This is a newer must-do that hadn’t hit my radar until just recently. People are telling me that I have missed out by not going for a drive on the highest paved road in North America. There are a good number of things I need to do yet, right here in my own state. I like driving on the mountain roads, even without a guard rail, but Mrs. Herb and TNT not so much.
But I think I know what I can do about that. Mrs. Herb’s favorite cousin, (her only living cousin, lol) is a school bus driver and is not afraid to drive anything, anywhere. I may take advantage of him being here next time. She’s not afraid to ride with him.
This was probably one of the best, most concise tour videos of this drive that I found. Full of a lot of good information if this interests you.
A big hurdle for our group is going to be oxygen. When her cousin drove us up Pikes Peak his oxygen dropped significantly the higher in altitude that we went. We might be able to do a workaround on that, too. Last time she didn’t have the portable concentrator but this time she could let him use the refillable tanks while she uses the portable one.
We’ll figure something out. We usually can.
This video from the Colorado Parks and Wildlife division was very interesting but if frank, even blunt discussions about fecal matter bother you then you might not want to watch. It boils down to humans making the mountain goat kids sick and a basic principle of no-impact camping, “Pack it in, pack it out.”
Likelihood of this happening within the next year: 0+%
Likelihood of this happening in my lifetime (Lord willing, of course): 75%
Likelihood of running into someone I know or met on the Internet: ??%
Comments
18 responses to “Mount Evans Scenic Byway, Colorado on the Blogging A – Z Challenge”
My son took his wife, 2 daughters and myself on this drive and it was fabulous! We did see several of the goats and stayed clear. We didn’t hike anywhere outside the restroom and parking areas. Just went as simple tourists enjoying the drive up and going thru a few clouds!
The mountains are pretty amazing. I remember the first time I drove down through a cloud and the awe I felt.
Looks awesome. I’m in.
Yay! The more, the merrier.
Wow, that would be like driving to the top of Mount Rainier. Incredible.
Possibly. I’ve driven quite a number of mountain roads now and it doesn’t bother me so much.
I was referencing only altitude in my answer. I have never been higher than about 11,000 feet and usually get to those heights on foot! I get nervous driving mountain roads.
It used to bother me a lot more but I have learned to be patient and go slow no matter what. It can be nerve-wracking, though, definitely.
I just googled pikes peak and it is said it’s 14115 feet, which is over 4300 meters. That’s so high. It is said if one is over 40-year-old, one should not attempt such heights. I really heard about this. It can damage one’s lung if one doesn’t bring an oxygen tank. I really heard of rumors like this.
Well, some people do get “altidtude sickness” and can’t go above tree line but those situations are few. If you have never been at higher elevations then you might need to allow time to acclimate. A few days in Colorado Springs at 6,000+ feet, then go up. It’s a beautiful thing to see. If you have COPD or severe asthma or other chronic lung condition you might want to check wth a doctor, however.
I wonder if people who are afraid of heights can easily get altitude sickness. LOL. The two might be connected in mysterious ways.
Well, anything is possible.
We drove it but stayed at the top for only a few minutes. The weather had been sweltering in Denver (something unusual) but it was like February at the mountain top and we weren’t dressed for it.
Yeah, it gets cold above treeline.
A great place to add on our to do list.
It’s beautiful!
My first ever visit to Colorado was taking a plane ride to Denver with my late husband (needless to say, he was’t ‘late’ then) to meet his daughter and son-in-law. I’d never heard of altitude sickness but boy, did it ever hit me when we drove up Mt. Evan. Blinding headache… I learned about altitude sickness when my current husband and I moved to Cuenca, Ecuador which is in the middle of the Andes Mountains. We planned ahead for that one!
Yikes! Altitude sickness can be really bad. I’m glad you’re acclimated, now.