Colorado Springs Day 2
On Tuesday we had a pretty easy schedule, go to the Garden of the Gods and go to the top of Pikes Peak. Luckily for us, the Garden of the Gods is an easy "hike", and by that, I mean that everything is paved and there's really no elevation change. The walk was a little over a mile and a half. The drive up to Pikes Peak was pretty fun. There were a lot of aspens on the side of the road that we stopped at on the way down from Pikes Peak. We decided not to hike to the top because neither one of us is nearly close enough in shape to hike a 14er. We did see the hiking trail and it looked brutal, so we're glad we drove instead.
1.65 mi
1 hr
6,604 ft
300 ft
White Rock
This is White Rock, aptly named for what it is, a giant white rock.
Graffiti
The White Rock had quite a bit of graffiti on it at the Garden of the Gods.
Paved Path
Walking through Garden of the Gods isn't really a hike. There are some other trails that are more hike-like, but The Garden of the Gods is actually pretty small.
Pointy
This formation looks rather triangular from this angle.
Overcast
It was a pretty overcast day, which made us glad that we did most of our fall hunting photos the day before.
Climbing
There were several people climbing on the rocks. Climbing requires a special permit, probably to tell the climbers that they're not allowed to use chalk.
Balanced
Katie
Blue Jay
I managed to capture a shot of a Blue Jay. Not a super rare bird for Colorado, but it is a very pretty bird.
Flight
I happen to catch the exact moment the Blue Jay took off from the tree. I wish I had a slightly higher shutter speed but the photo turned out pretty well.
Gloomy Day
None of the grass was alive since it was fall and since it was overcast, the morning was pretty gloomy. Still a nice walk and a lovely area, though.
Curvy Path
Balanced Rock
We went to Balanced Rock because it was right off the road. Literally. Just had to park and we were there.
Concentration
When Katie is concentrating, she sticks her tongue out like a weirdo.
Laughing
This is another one of Katie's many facial expressions. I got her to laugh at the top of Pikes Peak.
Cairn At the Top
This cairn seemed to be in the perfect spot for a photo off the summit of Pikes Peak
Hiker's Death
I'm very glad we didn't decided to hike this. That path just looks miserable.
Summit Selfie
I set my camera up on a pile of rocks and set it to take a bunch of photos.
Summit Peck
Summit Kiss
Summit Look
Above the Treeline
Pikes Peak Aspens
The scenic highway up to Pikes Peak had various levels of aspens. At the base, they were still green, at the top, well there were none because we were above the tree line. But the dive started off green and gradually turned yellow and then eventually brown.
