June 21st, 2010 by Rachel | Country: Colorado United States (home) | 2 Comments »
Just because the weather is so disgustingly bad, it does not mean that we can’t have fun. Sometimes it’s good to view various weather conditions rather than just sunny days to have a different perspective of the world.
On a very bleak and gloomy Saturday, two weekends ago, three friends and I headed south of Denver to venture on the COG railway to the top of the mountain.
As we were riding on the tracks to the top, we looked out the window. There were many pine trees along with rocks in various formations. While we could see the foreground, we could not see the background. It was totally gray. It was OK because I devoted more time to seeing the land itself rather than to both the land and the sky.
As soon as we arrived at just over 14,000 feet above the sea level, we could see nothing but the ground. We were practically inside the clouds! It was one of those moments where I had the opportunity to feel what is like to be in the massive thickness of clouds. When I fly on the plane, I always wondered what is like to be inside those clouds. I got an answer to this feeling. There was no sense of feeling softness like as if we touching the cotton balls. I was walking through a sauna except it was FREEZING. While at the sea level ground, it was in the 60’s, the temperature was around 30 degree Fahrenheit with strong winds at the top.
Aside from immersing inside the clouds, we saw snow! As someone who is from the south, seeing snow is a real treasure. Unfortunately the combination of cold temperature and winds did not signal any motivation to play snowball fights.
The high altitude obviously messed up my friends’ and my brain because during the entire journey back down, we did nothing but laugh hysterically. We all looked like we were bunch of riots!
Before we headed on the COG railway, we stopped at a funky, little town called Manitou Springs where I felt was in a foreign country. The architectural style was so different. There were buildings with turquoise trimmings. There was a pink house! A few buildings had paintings of a fantasy world. People were proudly hippie by wearing tie dye shirts and other hideous clothing. The shops and restaurants were the best of all. I was free from the world of big box and chain stores. This gave me the opportunity to buy unique items – items made by artisans. Because I met a residence of the town, he introduced me to a few locals including shopkeepers, which gave me a sense of close connection to the town.
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2 Comments
Vivie
June 21, 2010 at 3:19 pm
It’s very beautiful and original.
As for you laughing like crazy – I can imagine it!
Bubby
July 13, 2010 at 2:18 pm
I just got caught up on your current travels and photography in Colorado! I can think of only one word…SENSATIONAL!!!!
I hope you continue to have such exciting and interesting experiences!!!!
Love
Bubby