Halfway Up Pikes Peak

 

Song:  The Eagle And The Hawk

Artist:  John Denver

Today...

Pikes Peak's highway was only open to the halfway point up the peak.

As this was the last day before my guests were to return...

we settled for halfway.

It was still a beautiful drive...

and as the beginning of Pikes Peak Hwy is just a little under an hour away 

from my home...

I shall return once the Hwy fully opens

(I can see the top of Pikes Peak from my home).

We arrived at the halfway point and looked around a little before continuing 

to a brief drive through the Garden of the Gods on our way to eating sushi

in Colorado Springs.

There were two Nordic skiers just starting out from the halfway point.

Pikes Peak

(elevation at 14,115 ft. or 4,302 Meters)

After a brief stay...

we turned around and began our descent.

Bandi enjoying the chilly air.

Yes, my car is quite dirty from the mountain roads leading to and from home.

We briefly stopped at the balancing rock formation in the Garden of the Gods

as a shortcut to the sushi place.

My guests had a good time.

I will make this short...

for in a few hours...

I must drive my guests to the airport in Colorado Springs.

I have a multitude of projects to perform at home...

and so...

I will busy myself with them for a while.

As the roads near home are still covered in hard packed snow and ice...

I still cannot trike on them right now.

But soon...

I will take Bandi on some runs through the mountains.

She will be sure to love them.

One of my guests had taken Bandi on a run in the mountains earlier today...

and she enjoyed it so much.

--------------------------

Addendum:

I just got back from dropping off my guests at the airport a few hours ago.

We left at 3 AM and until we drove to lower elevations...

the temperature was  -9 degrees F ( Approx. -23 C).

But there was little wind and the air is naturally dry...

so...

It felt no colder than 0 degrees  :)

On my way home from the airport...

I passed through the nearby town of Woodland Park...

and as it was around 5 AM...

I stopped by a Christmas Tree light display in town and took a few photos.

I love the translucent colors of Christmas Tree lights.

As a child...

my favorite part of the Christmas holidays...

were the translucent colored lights on nearby houses

and on our tree at home.

I would just stare at the lights as I listened to music...

for hours at a time.

I still love them.

In the near future...

I will get a Christmas tree for my home...

and I will have it lit from Thanksgiving until way after New Years.

The feeling I get from just looking at pure colors is a surreal and serene pleasure...

and combine that with beautiful music...

well...

it is just one of those great simple pleasures in life that makes living so worthwhile.

I will certainly put up my own Christmas tree this coming November.

Their light display was so nice because they used translucent bulbs 

instead of the cheap looking partially opaque pastel looking bulbs.

Only translucent bulbs give off true tones.

It also makes a difference in stained glass as well.

And, unless the opaque toned glass is used to accent and grandly present

the translucent tinted glass...

it loses all of its gem like quality and grandeur.

Also...

for personal trees...

the tiny translucent bulbs are best...

for when viewed from a short distance away...

it looks like a universe of glittering multi colored gems.

It makes all the difference in the world.