C O L O R A D O!!!!
Welcome to Mile High Colorado! Only 2 days into being an honorary Coloradian, Ken and I decided to climb Pikes Peak! (Yay for waking up at 4:30am!) Here we are on the summit (14,100 feet)! Taking the Incline trail to the Barr Trail to cut off around a mile of our 12 mile trail up! Let me say you can feel the altitude! High altitude is defined as 8K to 13K feet, with extreme altitude being over 13K. EXTREME is an accurate word as you start huffing and puffing near the top (Golden Steps)! Kids, consult your doctor before trying this! Also, I got to meet a few army guys from Fort Carson whom we actually beat up the trail! Finally, congrads to the dude we met at the summit and his "mile high" actions years ago! heeh
Here is Ken and I chillin' at the highest suspension bridge in the world - Royal Gorge in Southern CO. We took Interstate 25 down to this hot spot. You'd think the bridge would be secure, but it's made of wooden planks with 3 inch holes between them. So as cars slowly drive over it you feel like you're going to be thrown off! A guy actually bungee jumped off the bridge last year landing just feet above the Arkansas river! (next time we're white water rafting!). Highlights included taking the cable car across the revene and sliding down the mountain in the incline car!
That's me as I moved up to my "Mile High Seat" at the Dodgers-Rockies baseball game. No seriously they have a row of purple seats around Coors Field at exactly 1 mile up! I'm sporting my truely "lucky 13" T-shirt and my first foul ball that I caught (Steve Finley is my new favorite player!)! Thanks for the dude 2 rows up for taking the pain and directing into my waiting arms! We couldn't have asked for a better weekend, destiny it must have been!
Stylin' on Colorado University's football field in Boulder! Ken was afraid to "illegally cough cough" make our way onto the field for this pic, but it all worked out! Next time I'm joining that flag football game! I guess we were still on our high from the "piano bar" we hit up the previous night!
Ken and I took a tour of the U.S.A. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs. Amazing tour where we got to watch some athletes practice and even met a few. Apollo (that speed skating guy) was there and then we met Tela O'Donnell - a female wrestler. Ken likes her! (I hope she does well in 2008, cause you'll want to see her in action!)
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5:30am View from the Incline Trail (1,000 feet up) |
7am Sunrise about 2 miles into the Pikes Peak trail |
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All eyes on the prize, 6 miles away |
At the point of no return! It's up from here |
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Looking back at what we passed. Garden of the Gods in the distance |
Nearing the top; leaving the treeline! (12,000 feet up) |
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At the summit, don't throw rocks at us hiking up! (Kansas in the BG) |
View of where we started earlier that morning (by all those houses) |
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Colorado University at Boulder |
Downtown Denver, from Coors Field |
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Canopy design at Denver International Airport |
Royal Gorge on the Cable Car |
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Heading down the steepest mountain incline at Royal Gorge. |
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| First to 50 is the winner! (No capitals, maybe baseball stadiums!) Vegas and a ski trip to come! | |
