THE PITTMANS...

I don't even know how to explain the last week or so....and I decided, instead, to show you pictures from today...mainly because it is a good day and we have hardly smelled any smoke! Since the kids and I moved here 2 years, yes, that's right, TWO years ago...Josh has asked to go to the top of Pike's Peak. I knew that last summer wasn't going to happen because that is something Eric needed to be here to go with us. So, why not go this morning? Ya know..with fires actively going around the Pike National Forest?? I had serious second thoughts last night and we weren't sure if we'd make our 8am departure, but..we did...and we were all so thankful! It was a day where we could be just us 4 and have some fun....(even though the smoke followed us every where we went...I mean...you could just see it, not really smell it!)

These first pictures are of the helicopters at USAFA that are helping fight the Waldo Canyon Fire. We were on our way to Manitou Springs at 7:15am to catch the Cog Railway up Pike's Peak!

Josh was so excited...can you tell???
Sam..well...she wasn't sure what to think of it all..look at her eyes!! She had them wide open for a bit, taking it all in!

I took these two pictures because our conductor said that these pines were killed by the pine beetle....and look how sad they look..but this was what got me...he said the beetle came through there in the 70s and look....so sad...I can't imagine what the other side looks like with them and how long it'll stay that way...ok...that's all...

she's cute

here we are going up....

some really beautiful scenery...

I had to keep reminding myself that I live here....that this was 30 minutes from my front door...(well, minus the train ride!)

and here we are!!

We made it!!

If you can't tell by these pictures, Sam was a bit touch and go for awhile....as in...MOODY! :-)

Here is a view of Rampart Reservoir...

Here is a view just east of the reservoir looking at the Springs...that's smoke too

You want to know something funny??? My mom knew we were headed up there....SO...she got online and went to the 24hr video feed from the summit...and these next two pictures she emailed me...they are snapshots from her computer and she can see us walking around! So crazy!

Here we are with the conductor standing in the tracks taking our picture.... :-)

and....here are the 2 pictures he took! HA!

sitting on the tracks looking at the view...

this picture is fun, I think..

our train

Josh really wanted to look out of these things...and, they actually worked!

I'll pause here to tell you that there are ALOT of pictures remaining...I kept them all in because the kids were just making me laugh....

oh! there I am! :)

After my photo session with the kids(this is looking south) we walked to the other side

and these next ones were taken with Eric's phone by Josh...he did GREAT! :)

oh...and the view is looking north/northwest

then it was time to board the train...we were up there almost an hour...the time flew by...
this is Josh once we got back on the train..the whole time he was quite anxious that we wouldn't know when the train would leave and that it'd leave us behind! :) We kept telling him that the whistle will blow and we know we have 10 minutes...anyways...we all made it back on the train...although...his hat almost didn't make it! (funny story!)