Day 1.  After a very easy flight into Denver via Frontier we picked up our rental car - not the one we had reserved, but we were somehow talked into "upgrading" to a mini-van.  More room - more power - better view!

We made our way up the interstate to Estes Park, then into Rocky Mountain National Forest, into an area known for wildlife.  Our only spotting was of a Pika, a cute little marmot type critter.  But the mountains, oh my!  The word that keeps coming to mind is MAJESTIC.


We then came back down into Boulder, where we met our friends, Jerry and Gloria, for lunch.  They are also vacationing in the area.  We had allot of fun with them - and had delicious fish tacos at a nice restaurant in the cobblestone section of Boulder.  Very lovely.

My sweet hubby then obliged me for our next stop - Celestial Seasonings Tea Company.  I know - don't rub it in too much, especially when you see the pic of him wearing the mandatory hair-net AND beard-net for the tour!!!  (He wouldn't let me send that pic, but it does exist!) Fascinating tour of the process of tea production beginning to end.

Enough for a day - we didn't make it to Focus on the Family!

Day 2.  We had considered getting up early for viewing the sun rise from Garden of the Gods - but our alarm didn't go off.  Perhaps because it wasn't set!  First stop - Garden of the Gods.  It is hard to describe the beauty of the rock formations, made all the more spectacular by being able to get up close and personal. One has the feeling that this is truly where God comes to refresh his spirit!  If He indeed does such a thing.


We then drove up to Pike's Peak.  Oh my.  The day before, Steve had developed a headache when we reached ~ 8,000 feet in elevation, but I had no adverse effects other than the expected shortness of breath.  So I thought we were good to go.  When we hit ~ 11,000 feet, I began to feel several of the symptoms of altitude sickness; headache, nausea, dizziness, racing heart, but I insisted we continue to the peak because we were so close.  The pic of me in front of the sign is forced by sheer will power - right after that I started to become disoriented, and we knew we had to quickly descend.  Therefore, we did not get any pics of the view from the peak.  Thankfully the effects subsided at ~ 8,000 feet.  But we have proof we made it to the peak!

Next stop - Focus on the Family.  Quite impressive, especially the fact that the whole operation is running debt free!  Touring the operations certainly helps the work of Focus to become more personal.  Guess I would have to say that being a counselor (they have 13!) for Focus would be a dream job!

We did not make it to Manitou Cliff Dwellings - if we do not make it to these, we will be seeing other cliff dwellings in Mesa Verde.  Steve had said as we were starting up to Pike's Peak - "Pike's Peak or bust!"  And I felt like we had gone bust at the end of the day!

Tomorrow we visit Royal Gorge and Black Canyon of the Gunnisson.  We stay in Ouray.  Hopefully the motel there will have Internet connection so I can continue our blog.  This is actually enjoyable!

View from our motel window.  Pike's Peak.

Has to be one of the most beautiful places on earth.


Check out the climber at the top - also one 3/4 of the way up.