Having made reservations, we boarded the
Pikes Peak Cog Railway at 4:00 p.m. for the 3-hour trip up and down the mountain. Climb is from about 6,500 ft. up to 14,115 ft. Everything said: dress warmly because it will be 30-40 degrees colder up top. They were right! We were very happy to have our multiple layers and wished we had brought gloves. We started out in rain at the station, but climbed out of it. Alas, the peak was shrouded in a cloud, so the spectacular view was nonexistent. However, we DID see golden-bellied marmots, a herd of elk, a couple of deer, and a
black bear! Our conductor-lady was astonished to hear that we saw a bear. Too bad we got no pictures of it.... But here are some pictures we did get, in no particular order.
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| Our train cars at the station. |
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| Clouds everywhere. |
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| Moraine Lake |
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| Above the tree line.... |
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| Plenty of snow up there! |
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| Our seats. Facing front going uphill, facing rear going downhill. |
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| Grove of quaking aspen. |
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| Look closely and you'll see a golden-bellied marmot beside the rock. |
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| 12,129 ft. |
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| Our sister railcar ahead of us, almost to the top. |
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| Last piece of the Summit House, built in 1873. |
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| Doesn't he look cold? |
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| An example of what we saw up top: snow, cloud, and rock. |
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| In November and December, Santa Claus is here..... |
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| This is how the train cars go UP, powered by diesel motors. |
The peak may have been cold (as usual) and shrouded in clouds, but the journey up is the best part! Amazing that you saw a BEAR! Wish we were there!
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