Grampa, can we go to the mountains?

[Shortgrass]

The grand kids from Kansas posed the question.

So we went to the top of America's mountain

Kathrine Lee Bates penned Americ the Beautiful after a trip to the
top of Pikes Peak. Daughter and her 4 kiddos

The Cog Train leaving the top (we drove a car)

The bottom of the Bottomless Pit

The Sangre de Cristo Mountains

These pictures are taken in the Alpine Environmental zone

The road winding its way up. Racers reach speed over 100 mph during the Hill Climb race

a snow bank

a hairpin turn

Reaching the Sub Alpine Zone at the tree line (timberline is 11,500 to 12,000 ft in Colorado)

Glencove

Snow eaters

Grandma with a couple of pals and a couple of snow eaters

Heart grabber

The top from Crystal Lake. We are now in the Montane Zone

They are in the "Twilight Zone"

Ute Pass in the Foothills Zone

 

[LazyWP]

Great pictures. I miss the mountains, at times. They sure are fun to visit, and gawk at, but gawk and drive at the same time.

 

[Anonymous]

I love the mountains to. Thanks for sharing!!

 

[Big Muddy rancher]

I'm no mountain man but I enjoyed the trip.


Thanks for taking us along.

 

[RSL]

I suspect they may have grandpa figured out completely. It looks like great pics of a great day to me.

 

[jodywy]

all those turns, when we were kids we would of got car sick. My kids still hate going over Tin Cup from Freedom Wy to Soda Springs Id, not steep just windy.
Great Pictures of Moutains and grand kids!!!!

 

[Shortgrass]

all those turns, when we were kids we would of got car sick. My kids still hate going over Tin Cup from Freedom Wy to Soda Springs Id, not steep just windy.
Great Pictures of Moutains and grand kids!!!!

Always windy on top. The road gets real crooked above Glen Cove, but couldn't get a picture that shows much of it.

 

[Soapweed]

Thanks for the mountain top tour. Looks like you had a fun day of bonding with the grandkids, and it is something they will remember all their lives. Glad you took us along.

 

[gcreekrch]

Thanks for sharing a special time for all who were along Shortgrass. The only thing that would make it better would be the absence of roads. :wink:

Are the dead trees bug-kill pine?

 

[Shortgrass]

Thanks for sharing a special time for all who were along Shortgrass. The only thing that would make it better would be the absence of roads. :wink:

Are the dead trees bug-kill pine?

I guess you are referring to the handful of dead trees at Glencove. I don't know what killed them, probabbly bugs. Other of our forests have thousands of acres of beetle kill, where there live trees are as few as the dead trees in that picture. Next nature will clean up the mess with a big fire. Loggers do a much neater job. Our Forest Service is listening to tree huggers rather than managing the natrual resource as they know it ought to be, but now I am getting over into political bull!

 

[Faster horses]

WOW! Cute grandkids and that mountain country is something else!!
Thanks for sharing!