We found a church meeting at 9 am just a short drive from our hotel on Sunday morning. We stayed for the Sacrament Meeting and then decided to drive through the Garden of the Gods and up to Pikes Peak for the day. Check out the link for more information on this 14,000 plus mountain. The girls weren't too keen on the drive up to Pikes Peak, but when it started raining, it seemed to be the better option than walking around the Garden of the Gods in the rain without rain jackets.
Beware of what you might see on this road though:
We stopped at Crystal Reservoir (I think that's the name) and the girls did a little sluicing and rock tossing. Lots of people were fishing, so we had to stay far away to avoid their wrath.
We finally reached the top of the 19-mile ascent--in first gear. It was a tad bit chilly--November-type weather--but we took a little time to enjoy the view. This is where Katherine Lee Bates was inspired with the words to "America the Beautiful".
Our descent was equally slow. We were behind a rather cautious, brake-riding Jaguar driver. Half way down the mountain, park staff check your brakes to make sure they aren't over heating. If they are, you are required to pull over and let them rest for 30 minutes. Mrs. Jag driver had to pull over. Boohoo for her, but we were finally glad to go a little faster.
By the time we reached the base of the mountain, the rain had stopped for a short while, and we decided to go back to the Garden of the Gods. Whine, whine, whine. You can imagine it. "We just want to go back and watch tv." Tough.