Colorado Springs, CO – On the first day of my trip to Colorado, my crew and I awoke to the beautiful Pike’s Peak that overlooks our hotel. Right off the bat, I could tell this was going to be a good day.
Preparing for the change in temperature to be expected during the day, my common question was, “just how cold does it get up there?”
A beautiful ride to get to our destination, we found ourselves in Idaho Springs before we headed to the top.
Mount Evans is the highest summit in the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains. The 14,271 foot peak is located in the Mount Evans Wilderness.
On this morning, the traffic was quite heavy traversing up the summit. Lots of hikers, bikers, cyclists, and cars. Of course it was a holiday weekend so that was to be expected.
As we wound our way up the mountain, I just couldn’t help but notice just how beautiful it is. I also could tell with each turn and switchback that the temperature was falling.
You find yourself wanting to look at everything along the mountain, but the narrow road demands that you stay focused on where your motorcycle is going. There’s something though, about how your peripheral vision seems to just wrap around your brain as you control your adrenaline that’s building with each turn up the mountain.
My riding partners, Stephen and Rosemary Walker, had ridden this summit before, so navigating the path was an easy ride. As we ascended the mountain, the first thing I noticed was how the altitude was affecting my breathing. I thought I was just excited about where I was, but it seriously DOES affect the amount of oxygen you get.
Mountain goats dot the landscape and looking down on the mountain, you see all of the lakes that are forged out of centuries of existence that are a crystal clear blue water, that makes you want to just park the Harley and go swimming.
At every turn I was trying to get the “perfect” picture and realized that I could just point and click my camera and I would capture an amazing frame.
The excitement continued as we started down the mountain. There’s only one way up and down the summit, so I got another chance to view the things I might have missed on the way up.
Regardless of how you travel Mount Evans, it’s a must that you see it. You’ll never see anything as beautiful again.
