While we’ve loved serving with the SOWER ministry in January through March, we’ve relished the past five weeks of travel adventure. We refer to this time as our “holiday.” If you’ve been reading our blog, you know we’ve covered thousands of miles in Texas and hundreds more in New Mexico. For our final two weeks of “holiday,” we crossed into Colorado, visiting three state parks: Trinidad State Park, Lathrop State Park, and Cheyenne Mountain State Park near Colorado Springs.
Hiking the Rockies may just be my favorite activity…ever. All of my senses are fully engaged. The visual tapestry of snow-capped mountains adorned with the deep green of spruce trees, complemented by occasional fluffy clouds against a backdrop of vivid, French-blue sky is exhilarating. For me, this is the definition of beauty. The scent of pine trees is intoxicating. The sound of the breeze rustling through the trees is punctuated by myriad turkeys gobbling as they search for a mate. My trekking poles and footsteps create a comfortable rhythm as pine needles crunch under my feet. My body’s ability to navigate over boulders and up steep ridges (steep to me!) is gratifying. My heart rate and breathing accelerate, reminding me to be grateful for this gift of life. The glory of God is surely magnified in these majestic mountains! My soul is filled to overflowing with joy!
We’ve hiked numerous trails thus far and more to come. We encountered elk tracks while adventuring through Reilly’s Canyon in Trinidad State Park. The Spanish Peaks near Lathrop State Park were utterly captivating! Carving our way through the pine forests at Cheyenne Mountain was serene.
As the icing on the cake, we hopped aboard the Cog Railway in Manitou Springs for the nine mile trek to the Pikes Peak summit. OK, I know the title of this blog says “Summiting Pikes Peak” but did you really think Skip and I would be summiting a fourteener without transportation?
The views were extraordinary! We were grateful to have some blue sky and a clear view for miles.
Pikes Peak is considered America’s mountain. In 2021, 23.7 million people visited this national treasure. Did you know that Katharine Lee Bates penned the cherished “America the Beautiful” poem in 1893 having summited Pikes Peak? A few months later, Silas G. Pratt wrote the stirring melody of this patriotic song.
Onward to our SOWER project at Glen Eyrie. Our next blog post will be truly unique…a must read! Can’t wait to share it with you. Hope you’ll come along for the ride!
Really lovely. Thank you! Travel safely!
As always your pictures are stunning 🤗. Lynne and I love the mountains and originally wanted to retire there but family pulled us to Kansas. While not the mountains living on a half a city block in a town of 40 people has its own rewards. Almost no traffic, quiet, and wildlife free range in our property.
We love that you share your adventures with the rest of us.
Bless you both and Lynne and I wish you fun and safe travels 🥰🙏
Thank you, Pat and Lynne. The more we travel, the more we appreciate rural America, especially the quiet and the friendliness of country people. So glad our paths crossed through the joy of music.
Incredible photos. All my senses were there with you two!
Love the blue skies…bring them back home!