Our 1998 Rocky Mountains Trip Report

The kids loved going up in the Gateway Arch in St. Louis. They also liked the stop at Dorothy's House although Terry and I thought it was a little cheesy.

The drive to the top of Pike's Peak took its toll on our van - high engine temperatures and hot brakes! It was freezing cold at the top and the clouds were so thick that visibility was a maximum of 20 feet.

Giuseppe's Old Railroad Depot Restaurant in Colorado Springs is a railfan's delight. The restaurant is in a refurbished 120 year old train depot. The tracks outside are still used today and patrons can expect to see locomotives pulling long strings of freight cars right outside the windows. Pretty cool!

The Durango-Silverton Narrow Gauge train ride was incredibly scenic and definitely worth the time and money. It takes approximately 3 1/2 hours to travel from Durango to Silverton and passengers are treated to breathtaking canyon and forest scenery. You then spend almost three hours in Silverton to eat and shop (i.e. stimulate the economy) and then take the train back to Durango. However, it is no Alaska Railroad...

We had to return to one of our most favorite parks, Rocky Mountain National Park! We stayed in Aspenglen campground and the kids loved playing in the creek. Our Trail Ridge Road drive produced UP CLOSE views of a moose, big horn sheep ram, five big horn sheep ewes and a lamb and three bull elk plus a wide variety of other wildlife. Every trail we hiked was fabulous and the ranger programs are also pretty good too. I can't say enough about this place!

We had to stop by and see the chapel at the Air Force Academy. Truly an outstanding site! Garden of the Gods was worth the stop (especially since it is free), but Royal Gorge was a waste of time.