Pikes Peak

Birthday at the ‘Top of the World’

Next day was my birthday, woke up in a beautiful place with even more beautiful person, I already got my gift, but gifts had just begun to unfold. We dressed up, grabbed the toasts and eggs and coffee and checked out of the hotel to hit the road.

Our first stop of the day was the best, the Pikes Peak. At 14,115-ft It is the highest summit in North America. We drove to the summit via the Pikes Peak Highway, a 19-mile road that starts a few miles up Ute Pass at Cascade on our Mustang convertible, which was altogether a different experience. Another way to ascend the mountain is The Manitou and Pike’s Peak Railway, the world’s highest cog railroad, operated from Manitou Springs to the summit. We started with usual swirl of mountain road, the woods were beautiful, the air was getting cooler and fresher as we were soaring heights, the view was beyond words.

We reached Crystal Creek Reservoir is a reservoir on the border of Teller and El Paso counties, has beautiful blue waters and is popular camping area. As we drove further the roads became higher, narrower and wilder. The vegetation on the either side was getting scantier. We reached the Devil’s’ Playground which is a minor sub-peak of Pikes Peak located at an elevation of 13,075 feet. By the time we reached here the speed of the vehicle was to be maintained at 10mph to the top, the mountains were barren and roods were sharper and we still had another 1000 feet to drive to the top. The turns are blind and sharp and with no guardrails. Every time we took a turn the road appeared to have merged into the sky and my husband was driving through the roads like fish takes to water, he is just the most amazing driver I have ever driven with.

And we made it to the top and that’s where on the deck of the highest peak my husband kissed me a Happy Birthday. Awww though I was shivering at 39 degrees Fahrenheit and my lungs gasping for oxygen, I guess it was out of the world feeling, best birthday ever.

At the peak, the partial pressure of oxygen is only about 60% of that at sea level and that made me breath from my mouth, walking impossible and heart racing like cars in circuit. But that certainly is in no comparison to the beauty and adventure the journey to the summit brought to us. We spent time at the peak with piping hot coffee and finally decided to descend. The roads were more familiar by then, I was less scared and we made few stops for my genius photographer company to capture the view in lenses. Saw some crystal-clear glacial lakes with their waters like turquoise.

Finally, made it to the base and rushed into precious stones jewelry shop and treated myself with some exquisite pieces  😉