The big thing to see in Colorado according to the tourist literature is Garden of the Gods. This is a public park down by Colorado Springs. Thursday had been great weather but we awoke to a down pour on Friday. The weather South in Colorado Springs was supposed to be better and forecast to be nice by mid day. We also planned to drive up to Pikes Peak after the park.
When we arrived in Boulder it was hot as in 90. Remember we are at 5000 feet so the temperatures are supposed to be cooler. Today it was cold as in 50s. I thought I had brought my jacket along but apparently I left it neatly hung in the hotel. As a pilot I adhere to checklists and procedures to keep me from forgetting critical items. As a tourist I revert to an idiot heading out on a cold and windy day under dressed. No problem though, I now own a cool warm sweatshirt.
We had slept in and left late to avoid the height of Denver traffic. Our plan was only partially successful, basically Denver traffic stinks. This delay worked to our advantage though as it gave time for the rain to move out but it was still cloudy. One of the great views from the Park is Pikes peak, a 14,114 foot summit. This was 2000 feet more than the peak we climbed the day before. I won't bother to post any pictures, just find a piece of gray paper and look at it as this is all we saw of the mountain.
At the Garden of the gods we drove the loop and then hiked for 2 hours on the various trails. They had one which was fully wheelchair accessible and several that were more suited to mountain goats. We saw all manner of tourists climbing in places that were potentially deadly. This seemed to be a recurring theme whenever we saw tourists and high places.
The Garden of the Gods is a great stop but I would rate Rocky Mountain National higher. After finishing the park, we contemplated Pikes Peak. They have a weather line you can call and we found out the road was only partially open due to dense fog, surprise. Since we have seen the inside of a cloud many times before we decided to skip the mountain and headed back to Boulder for a late lunch. Boulder is a quaint little city. It is basically right up against the mountains and boast some incredible scenery (except today which was just gray).
Boulder is home to University of Colorado Boulder and the downtown has a nice tourist walking street. Pearl Street is a few blocks of eclectic shops and restaurants. We dropped in for some fancy tacos which I then supplemented with a Chicago dog from a street vendor.
I then did some class prep (remember I came for the class). We finished the day by visiting the only Boulder mall for some Bison Burger and salad. It was a local place and they kept is simple using the kitchenware to serve the food.
We had slept in and left late to avoid the height of Denver traffic. Our plan was only partially successful, basically Denver traffic stinks. This delay worked to our advantage though as it gave time for the rain to move out but it was still cloudy. One of the great views from the Park is Pikes peak, a 14,114 foot summit. This was 2000 feet more than the peak we climbed the day before. I won't bother to post any pictures, just find a piece of gray paper and look at it as this is all we saw of the mountain.
At the Garden of the gods we drove the loop and then hiked for 2 hours on the various trails. They had one which was fully wheelchair accessible and several that were more suited to mountain goats. We saw all manner of tourists climbing in places that were potentially deadly. This seemed to be a recurring theme whenever we saw tourists and high places.
The Garden of the Gods is a great stop but I would rate Rocky Mountain National higher. After finishing the park, we contemplated Pikes Peak. They have a weather line you can call and we found out the road was only partially open due to dense fog, surprise. Since we have seen the inside of a cloud many times before we decided to skip the mountain and headed back to Boulder for a late lunch. Boulder is a quaint little city. It is basically right up against the mountains and boast some incredible scenery (except today which was just gray).
Boulder is home to University of Colorado Boulder and the downtown has a nice tourist walking street. Pearl Street is a few blocks of eclectic shops and restaurants. We dropped in for some fancy tacos which I then supplemented with a Chicago dog from a street vendor.
I then did some class prep (remember I came for the class). We finished the day by visiting the only Boulder mall for some Bison Burger and salad. It was a local place and they kept is simple using the kitchenware to serve the food.
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