Rocky Mountain High

We finally arrived in Colorado Springs after unexpected stops in Albuquerque and Santa Fe. It was getting towards dusk by the time we got to Garden of the Gods, and so we didn't have that much time to explore or take pictures.

The rock formations at Garden of the Gods are pretty interesting. I hope to be able to go back one day.

This one below is called Balancing Rock. It's huge and it sort of boggles the mind as to how it doesn't just fall over.

This is probably my favorite shot from GoG, although it's definitely not the best. I'm so glad I got a tripod to take with me this summer!

Here's our cute little cabin that we rented. We knew we would be pulling an all-nighter to drive across Kansas, so we wanted to make sure we had a good night's sleep in our cozy, air-conditioned cabin.

The next morning we got up kinda early and headed up Pike's Peak. After the Salmon Glacier road, I figured it couldn't be that scary.

But it totally was. No guard rails for most of the way makes for some tense turns. But the view at the top is totally worth it.

Even if, like me, you end up feeling incredibly ill from the altitude.

Katherine Lee Bates was inspired to write "American the Beautiful" from the top of Pike's Peak, and it's easy to see why.

As amazing as it was, I was relieved to return to Manitou Springs, situated at the more modest height of 7,000 feet. Some incredibly crazy people were running a marathon....up and down the mountain!!!

Once you leave the Front Range near Colorado Springs, Colorado gets really flat, really quickly. And flat is pretty much all you see until you hit the Appalachian Mountains.