Today's agenda took us to Colorado Springs for a drive to the summit of Pikes Peak. We made a fuel stop after getting off the E-470 bypass at State Route 83 outside of Denver.

I took a few pics of the Front Range during a fuel stop south of Denver in the town of Parker, Colorado. I did what I usually do and took a wide shot first to provide a general perspective of what I was looking at.

Then I started zooming in and taking a lot of guesses. I believe the peaks on the far right in the photo above are (L) Snyder Mountain (9,876 feet), and Squaw Mountain (11,500 feet).

Looking west toward the Front Range.

I think the peak in the center of the photo is Mount Logan (12,870 feet). The smaller peak on the right side may be Mount Kataka (12,441 feet).

I believe the prominent peak in the photo above is Mount Evans (14,264 feet).

I tried zooming in further on the cluster around Mount Evans which is also known as the Chicago Peaks, with Mount Evans being the tallest of the group at 14,264 feet.

I'm not 100% sure. But I believe I am looking at Mount Spaulding (13,842 feet), and Mount Warren (13,307 feet).

I stitched the above two photos together to make a decent panorama of the Mount Evans area, with Mount Evans (14,264 feet) being the prominent peak.

Heather is also a fan of the road less traveled like I am and suggested we take State Route 83 from Parker south to Colorado Springs. This is a slightly out-of-the-way road to the east of Interstate 25 and the traffic therein that ends just north of the city near the Air Force Academy. We picked up I-25 from there and headed south and made it about half-a-mile when a scenic overlook got my attention.

This scenic overlook sits next to the Air Force Academy. Falcon Stadium was visible off in the distance.

We were greeted by an historical marker that described several interesting tidbits about the area.

I took three pics looking west at the Front Range with the intent of stitching them together. This is picture 1 of 3.

Looking west at the Front Range picture 2 of 3.

Looking west at the Front Range picture 3 of 3.

Three-picture panorama looking west at the Front Range outside of Colorado Springs.

I put my 35x zoom lens to work and started zooming. I could see Cheyenne Mountain (9,565 feet), and its array of radio towers on its peak to the southwest.

Pikes Peak towers in the background behind the Rampart Range.

Zooming in on Pikes Peak (14,115 feet).

Zooming in on Pikes Peak (14,115 feet). The Summit House is visible on top of the peak.

I believe this is Blodgett Peak (9,423 feet).

Zooming in on Blodgett Peak (9,423 feet).

I believe this is an unnamed summit (9,380 feet) that sits directly west of where we were standing at that moment.

I think this is Eagles Peak (9,368 feet), which sits directly west of the Air Force Academy.

I could see Mount Herman (9,063 feet) off to the northwest.

Looking northwest at Mount Herman (9,063 feet).

Zooming in on Mount Herman (9,063 feet).

After around 7 miles on I-25, we headed into town and were checking out the mountains from a fuel stop along Garden of the Gods Road. Heather asked if those small green spots on a far-off flat area were trees. I zoomed in and confirmed that, yes, they were.

We made our way through the northwestern side of the city past Garden of the Gods Park before picking up US Route 24 west toward the community of Cascade, Colorado and the entrance to the Pikes Peak Highway known as the Gateway for my first-ever visit to Pikes Peak.

From the Gateway to just past the Halfway Picnic Grounds beyond mile 10.

Just past mile 3.

The trip up the Pikes Peak Highway begins at 7,800 feet at the Gateway, and reaches the 14,115-foot summit 20 miles later. The total gain in elevation of 6,315 feet is slightly biased toward the second half of the trip. This means the half-way point by mileage is less than the half-way point in elevation. The first 10 miles of the trip are best described as a gentle climb on a curvy road that didn't look or feel much different than other places I have visited in Colorado, or what I was used to growing up in Pennsylvania.

We passed by several notable landmarks during this leg of the trip. The One Mile Below sign, the point that is exactly one mile below the summit, sits just past mile 3 at 8,835 feet.

The photo above shows the One Mile Below sign, the point that is exactly one mile below the summit, which sits just past mile 3 at 8,835 feet.

Around 8,800 feet.

Passing mile marker 5 - 9,120 feet