We got up early and headed down to Colorado Springs, we signed up for a tour to the top of Pikes Peak. Traffic on the way down wasn't great, but we did have a great tour. When we got back, we headed over to Cripple Creek, I wanted to tour the open pit gold mine, but they were only doing the tour of the old mine so we passed. Kind of a trip for nothing and then took a wrong turn on the way home ... Saw a bear cross the road in Pike National Forest. Did 216 miles.

Geni: Tour to Pike's Peak reminded me of the trips we have taken driving up mountain sides and hoping we won't go crashing over the side. There was only one moment when the bus didn't shift into gear and it rolled back a bit. But the views are always beautiful. We did notice that we were breathing heavy as we walked up a short trail and when we got to the top, for me, lightheadedness meant that the floors felt like I was walking on a trampoline. The elevation of over 14,000 feet is the highest mountain we've ever been on, so that made it a great adventure. Cripple Creek would have been a good day trip to see the old mining (and new), a train ride and the old town, but not a great idea for us as we got there late in the day, and actually were things we've done on other trips. Saw a bear run across the road while driving back from Cripple Creek. All those times being on the lookout for bears in Alaska, and in Colorado, without expecting it, a bear crossed the road!