Crystal Reservoir ... on the way up to Pikes Peak.

Aylin and Murat make a travel memory at Crystal Reservoir

Murat, Aylin, and mom make the acquaintance of Big Foot.

Looking back down whence we came up the winding Pikes Peak Highway.

Pikes Peak Highway on the way up to the summit.

The photo says it all ... we have arrived at the Summit.

Red rocks add color to the scenery along the Pikes Peak Highway.

A late lunch at TAPAteria in Old Colorado City.

CoSprings: Pikes Peak

December 21, 2019 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 37 °F

My brother-in-law, Murat, arrived yesterday. He'll be with us until 8 January when he and Aylin will fly back to Turkey. In other words ... a short time here and not a moment to waste.

Taking advantage of a blue-sky day with plenty of sunshine and warm temps reaching 60F, we headed out to do a bit of sightseeing with my mom, Aylin, and Murat.

Our initial plan was to visit the Garden of the Gods. But when we found out that the road to the tippy top of Pikes Peak was open, we jiggled our plans. Along the way, we lost the warm temperature forecasted for the lower elevations, but blue skies and sunshine accompanied us all the way up to 14,115 feet. It was well below freezing at the summit, but with no wind to add a chill factor, we were quite comfortable once we were bundled up in our layers.

Our one disappointment — ongoing construction at the peak where a new Summit Complex is being built blocked certain areas. Unfortunately, that meant that some of the breathtaking views that inspired the writing of "America the Beautiful" were not available for us to enjoy.

We wrapped up our outing with a delightful tapas lunch at our favorite place in Old Colorado City — TAPAteria.Read more