Our First Trip to Colorado: Day 3

8/5/13

We were up EARLY this morning. Well, early by CO standards;) We had tickets for the 8am train up Pike's Peak, so breakfast was cereal bars in the room, and we were on the road about 6:30. The drive to the train station was quick, with few cars on the road at that hour. It was easy to find parking at that hour, and I would go early for just that reason. We picked up our tickets and explored the gift shop a bit before the train arrived.

The train departed at 8, and it was an awesome experience. HIGHLY recommend it. The trip to the top really let me see just why they call them the Rocky Mountains. 

The view at the top was mind blowing. The other perk to taking the early train was the clear skies. It was chilly at the summit, even for New Englanders. I was VERY glad I had dressed in layers. 

After a bunch of picture taking, we headed into the store and “cafe” for the “world famous doughnuts”. Those doughnuts are totally worth their reputation! The train left the top of the mountain about 45 minutes after we got to the summit. Because we were the first train of the day (no delays on the track) we had gotten about an extra 15 minutes at the summit. Honestly, I was ready at the half hour mark to return to the bottom. After that, I was totally feeling the altitude. Thankfully, that feeling wore off as we made our descent, and I was able to do more picture taking. 

We returned to the Manitou Springs station about 11:30 am and hit the gift store before driving into town in search of lunch. Seeing the parking nightmare that the area around the station had become made us very happy to have taken the early train.

Lunch was at the Stagecoach Inn, which had a neat atmosphere, but average food. I think I had a burger. The better half has since learned to read TA reviews! When we finished lunch, we walked around town a bit, peeking into stores and enjoying some custard at Culvers.

After this, we headed for Cave of the Winds, which we loved. Cave of the Winds is a cave that is open for guided tours. To reach it, you drive up a mountain. While waiting for our tour, we enjoyed the peace of the rocking chairs on the deck of the visitor’s center, overlooking Williams Canyon. 

We had to wait about half an hour for our tour, but it was worth it. Again, this was a very different experience for us, and we thoroughly enjoyed it. 

The clouds started building again at the end of the tour, so we called it a day. Dinner tonight was at Jack Quinns Irish Pub, again about a block from the hotel, and again, an enjoyable meal. Great food, great service, fun atmosphere. Nick loved the late happy hours in CO. They seemed to last until 6 everywhere, which is quite a bit later than most places at home. Jack Quinns was one of those places.