Two Weeks of a Lady's Life in the Dramatic Landscapes of Colorado and Utah

This is the third instalment of a recent road trip. Links to the others are provided at the end.

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We were hoping for a bright day. A rain-filled night had eased the heat but we wanted it to be brief. A mountain in the rain makes for a miserable experience: it's all about what you can see when you get to the top. Mist is not a transparent film through which to view the vista. Seeing it clinging to the sides of the mountain you wish to ascend breeds disappointment in the heart of many an intrepid traveller. It did the same with me.

However, the higher you rise, the more likely you are to leave the mist behind as it knows that its strength lies in remaining low. What a relief it was when we tore through it on our mountain road, the road's steepness leading us above the clouds where the air is thin and lungs are tested.

When we saw blue sky and the bubble wrap of white clouds nestling below, it felt like we had won some sort of competition by remaining optimistic and climbing the mountain regardless of the outcome. Of course, we would have done this anyway because we had already paid for a timed entry. We weren't wasting that, mist or no mist!

The ascent had another surprise for us: Bigfoot. No, not a big reveal but a continuation of the mystery really. There is a fascination with Bigfoot which I, sort of, share with some Americans as I quite like the idea of there being an enormous humanoid roaming the wilderness, banging on trees and exerting some sort of mesmeric force over all who encounter him.

I remember a book about the unexplained that we had in junior school. When it was reading time, it was the book that everyone wanted to have. Rarely was I successful in grabbing this, it usually ending up in the hands of Robin Russell.

But when I did get it? What real world mysteries it suggested!

From the Loch Ness Monster to aliens, to the Mary Celeste and the Bermuda Triangle. Fruits to feed the fervent imagination! And in that book, the famous blurred picture of Sasquatch, a bold, tall, black figure walking in the forest, arms hanging down, looking human and yet not, but certainly mysterious. What was this thing? I ruminated on what this photo suggested for - oh, I'm still doing it now.

Why all this mentioning of Bigfoot? Because Pike's Peak features him/it (?) quite heavily. A crossing, a concrete footprint, a sign. All very conspiracy theory-inducing and this tourist loved it.

There was also a wooden structure carved into a resemblance of Bigfoot at the reservoir where we stopped for lunch but he looked so forlorn, it could only have been an artist's approximation. Bigfoot would be far more chipper in my opinion (wood pun intended).

And so, to the peak. Multiple photo opportunities on the way up and the sweetest smell of pine I have ever encountered, which may have been aided by some tree-felling which we witnessed in passing.

Up and up and up, through switchbacks and rocky outcrops, higher and higher. Some of this ascent was more than hair raising! Not a lot between you and a very, very steep drop. But eventually, we reached the top and eager to park, we found a spot, the sky still clear and magnificent views suggested on each side of the summit, 14115 feet of it.

But there was a problem for me that I was about to encounter. The altitude was about to have me. I'd been okay on the way up, taking photos at laybys and moving freely. But I tried to move at the same pace on the summit and I felt lightheaded and nauseous in an instant. I slowed down from lumbering rhino to lame tortoise and was rewarded with relief. The rest of my family were, of course, unaffected and so, as they could move at normal speed, I was left to navigate the summit myself. This did not bode well for a proposed trip to Macchu Picchu until we discovered that the Peruvian wonder is, in fact, a lot lower. Phew! Ambition intact. Now, if I could just get my knee to like steps a little more...

The views were amazing. Still not crisply clear but we were able to see a fair distance. I don't think there is any greater feeling than being on top of the world, looking down. It is a triumph felt deep inside. I know that we only climbed it in a Kia Sorrento but boy, it felt good to be there. Although if that's how altitude sickness is going to hit me, then I'm glad I stayed in the car at the top of Mauna Kea.

The peak done, it was time to come down, which we did slowly and carefully, the nice rangers checking the temperature of the brakes at a crucial point so we were able to continue down the mountain. We stopped off at the reservoir on the descent and ate and marvelled at the scenery.

We tickled Bigfoot to see if that would cheer him up but he still looked wary and uncertain. There were many people fishing, some of them catching their supper and Pike's Peak's mountainous companions were reflecting nicely on the surface of the water, enough for me to digitise it with my phone.

With some time to kill before returning to the noisy KOA for relaxation and some trashy TV, we decided to explore Colorado Springs, which didn't take long. Downtown was businesslike and empty but the murals were cool. We headed out to the 'burbs and saw a well-presented college campus as well as some rather grand colonial-style housing lining the road. Nice but uninspiring to the adventuring tourist.

So, we headed back to the KOA, treating ourselves to dinner at Panda Express, the food of which establishment was copious in portion and delicious in taste and looked forward to leaving for the next leg of our journey to Moab, Utah, and the National Parks that we had not had time to enjoy on a visit to the U.S. virtually five years to the day.

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Links to previous blogs about this trip:

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