My asthma and flat-land brain didn't take too kindly to a sudden burst of activity at 14,000 feet. Turns out a snack break and some water were just what I needed. Once I felt better, we hopped in the car and headed down the mountain to begin the "meandering" part of the trip that the toll booth personnel spoke of earlier. Now we could stop at a few of the photo op places we drove by on the way up to the summit. We passed by mile 19 in the photos below.

Passing by mile 19.

We had a stunning view off to our left, (looking northwest).

Looking northwest.

Heading toward Boulder Park and Little Pikes Peak (13,363 feet).

The Pikes Peak Highway can be seen on the left side of the photo going around Little Pikes Peak (13,363 feet), on its way to the Bottomless Pit.

The drop from the parking area at the summit to where we were at that moment near mile 18 was almost 1,000 feet. The photos above and below look up the side of the mountain toward the summit.

Looking back up the hillside toward the summit.

Looking back up the hillside toward the summit.

Looking back up the hillside toward the summit.

The Boulder Park area near mile 18 is so named due to a large amount of boulders on both sides of the roadway. This became visible as we passed mile 18. Little Pikes Peak sits on the far left of the photos above and below.

Looking across Boulder Park toward the Bottomless Pit area.

Looking across Boulder Park toward the Bottomless Pit area.

Looking across Boulder Park toward the Bottomless Pit area.

Looking across Boulder Park toward the Bottomless Pit area.

A curve in the highway put Little Pikes Peak directly in front of us where we were heading.

The highway where we had just come from could be seen looking back toward the summit.

Looking back toward the Pikes Peak Summit.

Looking back toward the Pikes Peak Summit.

We circled around Little Pikes Peak on our way to mile 17 and the Bottomless Pit.

Passing by mile 17 near the Bottomless Pit pullout.

The highway curves past the Bottomless Pit on its way to the Devil's Playground.

The pullout for the Bottomless Pit is one of the more well-known stops along the highway. We stopped for a few pics.

Even though I felt much better than I did earlier, I thought playing on the rocks like everyone else at the pullout was probably not a smart idea.

More people wandering around at the Bottomless Pit area.

Although that does look like fun !

The Bottomless Pit is so named due to this spot's severe drop off where the distance involved makes the drop seem "bottomless."

I did what I always do and started zooming in on various features. The photo above looks east toward the Manitou Reservoir.

Cliffs around the Bottomless Pit.

Cliffs around the Bottomless Pit.

I did the panorama thing again. Picture 1 of 3.

Picture 2 of 3.

Picture 3 of 3.

A three-picture panorama of the Bottomless Pit.

Zooming in on a unique rock formation in the Bottomless Pit.

Trees growing from the rocks in the Bottomless Pit.

We continued onward and came to the Devil's Playground parking area around the next corner.

The Devil's Playground appears to be quite large. The parking area sits a good distance off the highway.

I'm not sure exactly where the area's boundaries are. But zooming in on a sign from the photos above and below that was located on the opposite side of the highway from the parking area lead me to believe that the Devil's Playground encompasses the area on both sides of the highway.

The sign described how the area got its name.

Looking at the topographic maps, I believe the actual peak of the Devil's Playground sits on the same side of the highway as the parking area where we were at that moment.

Devil's Playground Peak (13,070 feet)

Devil's Playground Peak (13,070 feet)

The Devil's Playground sits next to the series of 180-degree switchbacks known as the "Ws." We came upon a pullout at one of those switchbacks and stopped to take more pics.

This pullout resembled that of the Bottomless Pit in that neither was what I would call large. But unlike the pullout for the Bottomless Pit that featured a rock wall, this pullout was nothing more than a stretch of pavement at the edge of the roadway.