COLORADO
The Cliff House was built in 1873 and is at the base of Pikes Peak. It was originally a stage coach stop from Colorado Springs to Leadville. We loved everything about the Cliff House, from its history, décor and very friendly staff. Our room was spacious and had a great view.
Our view from the front porch of the Cliff House:
We had a long bucket list for our adventure in Colorado. First was Old Colorado City. It was a short ride from our hotel. While in Old Colorado City, we shopped and had lunch on the patio at Bon Ton's Café.
We headed back to Manitou Springs and made our way to the Cog Railroad to go up to Pike's Peak. Pikes Peak's altitude is 14,110 feet above sea level. A one way trip up the mountain is 1 1/2 hours. We were told that the temperature drops 30 degrees on top of Pike's Peak so we should be prepared with a hoodie or jacket. I didn't have one with me so we went a little shopping in their souvenir shop. :) We had assigned seats on the cog. It moved slowly up the mountain.
On a clear day, you can see as far as Kansas from the top of the mountain. But when we were there, it was cloudy...but still an amazing view.
The temperature did indeed drop 30 degrees. There was also a brief shower of sleet.
The next day we hiked the Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs. It is a park with incredible red rock formations which were created during a geological upheaval along a natural fault line a million years ago.
Cripple Creek is a historic gambling and mining town. It is where last great Colorado gold rush began and has an elevation of 9,494 feet.
These donkeys roam freely in the streets, neighborhoods and hills of the area. Back in the day, when miners had to leave the area, their donkeys were set loose to roam. It is believed that these donkeys are direct descendants of the donkeys that were used to work the mines of Cripple Creek. They were fun to hang out with. They just roamed around, standing in the middle of the street One of them tried to steal a sandwich out of my bag 😁.
Red Rocks Amphitheater was amazing! It is the only naturally occurring, acoustically perfect Amphitheater in the world. It sits on the Red Rocks Mountain Park and has an elevation of 6450 feet. Many musicians aspire to play at the Red Rocks. People also use it for exercising - walking through the seating area and up and down the steps. We tried it. Very intense workout.
It was time for me and Caroline to say goodbye to Colorado and head onto the next part of our trip - California! We've been to California before and were so excited to go back again. We flew into Los Angeles and met my son, Jason, who came out to spend a few days with us.
CALIFORNIA
We had dinner at Pizzeria Mozza in L.A. It is owned by Nancy Silverton and Mario Batali. It is also known as a hotspot for celebrities. We didn't see any celebrities but did enjoy the pizza!
The next morning we headed out on the town. We walked along the Hollywood Walk of Fame. I am a huge Tom Petty fan so seeing his star was a highlight for me :)
The Farmers Market was fantastic! Great shops, fresh fruit and vegetables and plenty of choices to sit down and eat. We got sandwiches from Deano`s. Absolutely delicious!
Caroline and I have been to, and hiked to the Hollywood sign, but I wanted to show Jason the great views of Los Angeles. The Hollywood sign is on top of Mt. Lee on the Santa Monica Mountains.
A great view of Los Angeles from the Griffith Observatory.
This is what traffic looks like any time of day, especially along I-10
We walked around Fisherman's Warf and took in the sights of the hilly streets of San Francisco.
The sea lions hang out at Pier 39. Sometimes there are a lot of them. In the winter months there can be 900 of them. This time were only a few. We saw them sleeping on top of each other, barking out loud and jumping in and out of the water :)
Alcatraz has a rich history. It was a civil war fortress, a federal penitentiary and has the first lighthouse on the West Coast.
After Alcatraz, we drove over to Sausalito. Such a beautiful town to walk around, take pictures and get some lunch. I loved the houses on the mountainside.
Some views of the Golden Gate Bridge:
Driving over the bridge...
A view from atop of Marin Headlands - Karl the Fog moving along...
From under the Bridge...
Muir Woods is just north of San Francisco. It has Redwood Trees as tall as 258 feet. We spent the morning hiking in the park and taking in the peaceful nature the park had to offer.
Well it was time to move along and go on the last part of our journey. The plan was to drive from San Francisco to Las Vegas through Death Valley. We left about 4:30 a.m. to start the six hour drive. California is such a beautiful state to drive through. We saw the sunrise coming up over the mountains and drove through some great small towns with vast mountains. And, for a special unplanned surprise our navigation took us through Yosemite Park. What a thrill that was! I've always wanted to see the park.
I can't even begin to describe the majestic beauty of it. Every which way we looked had a different, stunning scenery.
I need to go back and explore Yosemite Park. There was so much to see. Maybe one day!
DEATH VALLEY - HOTTEST, DRIEST NATIONAL PARK
Another place I have always wanted to see was Death Valley. It was dry, uninhabited, and extremely HOT. The temperature in our car read 120 degrees. There wasn't any life around, except for the occasional car passing by... which was very few. The park is 3.4 million acres, nearly 1000 miles of paved and dirt roads. It spans from California into Nevada.
Shoreline Village in Long Beach had a pier lined with unique shops and restaurants and a spectacular view of the harbor and Queen Mary.
The next day we packed up for our five hour drive to San Francisco along the Pacific Coast Highway, Route 1. The ride was beautiful and picturesque. So many beaches and mountains along the way.
Malibu Beach had plenty of surfers and homes built into the mountain sides.
Another beautiful beach along the way was Pismo Beach.
We finally reached San Francisco after 3pm and checked into our hotel. We stayed at Cow Hollow Inn. I would definitely recommend that to anyone staying in San Francisco. It was clean, had a parking garage with free parking and restaurants were nearby.
We walked around Fisherman's Warf and took in the sights of the hilly streets of San Francisco.
The sea lions hang out at Pier 39. Sometimes there are a lot of them. In the winter months there can be 900 of them. This time were only a few. We saw them sleeping on top of each other, barking out loud and jumping in and out of the water :)
The fog is thick and dense in San Francisco. It even has a name - Karl the Fog. He was present the whole time we were in San Francisco. This is Baker Beach. It was a perfect place to get some great shots of the fog and the Golden Gate Bridge.
We also had tickets to go to Alcatraz. It was a short ferry ride over to the island. I was able to get some great shots of the bay and approaching the island.
Alcatraz has a rich history. It was a civil war fortress, a federal penitentiary and has the first lighthouse on the West Coast.
After Alcatraz, we drove over to Sausalito. Such a beautiful town to walk around, take pictures and get some lunch. I loved the houses on the mountainside.
Some views of the Golden Gate Bridge:
Driving over the bridge...
A view from atop of Marin Headlands - Karl the Fog moving along...
From under the Bridge...
Muir Woods is just north of San Francisco. It has Redwood Trees as tall as 258 feet. We spent the morning hiking in the park and taking in the peaceful nature the park had to offer.
I can't even begin to describe the majestic beauty of it. Every which way we looked had a different, stunning scenery.
I need to go back and explore Yosemite Park. There was so much to see. Maybe one day!
DEATH VALLEY - HOTTEST, DRIEST NATIONAL PARK
Another place I have always wanted to see was Death Valley. It was dry, uninhabited, and extremely HOT. The temperature in our car read 120 degrees. There wasn't any life around, except for the occasional car passing by... which was very few. The park is 3.4 million acres, nearly 1000 miles of paved and dirt roads. It spans from California into Nevada.
It took us about 4 hours to reach Las Vegas through the hot desert. So much fun and so very adventurous!
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