May 25, 2019, Knitting and Pikes Peak, Colorado Springs, Colorado

It should be ready by next fall!!!!

I’ve been working like crazy on my Boxy sweater especially while riding in the truck on the way back and forth to Denver and Colorado Springs, but I’m still not finished with the body….sigh.  I have reached about 15 inches though  – only 3 more to go!  I’m not sure what’s going on with this bottom hem though – how am I supposed to keep the hem from rolling up? I’m not sure that blocking is going to keep it down – suggestions?  Any knitters out there?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It’s a bird!!  It’s a plane!!  It’s…

Several posts back, I posted a picture of Supersocke yarn, a sock yarn that is a DK weight (I think) instead of fingering.  I used the Yarn Harlot’s “vanilla” pattern.  I knew that I needed to cast on less stitches since it was a thicker weight so I actually swatched to figure out the stitches per inch compared to using fingering weight yarn and cast on 48 stitches.  They’re for the hubs.  I’ve finished one sock – it worked up so fast!!  And I love the pattern the yarn makes.  Hopefully, they’ll fit 😊! (ED. NOTE – It should be finished by next fall!!)

He didn’t make it to the peak but his plaque did!!!!

We went to Pikes Peak Saturday!  Pikes Peak was discovered by Spanish settlers during the 1700s.  In 1803, the mountain became part of the United States during the Louisiana Purchase.  Three years later in 1806, Lt. Zebulon Pike was sent to explore the borders of the new territory but was never able to reach the summit.  Edwin P. James, an American botanist, geologist, and medical practitioner was included on an expedition and was the first to summit the mountain in 1820.  The mountain has had many different names but was officially named Pikes Peak in 1890 after Lt. Pike.  There is a plaque commemorating the 100 year anniversary of Pike’s expedition.

We drove up the Pikes Peak Highway, along with TONS of other people to the gate.  The first part of the drive winds through the tall, thin evergreen trees with the temperature slowly getting a little cooler. (ED. NOTE – Just like Bob Ross painted them there on purpose, and gave just a hint of color to them, right there.  Isn’t that nice!)  Apparently, every 1,000 feet above sea level, the temperature falls 3 degrees.

 

I’m not driving up there!!!

The shuttle started running the day before, so we stopped at mile marker 13, the first place to catch the shuttle.  The rest of the drive was full of switchbacks and many more hairpin turns.  I was SO glad someone else was driving! (ED. NOTE – I was too!!!)

I mean, who would have expected snow on a mountaintop?!?!?!?!

The higher up the mountain we got, the more packed the snow was on the sides of the road.  There was one area our van driver pointed out on the mountain that is the only place for an avalanche and another where ski tracks could be seen.  The area is considered “back country”, so anyone can ski or snowshoe but there is no ski patrol if you need help. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I thought the devil went down to Georgia?!?!?!?!

We passed another area called the Devil’s Playground.  This area has a row of large boulders that lightening jumps from rock to rock during storms. (ED. NOTE – Hence the name!!!)  There is also a flat area near the parking lot there where people were walking, throwing snowballs and just enjoying the snow. 

Now that’s peak Pike’s Peak!!!!

We continued to the summit and got out of the van in the small parking area.  I don’t know what I was expecting – I guess I didn’t know what to expect, so everything was a surprise!  The ground was covered in snow and it was 10 degrees colder than the start of the drive. (ED. NOTE – It literally snowed/blizzarded on us like less than a week ago!!  And we have literally seen the snow at the top every time we drive in to civilization!!) Thankfully, we both had jackets and gloves but I was wearing one of my favorite pair of shoes – can you guess?  Birkenstocks, yes, Birkenstock sandals (which I always wear when I want to be comfortable)….can you say, UNPREPARED?!  Honestly, my feet didn’t really get cold but my hands sure did 😊. (ED. NOTE – Well, I had gloves and a knit cap – I kinda knew what to expect!!!!)

It truly is spectacular!!!!

The view was breathtaking!  You could see the Rockies everywhere you looked from the left to the right and the mountains in between. (ED. NOTE – Looking west, yeah, Rockies left and right.  Looking east, not so much!!!)  Even though it was relatively flat at the summit, there were places where you could look down (and fall down) the mountain.  I’m surprised we don’t hear of more people falling!  The different surfaces was something else I didn’t expect.  Below the tree line there was grass and vegetation but above the tree line was just stone – stone that has been here for millions of years.  It’s hard to wrap my head around that.

Is this normal?!?!?!?

I admit it didn’t take long to start feeling slightly dizzy and light-headed (the hubs did too).  I’m so glad we’ve been 5,000 miles above sea level for the last month or it might have been worse!  After taking many pictures, we headed back down the mountain.  By the time we got home, we both felt like we had climbed the mountain – I’m going to  guess the lack of oxygen just tired us out!

I have to say, it was an amazing experience!  Again, different than I expected and so much better!