Day 10 Monday, August 3, 2015

Days without an incident:  5
Days without rain gear:  0

Today was the day we checked off another bucket list item...Riding the bikes to the top of Pikes Peak.

After breakfast, we took a ride to Old Colorado City.  The old town section of Colorado Springs.  Although a quaint looking section, it was mostly real estate offices, health spas, and smoke shops (not the cigar shops I hoped for).

My one editorial comment...Legalized marijuana in Colorado may be a good thing for the economy and law enforcement, but it doesn't seem to be such a good thing for Colorado.  From my perspective, most every old hippie and pothead in North America has made their way to the "Centennial State" and is pan-handling for enough cash to get some herb!  Enough said.

Finally, it was time to ride to the top of the mountain.  As soon as we went through the entrance gate, the views became almost indescribable.  As Juju stated:  "every time you go around a bend, it's like opening another page in a picture book.

The sixteen miles to the summit were just completely

covered with the scenic beauty of the earth below.  The skies were clear most of the way up, which allowed views of the surrounding area as if you were ascending in an airplane.

Four miles from the top, it began to rain.  We stopped to put on the rain gear, and almost immediately, the rain stopped.  We left the gear on because it was also

getting colder as we made the ascent.  The rain suits added an extra layer of warmth.

At last, we reached the top!  All of us were overjoyed with the accomplishment.  We were also affected by the altitude...some more than others.

One of the things we did, was to have one of their famous donuts.  They say that because of the altitude, the donuts taste better up there than down below.  They were light and airy on the inside and crispy on the outside.  A delightful treat.

Soon, the announcement came over the P.A. warning motorcyclists that they

were getting reports of lighting around the mountain.  They suggested we take precautions and also suggested we should leave.  We heeded their comments and headed back down.  On the way, we did see some bolts of lightning as we rode through the clouds. Once back to the bottom, we finally started to regain our breath.

Returning to the bottom, we made a stop at the Manitou Cliff Dwellers Museum.
At this location, we visited homes that had been built

into the caves by the local natives back in 10th Century.  The architecture was amazing, especially when you consider the lack of modern tools.  These are the most well-preserved examples of this style of workmanship in the entire South West.  Well worth the time if you are in the area.

A stop at Rudy's BBQ turned out to be a very pleasant event.  Great brisket and sides, served on waxed paper.  During dinner, the rains came down.  By the time we were finished, there was a rainbow above and the road began to dry for our ride back to the hotel.

This was, without a doubt, a highlight of the trip.  We collectively got to do something we always talked about doing.  Very happy campers!