Traveler: Colorado Springs, Colorado

It's an acknowledged fact in the west of America that there's little that can compare to the majesty of the Colorado Rockies.

Looking down on Colorado Springs from Pikes Peak

About an hour away from Denver - the Mile High City it, itself, a beautiful town with plenty to see and do - is the tinier Colorado Springs. About 65 miles (105km) south of Denver, on Fountain Creek, the town sits near the base of the famous Pikes Peak, in the eastern part of the Southern Rocky Mountains. In fact, Pikes Peak dominates the skyline, dwarfing everything else. You can barely escape it wherever you drive or walk around town, and why would you? Early in the morning or late in the evening, with some snow on the high peaks and sun shining at just the right angle, some of the visuals are absolutely stunning. The air is crisp, the people are friendly, and, early on, you get the distinct impression that this is a great town full of great people. And, you'd be right.

The scenic drive from Denver takes you south down the I-25, and on the day - Monday 15 November 2010 - I had occasion to be making that trip, we were delayed by nearly two hours, sitting stationary on a stretch of the four-lane highway, surrounded by other cars, trucks, busses, all the usual on-road vehicles, and no one was going anywhere. For me, this was a new definition of traffic jam. It was one long parking lot, halfway back to Denver, it seemed. 

The cause? 34 vehicles involved in three separate crashes in the same vicinity, thanks to a dangerous combination of snow, fog and ice. Apparently it's a dangerous route in bad weather. At any rate, this was a car accident like you see in the movies. Cars had spun out of control. We had a lot of time to look at the incredible scenes of wreckage before the bus finally started moving. 12 people were injured, according to the local sheriff's office, and it was a wonder no one was killed. 

Easily the worst traffic accident I've ever seen

For more, check out the Denver Post's I-25 Pile-Up (15 November 2010) album of accident images.

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If you're looking for the one must-do attraction in Colorado Springs, you're in trouble, simply because there are a few things that you need to see/do in this city. A good starting point, though, is the Pikes Peak Cog Railway. Leaving from nearby Manitou Springs, CO - just a short drive over from the middle of downtown Colorado Springs - the 8.9-mile journey takes riders from the base of the valley, to over fourteen thousand feet above sea level. Aside from jaw-dropping views of Lake Moraine and Mount Almagre, you might be lucky enough to see deer or bighorn sheep alongside the tracks.

Manitou & Pike's Peak Railway (The Pikes Peak Cog Railway) base station: Manitou, CO

Get out at the top and be treated to amazing views of Colorado Springs and surrounds. On a clear day, you can see far across the Great Plains towards the Colorado-Kansas border. These awe-inspiring views were the basis for the famous poem, 'America the Beautiful' by
Katharine Lee Bates, a professor of English at Wellesley College, who had come to Colorado Springs to teach a summer school session in July of 1893. She took a trip to the top of Pikes Peak, by horse and then mules, and was so engaged by the beautiful vista, she wrote a poem. And the rest, as they say, is history.

The Cog Railway at the top station, Pikes Peak

Even on a partly cloudy day, the views are immense

 Once the railway passes above the treeline, the views open up

You'll probably feel a little weird thanks to the influence of the high altitude at the summit, a whopping 4302m above sea level (or14,110 ft), but that passes quickly enough, and is sent on it's way well by stopping in at the cafe at the Summit House for some delicious hot chocolate and donuts, the latter of which are cooked in a special way due to the altitude. 

The round trip is just over three hours, and, without a doubt, the best views you'll see anywhere in the area.

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A close second on the list - on my list, anyway - of must-see Colorado Springs attractions are the spectacular, monolithic rock formations that make up the Garden of the Gods. Fifteen minutes from the Manitou Springs station of the Pikes Peak Cog Railway (or ten minutes from downtown), the Garden is an almost other-worldly collection of rock formations that are so big and so spectacular that they simply defy belief. You haven't seen them until you've seen them up close and personal. 

 I had the amazing experience of seeing them at (a cloudy) sunset, driving through the park, long designated as one of America's Top Ten Great Public spaces, on a beautiful fall afternoon when there were very few other people around, making it an even more spectacularly eerie experience. I recommend doing it this way.

Looking up towards a cloud-shrouded Pikes Peak

Stopping at the Visitor's Centre first up is a smart idea. You can pick up maps and learn more about the various formations. From there, you can self navigate, stopping as many - or as few - times as you wish at various formations. There are dozens of walking trails branching off from the main road, and with amazing vistas at every corner, all of it in the impressively foreboding shadow of Pikes Peak, it's pretty much impossible to take a bad photo. Just point and shoot - in any direction, you'll capture something incredible.

Moon, clouds, sky: a fall sunset in Colorado

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The United States Air Force Academy is another must-visit when you're in Colorado Springs. It boasts one of the most picturesque of any college campus in America - the world? - sitting snugly against the mountains, and with the beautifully-designed Cadet Chapel as it's piece de resistance. The striking design of a row of seventeen spires pointing up into the air. 

Walk up from the USAF Academy Visitor's Centre to the Chapel

Standing at 150 feet tall and 280 feet long, the Chapel is perhaps the most distinctive building anywhere in Colorado Springs, and the focal point for visitors to the USAF Academy. Parking at the Visitor's Centre - where you can buy just about anything with the logo of the United States Air Force emblazoned on it - you make a short walk up a steep hill and on to the Cadet Chapel. It's hard not to be blown away by the majesty of the facility, which cost $3.5 million to build, because it's so impressively tall, towering over everything else around it.

A replica fighter jet on the grounds of the USAF Academy

Be there at sunset, as I was on my first visit there, and it's particularly spectacular. A fitting end to a good day. If you're looking for a spectacular place to visit, with natural splendor as far as the eye can see, you'll enjoy Colorado Springs!