Our Trip To Pikes Peak

I recently wrote about a trip we took to The Royal Gorge. You can read that post by clicking here. I now want to focus on the trip we made to Pikes Peak. I remember taking a trip to Pikes Peak as a little girl and was very excited to be able to take my daughters there. One of the reasons we picked Colorado for our vacation was to see the mountains. Both my husband and I had been to Colorado before, but our daughters had never see mountains. So, going to Pikes Peak was important to us.

Originally called Pike's Peak, for the discovery led by Zebulon Pike in 1806, this mountain is now referred to as simply, Pikes Peak. 

Before we left home, we had a wonderful study about Zebulon Pike.  

Below you can find wonderful learning resources on Zebulon Pike

 http://www.enchantedlearning.com/explorers/page/p/pike.shtml

http://zebulonpike.org/

Pikes Peak Fun Fact

The most visited mountain in North America and the second most visited mountain in the world behind Japan's Mount Fuji is Pikes Peak. It forms a stunning backdrop for Colorado Springs and the Garden of the Gods. At an altitude of 14,115 feet above sea level, Pikes Peak is the 31st highest peak out of 54 Colorado peaks.

 

Upon entering we had to stop at the Pike National Forest sign and get a picture. It's a must in my opinion. We also stopped at the Corwe Gulch Picnic Ground for a little hiking. This picnic ground is located 3 miles up Pikes Peak Highway.

Our next stop, was at the Glen Cove Inn.

Glen Cove Inn was originally a cabin settled by Frank Tweed in 1886. He later developed the cabin into a station for travelers up the original carriage road. Though it has been completely rebuilt, the foundation of Tweed's cabin is still part of the construction.

Today, the Glen Cove Inn offers travelers a gift shop, restaurant and restrooms. In the summer months, rock climbing lessons and panning for gems is also be offered.

My daughters were excited to finally see some snow. My oldest took the opportunity to make a few snowballs. :)

On the way down the mountain, drivers are asked to stop at Glen Cove to have their brake temperature checked by Rangers. This is done to ensure your safety as you continue your descent.

One of the things we really enjoyed seeing as we neared the top of Pikes Peak was the large amount of skiers and snowboarders. I was amazed at their braveness.

As we finally started to get close to the summit house, we were stopped and told we couldn't go any further. The snow was too deep on the road. So we pulled off to the side, along with many other people. My husband and daughters decided to run up the rest of the way. The snow was a little too deep, so needless to say, they didn't quite make it. 

 I stayed back and took pictures of the amazing views. 

After playing near the top for awhile, we eventually made our way down the many twists and turns.

We stopped at the Ute Pass to see more beautiful views. 

After our long day on Pikes Peak, we were starting to get a little hungry. So we stopped at an awesome little cafe at the bottom called Mildred's Cafe. This place was awesome! The food was excellent and the homemade ice cream was delicious. We highly recommend it.

We had a wonderful trip to Pikes Peak. Are you interested in taking a trip to Pikes Peak?

Check out http://www.pikes-peak.com/ for more information.

Check out our trip to the Royal Gorge

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Our trip to the Royal Gorge Bridge & FREE coloring & Activity Pack

One of the things I truly enjoy about homeschooling is the opportunity to take off and explore. Recently, we did just that. Our family took an amazing trip to Colorado. Eventually I will blog about all the different places we went and loved, but today I want to focus on the Royal Gorge. It was truly amazing and beautiful. We had all learned and read about the beauty of the Royal Gorge, but seeing it in person was way different.

As you probably already know, a June 2013 wildfire destroyed 48 of the 52 buildings and structures of the Royal Gorge Bridge & Park and 90 percent of the park on both sides of the gorge. The Royal Gorge Bridge was spared minus some boards that had to be replaced. They have since rebuilt – please visit their website for the newest updates. 

Upon arriving, our family walked into the new visitors center and immediately paid the admission, eager to see what laid upon the other side. We walked out the doors and made our way to a fence and peered over the edge. It was breathtaking in a literal since. It was kinda funny, because before we arrived one of my daughters and husband had talked about zip-lining across it. When we paid the admission a very nice lady working had let my daughter know that you had to be at least ten years old and weigh one hundred pounds or more to do it. Check and Check. She was a happy camper. 

Everything changed with that first peek. Neither one of them had an interest anymore.  I'm quite sure they were thinking that their very first zip-lining experience should probably be a much smaller adventure than the Royal Gorge. 

After taking a few pictures, we made our way to the new aerial gondolas. The gondolas glide 2,200 feet across the Royal Gorge and over 1,200 feet above the Arkansas River. Each car will hold up to 8 guests and they have a total of 6 cars traversing the gorge at one time. We were very happy to learn that the Gondola ride is included in the general admission price and you can ride it as many times as you please. 

I'm not going to lie. The Gondola ride was absolutely amazing, but also a bit terrifying as well. My oldest didn't quite enjoy it and was very eager to remove herself when we stopped. I was pretty nervous but managed to convince myself that there was no way it was going to break. It swayed a little with any movement from us, so we all tried to stay as still as possible all while trying to take in the marvelous views. 

At the other side, we opted to not take the Gondola back across, but instead to walk around and explore the park and then walk back across the bridge.  While walking around we discovered an observation area. It took a little hike to get there, but it was definitely worth it. The views from this area were wonderful. 

We eventually made our way down a little path and arrived at the Plaza Theater. Colorado history comes alive with original artifacts and photos in their historical displays. 

We were also able to buy some yummy slushies and settle in to watch a short film all about the Royal Gorge. It was a wonderful presentation. Below you can see the same film that is played. It is filled with history, fun facts, drama, and awesome scenery surrounding the park.

After watching the film, it was time to make our way across the bridge. I didn't know if I was quite ready for it. I secretly wished that I could just teleport to the other side. I'm not really a fan of heights and having to cross that bridge on foot, no matter how beautiful it was, seemed like a huge feat. I managed it though. I must say, I actually loved it. I did try to stay away from the edge though. 

The Bridge was built in 1929 and nicknamed "America's Bridge." It is still the highest suspension bridge in America. It hangs 956 feet above the Arkansas River and is 1,270 feet long and 18 feet wide. 

Since we are from Oklahoma, a couple of my daughters and husband wanted to take a picture next to the Oklahoma sign. They are much braver than I am. 

It was interesting to see the gaps in between the wooded boards on the bridge as we walked across. It was so far down and if you looked down while you were walking, you could see the bottom with every step that you took. 

We when arrived at the other side, we spent a little more time looking around and taking pictures. We then made our way back to the visitors center shop to buy souvenirs.

As you can probably already tell, we loved our trip to the Royal Gorge. It was a wonderful family experience and I'm so thankful we had the opportunity to bring our daughters. I hope that this is a trip they will remember forever. 

Check back soon for more stories and pictures from our Colorado vacation. 

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I have searched for coloring pages and activity worksheets for the Royal Gorge and haven't found many, so I decided to create my own. 

Click here to download and Print Our 

FREE Royal Gorge Coloring & Activity Pack 

Have you been to the Royal Gorge or are you planning a trip? 

We would love to hear your stories. 

Leave us a comment below. 

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Jim Hodges Productions - In the Heart of the Rockies - Review

Audio books have always been some of my favorite. There is something very relaxing, just being able to get all cozy and listen to a wonderful story. I was recently able to do just that when my daughters and I were able to review In the Heart of the Rockies MP3 CD and the accompanying Study Guide in PDF format from Jim Hodges Productions.

What is Jim Hodges Productions?

Jim Hodges Productions is a company that produces lively, fun, and professionally recorded audio book editions of G.A Henty Classics.

What is In the Heart of the Rockies?

In the Heart of the Rockies is an adventure story set in the unexplored areas of the Rocky Mountains. The story follows a young gentleman by the name of Tom Wade. Young Tom has lost both of his parents and decides to leave England and a young sister to head west. So he sets sail for America to find his Uncle Harry, who was prospecting for gold, in the Rocky Mountains. He finds a whole lot of adventure. He arrives in Denver, where he finds his uncle and makes new friends. During his adventures he encounters Indians, participates in big game hunts, and learns how to survive the cold mountain winters. When he returns home to his sister he is no longer a young sixteen year old boy, but a young man. There were so many areas of the story that had us at the edge of our seats, waiting to hear what was next for Tom. The story is set in the 1860s.

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My daughters and I felt that the story started off a little slow and it was a kinda hard to get use to the period language at first, but after a while, we became so enthused with the story that we had a really hard time stopping. Overall, I thought it was a fabulous story with a wonderful ending. I wasn't use to G.A Henty's writing, therefore I didn't exactly know what to expect. I'm certain now that I would love to read or hear more of his classics. I felt that not only was it a wonderful story filled with fun adventures, but that it also gave great descriptions of Colorado. It was fun to hear and learn more about the area. Listening to this family friendly story certainty made me eager to take a vacation to Colorado.

In the Heart of the Rockies has a total run time of 10 hours and 53 minutes. There is 19 chapters. Below is a list of the wonderful chapters.

1: Tom's Choice 33:47
2: Finding Friends 32:07
3: On the Plains 37:52
4: Leaping Horse 30:15
5: In Danger 34:38
6: United 32:09
7: Chased 33:43
8: In Safety 32:55
9: A Bad Time 34:22
10: An Avalanche 33:24
11: Winter 34:10
12: The Snow Fort 32:45
13: A Fresh Start 37:32
14: An Indian Attack 35:35
15: The Colorado 34:19
16: Afloat in Canoes 34:54
17: The Grand Canyon 37:30
18: Back to Denver 33:06
19: A Fortune 38:08

How did we use the Study Guide in PDF format?

Study Guide in PDF format is filled with wonderful information. You can use the study guide by viewing it on the computer or by printing it. We choose to print ours. We used it both verbally and by completing some of the activities. The study guide is full of vocabulary words, questions that correspond with all the chapters, and fun activities such as researching, making charts, crafts, and learning about various subjects talked about in the story.

My daughters had a ton of fun completing some of the hands-on activities. They learned a ton of new stuff, such as new words, the gold mining process, clouds, also about life-saving skills. I thought the study guide was put together very well and the amount of information learned was pretty cool. I have plans to go back through the guide and complete some of the activities that we didn't get around to doing.

The study guide also features quizzes and the answers to the questions are included in the back of the study guide. I loved that it did indeed have those answers, as it made it easier for me to check my daughters responses. Also another wonderful page is the very last page of the study guide. It is a page filled with character traits. We actually took that page out of the guide and placed it on our refrigerator.

~Final Thought~

We loved In the Heart of the Rockies. I'm pretty excited about actually ordering more of Jim Hodges Productions audio book CDs and study guides. I was very happy with the study guide and loved how many different subjects it covered. Not only do you hear a wonderful story, you also have a wonderful study plan laid out for you as well. We definitely recommend it. 

What does it cost?

In the Heart of the Rockies MP3 CD - $25

Study Guide in PDF format - $12

Who is it recommended for?

Jim Hodges Productions audio book CDs are recommended for ages 10 and up. 

Want to connect with Jim Hodges Productions?

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Jim-Hodges-Audio-Books/184979244857560

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