Well, almost. My family and I spent Easter Sunday riding aboard the Manitou and Pikes Peak Railway to the 14,110 foot summit of Pikes Peak, just outside Colorado Springs. The experience was amazing, the scenery beautiful, and it was quite unique to be up so high! It literally felt as though we were on top of the world, with views in many directions for miles. The downtown skyline of Denver was visible, as were parts of Kansas and Oklahoma. You could even see the Four Corners!

The trek to the top of the mountain was made easy by the railway, thanks in part to the cool cog-driven train cars. Unlike traditional trains, these use a special ‘third rail’ that acts like a gear to help the cars climb grades of some 25%. It’s amazing to think that this railway has been in operation for over 100 years, safely ferrying tourists to and from the summit. Even more, the people running the train couldn’t have been friendlier, and the conductor and engineer were incredibly accommodating in answering my questions and feeding my curiosity about how the train worked.

Images from the day are now in my Photo Gallery, so sit back, and enjoy the view!