Marpeg: CENTRAL COLORADO, PIKES PEAK

Today the Mitchell family bags Pikes Peak (14,110 feet). The road up would have been a lot more fun on a motorcycle. Oxygen is sparse up here. We're out of breath just walking to the gift shop. The place is named for a fellow who didn't even make it to the top. In 1806 he quit after several days and said it couldn't be done. The first white man to climb it was botanist Edwin James in 1820.

We search for and find the peak's Bench Mark, set in 1947, the year I was born. I remember being here in the 1950's to watch my Aunt and Uncle square dance. A lot of records have been set here. One fellow pushed a peanut with his nose up the mountain. It took him 20 days and he wore out five pairs of gloves. The fastest marathon time was 3 hours 16 minutes and the fastest road race time was 9:15 minutes with a motorcycle on the 12.46 mile, 7% road.

At the mandatory break test stop we're told our breaks are too hot and we have to let them cool down. The visitors center is conveniently close by. We also take the dogs for a hike to a nearby abandoned campground. We finally make it back down and head for Cripple Creek. We take a site at Mueller State Park for the night.