A Birthday Excursion to Pikes Peak and Manitou Cliff Dwellings

Happy birthday to me, happy birthday to me. Anna, being the awesome human being that she is, surprised me with a spontaneous trip down to Colorado Springs and Pikes Peak, a 14er located in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The drive from Denver is about 1 1/2 hours of everyday off-highway sights, passing through the gateway up the mountain is worth it.

You start by driving up the mountain, and then you continue driving up—rising in elevation and seeing just about every major mountain habitat along the way. The first stop on the way up is Crystal Creek Reservoir, a beautiful body of water used by many people for boating, fishing, camping, and hunting. Next, a few miles of twists and turns (and a couple special sections of road known as the “W’s”) and a rocky alpine place called the Devil’s Playground. From there, more twists and turns and scary no-barrier roads, and finally, the summit of Pikes Peak.

At 14,115 ft., you can only assume that the views around are spectacular. And they are. I mean, Morsel was impressed. Local lore says that Kathy Lee Bates wrote “America The Beautiful” from atop Pikes Peak. In fact, there’s even a big ol’ monument dedicated to the song. And, looking out at the panoramic views, you can see where the inspiration came from. It’s definitely worth visiting at least once in your life, if not many, many times.

After the magic of Pikes Peak, we were ready to go home… but had to make one quick stop. On the way back, we made a stop at the Manitou Cliff Dwellings, ancient Anasazi ruins turned private museum at the turn of the 20th century. The cliff dwellings are well preserved pieces of history (even if they were brought there from Cortez, Colorado), and the artifacts in the museum are fascinating.

This was an amazing birthday surprise. What are you doing to celebrate your life this year? I suggest climbing a really big mountain.