kitchtrips

I was disappointed to learn that the world-famous Pikes Peak Cog Railway has closed down, for at least the foreseeable future, because during my epic two-month traverse of America in the fall of 2010, the 14km ascent from Manitou Springs, CO to the summit of Pikes Peak – a mind-bending 14,115ft above sea level – where Katharine Lee Bates wrote ‘America the Beautiful’, was one of the best things I did on that entire trip.

Whilst you can still drive to the summit (something I did in the fall of 2017), it’s not quite the same as being on the train and rising gradually above the trees, the incredible views opening all around you. So here’s a little flashback to eight years ago (!!) and an experience I’ll never forget.