May 14th - Sights South of Denver

Checked in for a lovely stay at the Broadmoor. On the way down, we drove
though Colorado Springs (I lived here prior to moving to Denver).

Then we toured Garden of the Gods - I can never see enough of this beautiful
park and the rock formations. It is just amazing that it is situated right
in the city.

Sunday started out beautiful without a cloud in the sky, so we headed up to
Cheyenne Mountain Zoo. The skies soon turned grey and brought rain with
them.

After checking in at the Depot Station for the Pikes Peak Cog Railway on
Monday we headed back down to Manitou Springs to walk around a bit. It is
hard to believe how this quirky little town has changed (for the better).

Boarded the cog railway for the afternoon ascent up to Pikes Peak - I have
gone up to the summit numerous times by car, but this was the first time I
had taken the train. Our "conductor" was really great, having taken
passengers up the mountain for five years. The views were outstanding, and
we were very fortunate to enjoy clear skies, even at the summit. It was 28
degrees at the summit with a wind chill index of 10 degrees, but with the
sunny skies and very light winds, it was very nice.

It is from the summit of Pikes Peak that Katherine Lee Bates was inspired to
write the words to "America the Beautiful".

May 11th - Sights West of Denver

Having fun playing tourist in my home state.

First stop was the Colorado Railroad Museum with artifacts and trains of
early Colorado railroads. It has more than 100 locomotives and train cars.
One of the best things to see, were the children dressed up in their
overalls with their railroad caps. They were in heaven.

Next stop was the Coors brewery (this took two tries since they were closed
the first time we went out to tour the facilities). The tour also included
product samples - unfortunately I do not like beer, but they provided Diet
Pepsi - no ID required.

Next we visited Lookout Mountain with views of the Denver skyline and
snowcapped mountains. Here we toured the Boettcher Mansion and visited
Buffalo Bills Grave. There was also a posting looking for "Good Women".

Headed further West across the Loveland Pass and the Continental Divide. It
is really a shame so few people take this road anymore - the scenery is
amazing (most people opt for the route through the Eisenhower Tunnel).