So, I got this idea in my head a while back, you know? Pikes Peak. Not the big race necessarily, but that road. Seen pictures, heard stories. Figured I had to see it for myself, maybe even drive up it.
Getting Started
First thing, I started digging around online. When’s the road open? What are the conditions like? You hear things, right? Snow in summer, crazy weather shifts. Didn’t want to drive all the way out there just to stare at a closed gate.
Found out you gotta check constantly. Weather changes fast up that high. And there’s specific times the road’s fully open to the summit. Okay, manageable. I marked some dates on the calendar, felt pretty good about it.
Hitting a Snag
Then, the car. My old sedan. Started thinking, is this thing gonna make it up that climb? It’s steep. Real steep. And the air gets thin. Heard that can mess with engines if they aren’t ready for it. Plus, the brakes coming down… that worried me a bit.
This is where things got tricky. Started second-guessing. Should I rent something? Looked into that. More hassle, more money. Then, checked the dates again. Turns out, one of the weekends I picked had some kind of event, meaning limited access. Figures.
Trying to Make it Work
Okay, plan B. Maybe go earlier in the season? Or later? Checked the reports again. Early season, more chance of snow blocking the top. Late season, weather gets dicey again. It felt like threading a needle.
Talked to a buddy who’d been out that way. He said:
- Make sure your car is tuned up. Really tuned up.
- Check the weather the morning you go, like, right before you leave.
- Bring water, snacks, warm clothes, even in July.
Solid advice, but it just added to my list of worries. The simple idea of just ‘driving up the mountain’ was turning into a whole operation.
What Happened in the End
So, what happened? Well, life got in the way, mostly. That window I picked? Something came up. Work stuff. Then the car made a weird noise, needed checking out. The whole Pikes Peak plan just sort of… fizzled out that time. It’s still on the list, you know? But it taught me something. That mountain’s reputation? It’s not just about the race cars. Just getting up there takes real planning, more than I thought. It’s a proper challenge, even for regular folks just wanting a look. Still wanna do it though. Maybe next year.
