4/29: Pike's Peak, Cripple Creek

​We woke up to warmer weather and clear skies. But the forecast called for increaing clouds. We were first in line when the gates opened on Pike's Peak Highway at 9 a.m. The gates are at 7,400 feet. For $10 per person ($15 in summer months), you can drive your own car up the 19-mile road to the Summit at 14,115 feet. We learned that the last six miles of the road were still closed due to icy conditions. They get their biggest snow storms in April and May in Colorado Springs.
The winding drive has a speed limit of 25 mph, due to the tight hairpin turns and sparse guard rails along steep traverses. In addition to a close-up view of the alpine peak, there are views of the Continental Divide Mountains, lakes, forests and the surrounding area. We got some great pictures and a short-hike through a snowy picnic grounds. There were few other people, so we let Charlie off leash. She loved scampering and rolling in the snow.
We decided to continue west on Highway 24 to the backside of Pike's Peak to the town of Cripple Creek - an old gold-mining town. It's now filled with wall-to-wall casinos. Most are converted restaurants and bars. But there are a couple of moderately sized hotel resorts. We found a traditional bar/restaurant where we enjoyed a delightful lunch. Angie got spicy green chili and I had a Reuben sandwich. We sampled a couple of regional IPAs also. On the way home, we did a driving tour of Garden of the Gods
Back at camp, the weather was still mostly sunny, so we sat outside to catch up on our blog updates. Angie made a delicious dinner of broccoli stir-fried in garlic, fresh salad and brisket. Hank had smoked a brisket and and pork before we left. Angie portioned it and vacuum sealed it into individual meals. We have been eating out a lot so we are going to have meat leftover after this trip.