Monday, June 13, 2016 ~ Today is our last planned activity before beginning our trip home. We will be driving to the summit of Pike’s Peak.

It rained during the morning, so we ate an early lunch, got gas and got the car washed before heading up the mountain.

I’m not typically a nervous driver, but I have to say, this drive was tedious and nerve wracking. There were a couple of times I thought about turning around, but didn’t want the boys to think I was a quitter. I did pull over at one point because I was shaking so badly. I pulled myself together as other cars passed me and continued to the summit.

AJ took a picture of an unidentified small brown animal on the side of the road. If anyone knows what it is, please let us know. (Update: the animal is a yellow-bellied marmot, the most prolific animal on Pike's Peak.)

Jacob was very disappointed to not see Bigfoot.

The summit was a cold, 45 degrees, and the wind was fiercely blowing. We went to the gift shop first and while we were in there it became very cloudy, preventing us from having a clear view from the viewing platform.

Coming down the mountain was much easier that going up. We stopped for a restroom break and to take pictures of chipmunks on our way down the mountain.

After reaching the bottom, we discovered that Colorado Springs was under a flash flood warning and it was rush hour, not a good combination. We did see about five rainbows while being stuck in traffic.

Collecting Memories - Not Things, Summer 2016 ~ Paula, Jacob, and AJ