Pikes Peak

We had a leisurely start to the day highlighted by a shower (no showers the 3 nights in Rocky mountain NP. We then headed into Manitou Falls for a walk around town before our ride on the cog train to Pikes peak. Great scenery and views on the way up .... most of the way. When we got to the top it was snowing, so very limited visibility from there. While on top, we tried the famous pikes peak donuts, which were OK. We returned after about 45 minutes on the peak. The today trip was about 3 hours.

After the cog ride we went to a western dinner/show at the Flying W Ranch. The ranch has been doing shows since 1953 and was recommended by a friend who was here 25 years ago. The ranch burnt to the ground ( along with over 200 houses) from a forest fire in 2012. They rebuilt and opened again in 2020. First we walked around the ranch where they had some hands on activities for kids and seeing the farm animals. Then we were entertained by native American dancers. Dinner was a chuckwagon meal of brisket, sausage, beans, baked potatoes, applesauce, bread and spice cake served in a tin plate. It was delicious. The final entertainment was a group of 5 guys with string instruments who sang western songs in 4 and 5 part harmonies. They were very good musicians!
It was a good day!Les mer