Cog to the Top

We've been viewing snow capped Pike's Peak from all over Colorado Springs.  (If you've seen our earlier blog posts you've seen some of our views.)  Pike's Peak is one of 54 Colorado peaks that are over 14000, and it is certainly not the tallest.  It is the eastern most peak, and since it's not surrounded by other "fourteeners" it is very visible for great distances.  

On Wednesday we rode a cog railway to the top of Pike's Peak.  

A cog railway climbs steep grades by using a gear-like wheel to engage teeth in a center rail.  The technology was designed in Switzerland and the first cog railway ever built was the one that goes up Mt. Washington in New Hampshire.  But the Manitou and Pike's Peak Railway is the highest.  

 

We were fortunate to have a beautiful clear day.  It was in the 70's at the bottom but we came prepared for the 30 degrees and snow at the top.

 

The ride up the mountain was one and a half hours, and we passed through some beautiful scenery and enjoyed the running commentary from the conductor.

At the top of Pike's Peak, we were at an altitude of:

we had some spectacular views

 

and then we sampled the

 

-- something we don't ordinarily eat but we had to give them a try.  Yummm.  They are light and airy because they are baked at such a high attitude. 

 

After about a half-hour we boarded the train for the return trip. 

As the train descended the mountain we passed a number of different terrains.  We were lucky enough to see a Colorado bighorn sheep

and had some more incredible views.

For more pictures of the trip to the peak of Pike's Peak, see Pike's Peak.