Gallery: Pikes Peak
This afternoon we took a trip to the top of Pikes Peak which sits 14,110 feet above sea level. At this height there is approximately half the oxygen of the air at sea level. The most common way to access this is via the Pikes Peak Highway which travels 19 miles up the mountain to the summit.
When we arrived we were told that only 16 of the 19 miles were open due to snow and ice covering the road. However, upon reaching the ranger blocking the path, we were told that it should be opened as soon as they finished digging out the snow to the top. While we waited we explored the area and discovered the effects of 50% oxygen in the air. It only took a few moments to become tired from climbing on the rocks.
Finally, we made it to the top and got some awesome shots of the expanse that is the Rocky Mountains!
Gallery: Garden of the Gods
Garden of the Gods offered an amazing view of rock structures scattered about the base of the Rocky Mountains. We managed to arrive at the park just moments after sunrise and the effect was breathtaking. Words cannot adequately describe it so lets see how some pictures work…
Epic Road Trip – Day 2
Day 2 of our trip took us through all of Kansas and into Colorado. The two words that best describe Kansas: VAST and FLAT. We took some pictures to try and capture this, but nothing quite does it justice. To top it all off, many parts of Kansas lacked any form of cellular data network. That meant my Blackberry was rendered useless for anything email or internet related.
TRIP STATS
Miles Traveled Today: 570.2
Total Trip Miles: 1246
Gallons of Gas: Not Yet Calculated
Today’s Map:
The pictures for today pretty much sum up our experience in the flat, barren, vast, open, boring, (did i mention flat) area that is Kansas and eastern Colorado…
We’re not in Kansas anymore!
We just crosses the boarder into Colorado and shouted: “We’re not in Kansas anymore!”
To quote David:
“We’re not in Kansas anymore!” – that is a universally positive statement.
Onward now to Boulder, CO!
Epic Road Trip – Day 1
Day one of the epic road trip draws to a close! Todays trip began in Cincinnati, OH and ended in Topeka, KS. Along the way we stopped in St. Louis to visit the Gateway Arch. As you will see from the photos below, the ride to the top of the arch is in these tiny pods that accomodate up to 5 (small) people. You begin underground, under the center of the arch, and ride on a track all the way to the top. Once you exit the pod you are on a 30-40 foot long walk way with windows on either side where you can look east to the Mississippi or west to downtown St. Louis.
Miles Traveled Today: 675.8
Total Trip Miles: 675.8
Gallons of Gas: Not Yet Calculated
Today’s Map:
Read on for today’s photo gallery…
Epic Road Trip – Day 0
Yes, you read right, Day 0. It is about 11:30pm and I am just finishing packing in preparation for the longest road trip of my life. Here is a short overview of what is to come:
Starting Point: Belmont, OH
Start Time: 2008-05-12 06:00 EDT
Ending Point: San Jose, CA
End Time: 2008-05-17 16:00 PDT
Approximate Distance: 3,000+ miles
Number of Stops: Many*
Gallons of Gas: :-( **
*Many : A technical term to denote a large or possibly changing number.
** :-( This is also a technical term for very expensive…
Some points of note on the trip will include:
- Colorado Springs / Garden of the Gods
- Grand Canyon
- Bryce Canyon
- Las Vegas
- more?
I will be posting a log every day or so with updates as well as pictures (if bandwidth allows) of the trip. Leave comments with any suggestions as to must see points of interest or just general thoughts on our progress.
(Now to get some sleep before we depart)