,000 feet in altitude. The view from the summit of Pike's Peak inspired the song "America the Beautiful, and the line "Purple mountain's majesty."
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| View of Pike's Peak |
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| It was snowing at the top and the winds were very high so we weren't allow to reach the summit |
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| There was a park ranger making sure no cars continued up to the peak |
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| We hung around the parking lot in the hopes the summit would open but we had no luck that day |
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| Everyone loved seeing this sign |
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| Bigfoot's foot print |
This lake is one of the reservoirs that provides the water supply for Colorado Springs. Colorado Springs itself is in a semi-arid environment, so capturing the snowmelt in the springtime is essential for the city to have enough water. As in most parts of the West, water is a scarce resource--my husband likes to say "Whiskey is for drinking. Water is for fighting over."
It was a very cold and blustery day but the sun was shining a it was such a great day to be out and exploring the area.
