Friday the Memorial Day “games” began at the entrances to Rocky Mountain National Park. Cars lined up bumper to bumper waiting to get through the toll plazas. So today I looked somewhat farther south (160 miles or so) … and quite a bit higher.
This was the scene on the summit of Pikes Peak (elev. 14,114 ft) this afternoon. And it was probably more crowded earlier in the afternoon. How’d you like to drive all the way up here (about an hour from Manitou Springs) and then not be able to find a parking space?
Not my idea of fun. Also, no Starbucks, no McDonald’s! ; )
Now Jim, you know the view is supposed to make up for the minimal amenities.
That’s a pretty long drive, too. Sometimes can be intimidating even though is it a nicely paved road, plenty wide for most vehicles. It’s just that some of the turns and drop-offs are such that when looking out the window sometimes, you don’t see anything except air.
The Pikes Peak road never bothered me much since the road is so wide. Mt Evans, on the other hand, scared me half to death.
14114 ft is almost double the height of the tallest mountain in Australia, Mt Kosciuszko which reaches a mere 2,228 metres, 7309 ft. They do have some great snowfields and skiing for those that way inclined down there in the Snowy Mountains of Australia, but not the grandeur .
Colorado has 53-58 mountains higher than 14,000 feet. It depends on how you define individual peaks.
We don’t have 53 mountains in the whole of this continent as far as I’m aware
If Australia would just bang into another continent, you’d probably have a bunch.
Well if I wait around for a few million s or so I’m sure we will bump into India and SE Asia and push the Himalayas, up a bit higher then we can boast
Yep, and by then we’ll have lost half of California.
I didn’t know Cal was planning to leave, I know they think of themselves,at times, as a separate country but leave the Union??
Enough big earthquakes along the San Andreas fault and a big chunk of California could separate from the mainland. Theoretically.
What a happy thought 😀 🐻
Not my idea of fun. Also, no Starbucks, no McDonald’s! ; )
I haven’t been up there for years. They had some forms of food and drink available, but I don’t recall a Starbucks or a McDonalds. Would be a nice touch for the new facility.