Dror
Baron: Pikes Peak (8.2003)
An aspiration of our tour was to scale a mountain.
Toward this end, we realized that two Illinois residents
long accustomed to lower altitudes must gradually build
resistance to reduced oxygen levels. Consequently, we wanted
to spend gradually more time at higher elevations while
attacking more challenging slopes. We began by letting our
rental car climb
Pikes Peak.
In order to accumulate altitude talent, we poked our heads
out of the car window for a few snapshots.
In addition to distant green horizons, as above, the mountain
features interesting rock formations. Armin scrambled over these
rocks, not only to practice his footwork but also to model for
this charming photo.
At the literal peak we strolled around and admired the local
inhabitants.
The view was quite nice, as one might expect.
Little did we know that driving up with our car instead of taking the
railway might cause some unexpected side-effects later.
Indeed, on the way down we started hearing various strange sounds.
Consultations with a local mechanic the following day suggested
that some vehicles, especially those of mediocre build, tend to have
their breaks heat up severely in the mountains, causing minor thermal
stresses leading to audible reactions. With this in mind, our rental
car was immediately recognized as "Crappy the Crapmobile!"
Back to my homepage.
