At 14, 110 feet above sea level, you can’t help but be amazed and sing,
For amber waves of grain
For purple mountain majesties
Above the fruited plain.
Welcome to Colorado Springs! Katharine Lee Bates, wrote the unofficial national anthem America The Beautiful, at the summit of Pike’s Peak. The sights have remained unchanged for more than a hundred years. Kansas with its amber grain, the Sangre de Cristo (Blood of Christ) purple range and the orchards/vineyards of Western Colorado are lo and behold.
There are three ways you can relive Bates’ adventure: by train, car or foot. The most popular way is the cog train, the world’s highest cog railroad (www.cograilway.com, Tel. 719-685-5401). The train ride costs $26 RT and will allow you roughly half-an-hour to walk around the relatively flat top. Upon arrival, avoid immediately lining up for food at the summit’s cafeteria as this will consume your time, and if need be, make your purchases towards the end when there is no line. You can eat in the train. The train station is located in downtown Manitou Springs, adjacent to Colorado Springs.
If you have a rental, you can drive the toll road, 19 miles to the summit at $35 per car.
Pike’s Peak is on US Highway 24 (1-800-318-9505 or 1-719-385-7325). Or you can hike the 26 mile trail up and down for the day. No matter how warm is at the base, make sure you bring a jacket because the peak is always 20 to thirty degrees cooler and there are occasional thunderstorms. The warmest time to visit Pike’s Peak is in the month of July. If you do, you can claim to have reached a 14er (14,000 feet and higher)! Do you want to see the views at the summit beforehand, take a look at the Peak Cams at www.pikespeakcolorado.com.
Not surprisingly, the top two attractions in Colorado Springs are both free, a garden and an academy. The Garden of the Gods (1805 30th Street at Gateway Road, Colo. Springs, 80904, gardenofgods.com , 719-634-6666) has fascinating rock formations such as the Kissing Camels. There are miles of easy trails to meditate or simply enjoy the beautiful Colorado weather.
The US Air Force Academy (www.usafa.af.mil, tel. 719-333-7482 or 2025) is known for its architecturally renowned Cadet Chapel. A free guided tour gives fascinating information on how the design of a plane was integrated into the internal and external features of the chapel. The chapel has three levels to hold services for the Protestant/ Catholic/Jewish/ and all other faiths. There are no tours on Sundays. You cannot really go to the academy itself but the visitor center has displays of student life.
Now Colorado was also the Wild Wild West. Looking for a Ghost Town, you have to drive a hundred miles from Colorado Springs to see one. Visit the surprisingly informative Ghost Town Wild West Museum (Tel: 719-634-0696 at Highway 24 and 21st Street) which showcase town life in the West. And their store has some of the most unusual souvenir chats keys you can buy.
If cowboys are on one side of the coin, the other face must be of American Indians. An actual preserved Anasazi structure, the Manitou Cliff Dwellings (1-800-354-9971 or 1-719-685-5242, www.cliffdwellingsmuseum.com) is a just a few miles west of Pike’s Peak.
When your tired and just want to loll around, walk the touristy streets of downtown Manitou Springs or take a five minute drive over to old Colorado City, a historic and quaint shopping district.
Because you are a mile or more closer to the sun in Colorado, make sure you bring a hat, umbrella, sunglasses, sunscreen and water.
There are more sights and things to do, such as cave explorations, whitewater rafting, biking, rock climbing, Pro-Rodeo and World Figure Skating museums, US Olympic Training Center, and shopping, just to name a few. To get more information about the area call Pikes Peak Country Attractions Association at 1-800-525-2250 or www.pikes-peak.com or Colorado Springs Convention Visitors Bureau at 1-877-PIKES-PEAK, www.coloradosprings-travel.com. One can fly directly to Colorado Springs or land 65 miles north at Denver.
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