The Cog Railway

Oh beautiful, for spacious skies,
For amber waves of grain,
For purple mountain majesties
Above the fruited plain!
America! America! God shed his grace on thee,
And crown thy good with brotherhood, from sea to shining sea.

Katherine Lee Bates was inspired to pen these words while standing atop Pike's Peak. My parents and I took a little inspiration for ourselves on our recent trip up the mountain on the Pike's Peak Cog Railway.

This was my third time on the Cog Railway. I took a friend up three years ago, and last year my sister and I made the trip. I love it every time. Riding up the mountain is relaxing and offers some spectacular views and fascinating history along the way.



I took this picture of Mom and Dad on the train. The trip up takes about an hour and a half.



We saw some big horn sheep, which was pretty exciting. The weather was great right until we reached the top. Then a thick fog rolled in. But we saw some great views on the way up.


Because of the weather, we spent most of our time at the top inside (they give you 30 minutes with a stiff warning that you will be left behind if you don't return to the train at the designated time). Here's Dad and I holding our souvenir cups. (Dad, I noticed you conveniently forgot yours at my house.) If you haven't ridden the Cog Railway, I highly recommend it. It's open until around Thanksgiving when snow shuts it down for the season.