We decided to make the most of a work trip to Colorado and stay a couple extra days to see some sites. We stayed at the Renaissance Denver Downtown City Center Hotel within walking distance to a lot of great restaurants. As a car enthusiast, I decided to rent a Camaro SS Convertible for the trip. The lower altitude weather was perfect for a convertible.
Our first stop was the top of Pikes Peak, elevation 14,115 feet. As a Motorsport fan, I had always wanted to see the pinnacle of this mountain where a time challenge occurs yearly. We started the ascent with the top down, but we had to close up as the snow started near the top. The temperature change was dramatic. The road switchbacks got narrower and narrower as we climbed with steep drops all around us.
Next stop, Rocky Mountain National Park. The weather could not have been more perfect for sightseeing and photography. We hiked around a lake that still had partial ice and snow on the ground. We were totally unprepared for this terrain and were sliding all over the place in our tennis shoes. I could barely make it up slight inclines since the snow was packed down from the visitors.
On the start of the hike we encountered a very friendly chipmunk who was looking for food from the locals. It was so tame it even sat on the shoe of someone hoping for a snack. We typically try not to provide food to wildlife as to not change their way of life. It is hard to resist this at times because they look so needy.
Our next stop was going to take us South to Seven Falls at The Broadmoor. As we were leaving, we spotted numerous Elk grazing at the edge of the road. We arrived at Seven Falls at The Broadmoor and began our walk into the site. This was by far the largest waterfall we have ever seen.
We made the decision to climb a observation area looking at the falls. Wow did the altitude crush us. We huffed and puffed up to the top and grabbed some photos after taking a break.
Next up was the 224 stairs to the top of the falls. My wife tapped out on that climb since the Devil’s Needle climb took it out of us, so I started the way up while she rested up at the bottom. You know it’s gonna be bad when there is a sign at the half way point telling you to hang in there, you’re almost there. Finnaly I made it to the top and was sweaty and out of breath. I took a short break, then walked down the trails to check out the area before making my way back to the bottom.
The Royal Gorge Bridge has been listed as one of Colorado’s top attractions since 1929 when the Bridge was built. It is 1,250ft at its deepest point. We walked across the bridge to head up to the aerial gondolas to take a ride back. We were a bit anxious as we watched the cars swinging back and forth in the wind. We picked the first car in the line and sat down as it loaded up. Just as we were full and ready to go, they closed it due to strong winds. We were totally fine with that decision and we took a walk back across the bridge.
