Day 7
“Yes. Yes, my mom did.”
My daughter and Hubby have problems sometimes with altitude and motion. Our next big thing was the Pikes Peak Cog Railway.
I was able to procure engineer’s row seats for three of us. Hubby insisted that my mom, Liz, and I take those seats although I’d purchased them with him in mind. He’s a good man, y’all!
The trip takes about an hour each way. At the top, the wind was gusty and the space was quite crowded with a Boy Scout troop that had hiked to the top and tons of others who’d driven. I’ve heard that the drive is a nail-biter.
We got separated and each of us explored the area on our own for the most part. Hubby stood in the long line for a world-famous donut for us to share right before we boarded our train again.
Safely back down the mountain, we found lunch at an authentic Mediterranean place in Manitou Springs, and then meandered the little shops til we were ready to head back to the AirBnB.
Day 8
Cheyenne Mountain Zoo was our main attraction on our final full day in Colorado.
Tickets are timed and parking is limited. I’d read that the zoo was #6 in the U.S., but a sign inside informed us that it had been voted #2 in 2026.
It was very beautiful and unique. You can get so close to the animals!
Oh, and it is definitely on a mountain…side, not top. Let that sink in.
We got there at 9 am, saw the thunderclouds rolling in close to 11, and ducked into “Pizza with a View.”
True to its name, the view from our table was wonderful. The Napoli-style pizza and salad were equally wonderful. It was surprisingly good zoo meal.
When the rain let up, we decided we’d done enough of the zoo and headed to the van.
We spent the afternoon investigating Monument’s historic downtown, discovering a really nice bookstore, Covered Treasures, and the Monument Mercantile. Hubby insisted we check out the menu of cafe next door just in case we needed dinner later on.
For our foodie friends, we highly recommend the Black Forest Foods Cafe & Deli. We wish we’d found it sooner!
Day 9
We’d flown into Denver, but we flew out of Colorado Springs.
By the way, COS is a really nice little airport, and returning our rental was super easy. We highly recommend it. Five stars.
Whew! What a whirlwind overview. Thanks for hanging in there!
Blessings!
