Thursday, Day 26, June 7, 2012

Good evening from Hays, Kansas. Staying at a Best Western tonight. I think I am just under 300 miles from Tulsa, OK where I will spend 3 days with Jamie and family. It has been a beautiful and busy day. First a few comments about the Garden of the Gods. When I first saw this sign I thought what  gods are they talking about. There was no explanations. The holes in the red sand stone are unexplained. I tried to focus in on some of them to see if any birds were nesting in them but I could not see any. Birds often make holes in soft stone like this and make nests. You can't really tell from the photos but I am a long ways from the formations so some of these holes would have to be several feet in diameter.

One of Many Beautiful Formations

Beautiful Mountains near Pikes Peak

More Mountains Near Pikes Peak

This morning I got up early had breakfast and headed for the Pikes Peak COG Railway where I had a reservation for the 8:00 AM train. This was a most interesting, enjoyable and at the same time disappointing experience. Disappointing because through about 3/4 of the trip the trees are so close to the track that you do not have time to spot something of interest and then snap a photo. Also, this morning there was a lot of fog and low hanging clouds until we got up pretty high. The scenery is spectacular. Did not see any animals on the way up or the way down. This is over 14,000 feet so when I reached the top at first I felt a little light headed but that went away. The trip up is about an hour, You stay at the top about an hour and then about an hour for the decent back to the depot. They have several trains and often there are 2 or 3 that are in the process of going up or coming down. They have double tracks at strategic locations so they can pass one another. The slope of the mountain ranges from 12 - 14 %  grade  up to 25 % in several places, That is steep. The seats in the cars are wooden, highly varnished and slick. The conductor has a running commentary going all the time and as we approached the first real steep grade he said now would  be a good time to introduce yourselves to those you are seated with because you may slide out of your seat and be sitting in their lap. Big laugh all around but you do have to brace yourself to keep from sliding. The trains are typically 2 cars long and all I saw today were basically filled to capacity. When we got above the tree line it was windy and getting colder. There was a little snow but around some rocks you could see ice. This area has almost no vegatation except Arctic tundra grass. It is very slow growing only 1 - 3 inches every 100 years. There are some people of that would like that kind of slow growing grass. We would not like the conditions that it takes to grow this grass. The temperature stays very cold and about 3 feet down in the ground is the per ma frost layer which never thaws out. On the way up he pointed out a house where a man and his wife live. Beautiful little home with nice lawn and flowers. This was still below the tree line.

Their job is to check on the 6 or 7 lakes that are in the mountains leading up to pikes peak. They have a private dirt road from the bottom to their house. It is 16 miles and a few hours to get down to a store and then retrace you route. You better get what you want and not forget anything. Also on the way up the conducted pointed out an active gold mining operation which was to far in the distance to really see. He said they mine about 1.5 million dollars worth of gold per year.

This COG rail way has been in operation for 120 years and the tracks and equipment has been upgraded many time. At first they use a small steam engine with 3 cars. Interesting the engine was mounted on a slope to keep the boiler level as they went up the hill. They average about 12 miles per hour going up and about 8.5 miles per hour coming down. They have 3 sets of braking system to keep the train from going fast down hill.

COG Railway Depot

COG Railway Car

Big Boulders and Old Watering Station

Big Bolder Down Low Smaller Above Tree Line

Small Work Shed at 12,129 Feet

What the COG Rail System Looks Like

Nothing But Rock as Far as You Can See

Pikes Peak 14,110 Feet Above Sea Level

Finally Caught up with That Guy That Has Been Following me

Train Waiting to go Back Down

Way Above Clouds

The Words  For " America The Beautiful " Were Penned After a Visit  to Pikes Peak

Pikes Peak Weather Station

One of Many View From Top of Pikes Peak

Track in Front of Us

Another Look From Top of Pikes Peak

Inside of my Car

Track in Front of us and Far in the Distance

Train Going Past us

Boulder Bigger Than a House

Another Train Passing and Going Uphill

Another Look at the COG Rail

More Boulders

From Angle of Pole You Can Tell How Steep the Grade Was

Hugh Rock Formations

Journey Ends. Train Enters Depot







































A few facts I found interesting. The COG rail system has been in use around the world for many years. The out side rails really do nothing except keep the train level. The pulling is done by the center rail which I showed to you. The power is supplied by two large diesel engines. Pikes Peak is not the highest peak in Colorado. In fact there are several peaks that are classified as 14,000ers meaning they are over 14,000 feet. The winds at the peak have been clocked at 125 miles per hour. That would give you a bad hair day would it not. Well it is close to 11:00 PM Central Time and I am fading fast. The Lord willing I will talk to you next from Tulsa. Oklahoma. I love each of you and may God continue to richly bless you. Grandpa Bill.