Colorado Springs is blessed with some crazy weather, but the one constant is beautiful days year round. June 18th was one of those beautiful days that beckoned us to get out and enjoy this masterpiece that was created for us.
After a string of warmer than normal days, this day we awakened to beautiful blue sky's and temperatures reaching the high 60's. This is not the kind of weather where you stay home and do laundry so after about 2 seconds of discussing whether we wanted to venture out, we were throwing together a picnic lunch and grabbing the pups for a day of adventure.
Colorado Springs sits at the base of what is known as America's Mountain or more commonly Pikes Peak and it towers over the city and region. From where we live, we can be in the mountains is less than 10 minutes with everything from hiking (not in traditional terms for us), biking, off-roading (this is our jam), hunting, fishing and everything else the outdoors can bring. On this day, it was all about enjoying the weather and sightseeing with the family (yes the pups are family), so the family truckster (Subaru Outback) was the choice for our magic carpet.
From the base of Pikes Peak there are numerous mountain roads and off-road trails that drop right into Colorado Springs. On this day we decided that Gold Camp Road, originating in Colorado Springs and crossing the southern face of Pikes Peak to the fabled gold mining towns of Victor and Cripple Creek was the road of choice. Both Victor and Cripple Creek are both worthy of a trip on their own, but this day was about being surrounded by nature and Colorado provides that in spades.
Gold Camp Road was originally created as a way to traverse the difficult terrain from Colorado Springs to the gold fields in Victor. Following the old railroad tracks of the Shortline Railroad, it winds its way around the south face of Pikes Peak for 22 miles while climbing from around 7,000 feet to well over 10,000 feet in altitude. The road itself is very easy to navigate during the warm weather months, but as with most mountain roads is quite bumpy. A nice slow drive is in order as the towering granite rock formations, abundant wildlife and thousand foot drop-offs certainly warrant caution. You will encounter beautiful high mountain lakes, meandering creeks, and incredible views from the comfort of the seats in the vehicle of your choice. While this road is a manageable drive with just about any vehicle, is is nice to have something with a bit more clearance then usual, but don't let that deter you as this drive can be handled with even the most basic of vehicles.
If you ever get a chance to visit our beautiful region, take the time to venture out of the city and see what nature is meant to be. You certainly won't be disappointed, and if fortunate you may catch a glimpse of a bear, moose, mountain lion (we came across one of these on this trip), or any other of the vast species of wildlife we are blessed to live with.
Thank you for spending a few moments with us.
XXOO
Dawn & Nick
Comments