Pikes Peak and the Rockie Mountains

The next day, August 16th, we arrived, early in the day, in Colorado Springs and there got our mail - the first since July 26th.
Here, too, we saw our first Rodeo Parade - Real "Injuns" and "Cowboys"! Escaping unscalped and unlassoed, we proceeded to have a look at Pikes Peak.

Driving along at leisure, we passed, the "Garden of the Gods", Cliff Dwellers", "Cave of the Winds", and "Rainbow Falls" and presently found ourselves at the entrance of "Pikes Peak Auto Highway", where we were assessed $2.00 each and allowed to drive our car up the "highest automobile Highway" in the world.

The distance from "Toll gate" to the summit is 18.5 miles and we were just two and three-quarters hours making the ascent, using low gear practically all the way, with various stops to adjust the carburetor.  The road was so steep that Jimmie syphoned gas from the tank to fill the vacume tank, repeating the process as needed.

Top of Pikes Peak

Elevation 14,109'

In later mountain climbing, we knew more about adjusting the carburetor for altitude and had no trouble.

Down in Colorado Springs, and in fact, at Toll Gate, the sun was shining and it was a beautiful clear day, but at 14,109 feet elevation, we encountered a snow storm and it was impossible to see, except the immediate top of the peak.

We came down in low gear also, as required, and the time was just one and three-quarters hours.

We spent the night at Manitou, near the Rainbow Falls and the next day hied us to Denver, the beautiful city of the west.  After looking over Colorado's capital, we drove to Boulder a few miles distant to call on a former Glen Spey resident, Mrs. Alex MacKenzie but did not find her home.

We left Boulder late in the afternoon and started over the "Fall River Pass".  We started climbing and it seemed as tho we would never stop going up - and we didn't that day.

When night came, we pitched our tent on the Banks of the Fall River in Estes Park.

  The Federal Government maintains tourist camps throughout the National Parks, and we were glad to take advantage of them.

The first thing to think about in camping is "drinking water", and Jimmie set out in search of some.  He inquired of a caretaker where he might find drinking water and the man simply stared at him and asked, "Where are you from?" "Takoma Park, Maryland," said Jimmie, "Well, I thought you were not native of these parts", said the caretaker, "We get all our water right out of the river here."  And sure enough the water of Fall River is simply melted snow flowing down the mountain with nothing, to contaminate it and is clearer, purer and fresher than any we can obtain from our faucets in the city.

 

The next morning we talked with some of the tourists about going down the other side of the mountain and were informed we had almost another day's climb before we reached the top.

So up we started and up and up we went, clinging to the edge of the mountain as the road wound 'round and 'round.  Soon we were above the timberline and incidentally, above the fly and mosquito zone as well.  In many paces there was not room for two cars to pass.  A few more miles and we left vegetation behind and now all we saw were rocks and snow.  - "We were in the Rockies!"  More than two miles above the level of the sea,  (elevation 11,797 feet).  Somewhere on Fall River Pass, we had crossed the "Great Continental Divide".

At the top of this pass was an observation tower where we could look back over the valley, and after viewing the panorama, our next thoughts were of the gas tank, Jimmie measured and found one-half gallon - - O- O - Oh!!! and only ten miles to Grand Lake the nearest filling station.  Well, we put the car in "second" - coasted down the mountain, measured again and to our great relief, found three gallons.  In our mountain traveling, we found it rather difficult to determine "level".  The heavily loaded car, no doubt, had something to do with it.  At Grand Lake, gas was  30 cents per gallon, the highest we had paid so far.