September 27 – October 1, 2024
It was time to start heading east. The hurricane Helene hit Florida yesterday, September 26. From what I can tell the storm surge in Tampa Bay as the hurricane moved up the coast was significant – many homes with blocks of the bay had 3-4 feet of water in them. Fortunately I was spared but I am getting a bit anxious to get home.
But first a few nights in Colorado Springs. I stayed at Cheyenne Mountain State Park Campground just outside Colorado Springs.
Here’s the view looking east from the campsite.
There was a fair amount of wildlife roaming in and near the campground.
On the 29th I drove to Pikes Peak Summit. You pass several alpine lakes on the way to the summit as well as a Big Foot Crossing sign. I didn’t know that there were several reported sightings of Big Foot in the area in the 1990s. I did not get a picture of the sign but I did manage a picture of Big Foot himself.
Pikes Peak is a 14er at 14,115 feet. Quite a few switch backs on they way up and incredible views from the summit.
Visitor Center and restaurant at the summit.
On the last day of September I took a scenic drive to Creede, Colorado. Creed is the main town in the historic mining district and there is a well documented drive – The Bachelor Loop – that takes past several mining locations from the 1890s. The added bonus is the Aspens were in full golden fall glory.
There is still mining in the area. This picture shows the pile of rock from the ground that was not silver or gold.
The first day of October and my last day in Colorado for this trip I woke to an amazing sunrise. I thought about the coming days driving across the great plains as I watched the ssunrise.
Then I headed to Garden of the Gods. Garden of the Gods is a Colorado Springs park in the foothills of Pikes Peak. The park was gifted to the city by the family of Charles Elliott Perkins under the conditions that it be free to all visitors forever after his death.
It was hard to capture the unique rock formations but I tried.
The next day I started my trek across the plains. There is one more “destination” before home.