The "Cog"

Having already determined that parking was going to be a problem, we took the scooter.
The Pikes Peak Cog Railroad is located in Manitou Springs, CO with a narrow street running past the depot to the parking lot. Traffic was backed up, but we managed to find a small spot on the side of the road where the scooter would fit. There were plenty of cars parked on the side of the road,so we were good with doing that. What a circus! People everywhere and not enough room. Well, guess I have to admit that a train had just returned from the peak. Finally found the office and picked up our tickets We had about a 20 minute wait for our train. Couldn't get into the gift shop, it was so crowded so we just milled around the loading area.
Finally we were herded onto the train. Trust me, they get everything they can out of those cars. We were seated shoulder to shoulder and hip to hip. If you ever thought cattle class in an airplane was crowded, let me tell you they don't hold a candle to this railway car. And I was in the center seat of a 3 seat row both going up and coming down.
The scenery was terrific! It had rained the night before and cleared the air, so the sky was amazingly blue and clear. At one point the guide said we were looking at Black Mesa in Oklahoma. As we neared the top, there were several big-horned sheep on the far side of the train.
At the top of the mountain, 14,115 ft. up, the view was great. The breathing - not great. Even though I followed all their instructions about keeping hydrated, etc., I was still struggling. Using my inhaler helped some. We did manage to get some great pics. I think TM may already posted some on facebook, but I'll ask him to get some over here.
On the ride back down we once more saw big-horned sheep. In fact, there were more of them and I absolutely swear they were posing. Really beautiful.
We finally made it back down, went straight home and collapsed. It was actually a good day. It is just that going up to that altitude leaves you very tired. Guess it is lack of oxygen. Hey, does that mean I have an excuse now for my "senior moments"?
God Bless