Up High with Gold and Trolls

Midway through adventuring about Colorado, our hosts surprised us with a different sort of experience, leading to a familiar destination at 4,300 meters above sea level.

A journey to the summit of Pike's Peak by way of the Cog Railway is quite possibly the most interesting method of topping the behemoth named for explorer Zebulon Pike, who just happened to have wandered about the area, though never actually set foot on the mountain.  There is no need for concern about driving off the side or wearing out a perfectly good pair of boots in an effort to reach the top, following this path.

Whilst enjoying amazing views from safely inside the transport, the conductor presented an interesting history of the mountain, the explorer, and the railway.  The entire ordeal only consumed about an hour on this perfectly clear day.  We found things very breezy and the temperature a crips 0 °C on top, discouraging too much lingering outdoors.  Add in another hour to get back down from those heights and then we were on our way to see what sort of sustenance we could discover, among other things.

The plan for the day was really not much different than the previous, excepting one particular destination lying in the vicinity of Cripple Creek and Victor.  Wildlife in these parts can be quite curious, both as an adjective and adverb, often looking at us, looking at them, looking at us, looking at them, etc.

Passing through without incident, we arrived in the golden valley and immediately went in search of the previously mentioned desire.  We literally picked the first thing presented to us, which happened to be The Creek.  It turned out to be an excellent choice.  A Slopper Burger with Red Elk Chili hit the spot perfectly, vanquishing most other desires in that category.

The next thing not on the agenda enabled the opportunity to check up on a local investment.  With an adequate viewing platform properly installed, review of operations came easily, and our noting their continued stability.

That led to a visit with Victor, who seemed to be sporting a fresh coat of paint at every turn.  Construction that had appeared nearly ready to topple at the slightest breath on the last visit, felt renewed and emboldened on this occasion.

One of our crew had read about the existence of a certain Scandanavian entity that had taken on a project near the mines.  Gathering our bearings again, we got closer to another of the intended destinations for the day and made the trek into the nearby hills, where we found her.

Rita the Rock Planter had apparently been napping for quite a long time and upon waking, had gone about setting things straight around her.  Suddenly and unexpectedly, some unknown force turned her entirely to wood and left her frozen in state.

The Marines were called in to consider rescuing the situation but fell short when an I-beam suddenly thrust through their helicopter.  Locked in place at the Mt. Pisgah cemetery, no further efforts were resolved to remedy their circumstances and so they remained.

We departed not wanting to suffer similar fates and escaped mostly unscathed.  We did find it necessary to pause to permit braking to return to full capacity, discovering we had picked up some unwanted materials on those systems.  It all worked out and we arrived back at base camp without issue to enjoy another quiet evening on the eastern Colorado prairie.  The only disappointment for the day, an inability to again admire Comet Tsuchinshan–Atlas crashing towards the sun.