<p>The cog railway up to Pike’s Peak is fantastic.</p>
<p>The gift shop at the top, however, is extortion! I bought a t-shirt that says “Got Oxygen?” thinking that it was the funniest thing I’d ever seen… I got back down to the bottom and surveyed my t-shirt… I realized that it was not exactly the best purchase I’d ever made, after my brain had gotten over its slightly hypoxic state.</p>
<p>“I thought this thread was going to be about grade-point-averages.”
“I thought it was going to be about drugs.”</p>
<p>I thought it was going to be about lofting dorm beds…</p>
<p>Oh you should definatley go! It will be beautiful and memorable. The road you mentioned is paved and well-maintained the entire way, and you will see gorgeous mountain vista, and some cute mountain towns along the way. And just being in a car rather than hiking, you should be OK. But the air is incredibly dry, and the sun incredibly intense at that altitude. Bring sunscreen, hand lotion, and chapstick, and drink lots of water. And you might want to go for a hydrating facial at the end of the trip. Your skin will thank you for it.</p>
<p>Uh yeah, riverrunner. Thanks for the correction on the altitude. That was my post. Brain disconnected from hands. I actually meant *Evergreen<a href=“the%20town%20itself”>/i</a> at 7200 ft.</p>
<p>Aibarr, how nice to see you back! Hope life is treating you and your brother well… :)</p>
<p>One tiny thing - check what you are bringing. We did this drive years ago to show my mom where H and S had done a trail restoration project. Took a picnic lunch along and the potato chip bag popped with a loud bang near the top! After we got back down mom discovered a liquid ink pen and a little bottle of lotion in her purse had both leaked all over.</p>
<p>I am probably the most out-of-shape person on the boards here. I’ve hiked to 12000 ft with no problem. Although I really like the idea of a poolside massage.</p>
<p>Helimom, I’m from the NYC area too, and we are driving to Colorado in August too. What a coincidence! Is your student going to school in Co, or is this just a fun road trip? I am going to drive solo (or with one of my kids) Chicago, where H will join me (I’ll pick him up at the airport) and we’ll then take Rt 66 to Albuquerque, meet up with friends who live in Santa FE, then drive on in to Denver where my son will be. We’ll spend a few days in Co, getting him moved into college–my car will be packed with his junk, and then ditch the rental at the airport and fly home. </p>
<p>We visited Denver last year, and I loved it. A little dry which was good for me as I tend to have oily skin, and I did wake up with a headache one morning that Advil cured. Drank lots of water, did not have any problems with altitude. Beautiful, beautiful area. I have a booklet on Colorado Springs and am psyched to visit the caves, mountains, the sights there. And I just might get the old spa treatment there too!</p>
<p>If you want the “old” spa treatment, leave the hotel and visit Indian Springs (disclaimer, I have never done this) Genuine mineral springs, geo-thermal cave baths carved out around 1910… plus pools and tubs of various temperatures. Can you imagine how wonderful this must have been for those old miners after weeks with a pick-ax?</p>
<p>cptofthehouse, when you drive from Santa Fe to Denver, your temptation will be to hop on I-25 and power north. Resist this temptation. Take US highway 84 north out of Santa Fe to New Mexico 68. Take that north to US 64 which will take you from Taos down through a canyon to Cimarron. From Cimarron, highway 64 runs northwest and picks up I-25 at Raton. This will probably take an hour longer than just banging up the Interstate, but it is absolutely some of the prettiest country in the US. We did this drive going southbound from Denver last summer on the way to drop WashDad off in New Mexico. The piece of road between Taos and Raton was one of the three most spectacular we drove on the trip (none were Interstates – one was in southwest Montana, and another was just east of the Tetons in Wyoming). </p>
<p>Pretty much all the landscapes west of Denver are amazing, but do try to get at least a little non-Interstate time if you can. Enjoy!</p>
<p>Thanks, Washdad. I am copying your post. We are really looking forward to this. It’s a little less than H has wanted to do, but more than we would have done this year if S3 were not going to school in Colorado.</p>
<p>I’m so glad I made this thread as it’s been very helpful. Thanks everyone for your input.</p>
<p>I did not have any altitude sickness at 9000 feet. Bryce Canyon was amazing…we also hiked a truly heartstopping trail in Zion. We’ve also been skiing in Utah at over 8000 a couple of times with no trouble, unless you consider REALLY horrible skiing to be a problem. (Did I mention I’m from Florida? What’s with the snow and the skis and the exertion and the exhaustion? People do this for FUN?)</p>
<p>I have miserable motion sickness though, so bringing those meds is an excellent idea.</p>
<p>Cptofthehouse, this is a sort of business trip for H, he’s speaking at some meeting or other in Denver. He thought it might be fun for me to come along. Our rising college soph. is working all summer so can’t join us. At first I was kind of indifferent since I’ve been to CO before (my stepfather was from La Junta) but I must say it sounds fabulous.</p>