PIkes Peak Cog Railway

Today is a big day!  We will be riding the Cog Railway up to the top of Pikes Peak.  We have all been to the top of Pikes Peak before and we were excited to go back.  Mom is the winner for the first trip up the mountain when she rode up in a limousine with Uncle Joe when they were kids.  Mom, Dad, and Ryan took the old Cog Railway up to the top in 2010.  The Connors drove up to the top in 2018.  At that time, the Cog Railway had just permanently closed because the repairs needed were determined to be too great to continue.  Thankfully, they have now reopened the train with brand new track from top to bottom and shiny new trains all the way from Switzerland.  The new trains have only been up and running again for about a month.

We had reserved seats on the first train of the day at 10:00AM.  We arrived early to the Swiss themed and adorable train station in Manitou Springs.  We talked to some other passengers in the waiting room and checked out the gift shop while we waited.

Our train pulling into the station behind Morgan, Rodney, & Caleb

The Cog Railway has been taking people up Pikes Peak since 1891.  The train uses cogs that lock into the teeth of the center section of track to pull the train up steep inclines.

Cog Railway tracks

Time to go!

We had some great seats!  Caleb, Rodney, and Ryan sat in the front row of the front car next to our driver, Steve.  The rest of us were just behind them.  Masks were required while on the train, even though the windows were open the entire time.  Masks at 14,000 ft are a special kind of fun.

Leaving the station

Ryan and Rodney talking to Steve, who did not have to wear a mask

Steve's controls

Cog Railway track

The views on the way up were spectacular.  The ride took a little over an hour.  It was hot down at the station, but it got cooler as we ascended.

We arrived at the top and it was cold!  We had about an hour to explore before we had to get back on the train.

Our train arrived at the top

The train is not the only shiny new part of America's Mountain.  The new Summit House officially opened 1 week ago and some construction is still ongoing.  It is a beautiful building and a truly impressive engineering feat.  Nothing is easy to build at 14,000 feet, especially considering that the top is covered in snow for much of the year.  This Summit House has been a dream for decades and a work in progress for several years.

Below is a section of the old Summit House that was recently demolished with the new Summit House behind.

They have also constructed a huge walkway and terrace system on the edge.  If you haven't been up here in a while, you wouldn't even recognize it.  They have done a phenomenal job on all the improvements.

There was some cloud cover when we first got to the top, but the views were still spectacular.

The view from above the clouds

After taking in the view, we went in to check out the new Summit House.  This sign was posted above the toilet in the bathroom.  Do we seriously have to tell people not to drink toilet water?!

With the necessities out of the way, we moved on to the really important stuff - donuts!!  Donuts must be made differently at 14,000 feet and they taste oh so good!  The original donut machine from the old Summit House was moved into the new building very early on in construction.  It wouldn't fit through any of the doors so it had to go in before all the walls were finished.

Ryan missed out on our donut break (don't worry, we saved him one) because, in typical Ryan fashion, he ran away to climb around on dangerous rock cliffs and take cool pictures.

After our donut break, we went back out and some of the clouds had cleared so we took some photos before boarding the train again.

These two crazy kids are celebrating 49 years of marriage on top of the world today!  Happy Anniversary, Mom and Dad!

Back on the train

Shortly after we started our descent, we passed some mama and baby big horn sheep!  This checks off another animal that we wanted to see!

Another train passed us on their way up

We all thoroughly enjoyed our train ride and time at the top.  Caleb had spotted a giant mug with spoon in the gift shop before we left so he headed straight back to buy it once we arrived back at the depot.  Caleb and his mug have been inseparable ever since.  He has eaten and drank anything and everything possible out of it.  He even brought it along in the car when we went to dinner.  He is in love with this very cool, enormous mug!

After a little relaxing back at the cabin, we went out to Peak View BBQ for a celebratory anniversary dinner.  The stuffed jalapenos were amazing.

When we got back to the cabin, we saw a deer hanging out in the backyard.  Deer are everywhere here.  It almost isn't even notable to see one by now.  But we still took 1,000 pictures anyway.