At the point where shit either heads east, or west. No hangin' out in the middle

 Colorado is known for it's mountains and breathtaking natural beauty. Even the shortest of visits will exasperate you like a nude Jessica Biel. Colorado and Utah was the prettiest part of my trek across the USA without question. The first morning I got up and had some coffee, then I headed to the legendary Front Range CrossFit for a workout.

Skip Miller, Owner/head coach at FRCF is a legend in the community. His gym has been one of the big names as long as I've been around. I was pumped to get my ass kicked there, and he didn't let me down. It was a great class, and we finished it off with a burner of a metcon:

 3 rounds for time:
15 KBS (16kg)
10 Burpee box jumps (jumping over the box)

You know when you go to jump and your legs say, "fuck off ... I'm done"? Ya It's kinda like that, 10 times, for 3rnds. All while trying to pull non-existant-mile-high oxygen in through the straw that is your collapsed lung. This thing kicked my ass - It was a good time though. I got to talk shop with Coach Miller, and met Colleen Maher the weekend before she was famous. You know, the 17 year-old girl that WON the fkn South West Regional. Holy shit.

Where do these stairs go? They go up ...

A short drive later I arrived in Colorado Springs, home of the United States Air Force Academy, The U.S. Olympic Committee, and the biggest goddamn set of stairs ever. While I was there, in lieu of hitting one of the several CrossFit boxes in town, I decided - at the urging of multiple former residents - that I'd go up the Manitou Incline.

Daigle died of dysentery

The "Incline" is next to the cog railway that the tourist-types take to the top of Pikes Peak. It's in Manitou Springs which is a tiny little town next to Colorado Springs. It's home to some cool little shops and the multiple natural soda springs. Most of them are right on the sidewalk, and you can fill up your water bottles as you're traipsing around town. Apparently, the evilest steps ever wrought by man were at one time a cable car track used for construction in the surrounding hills. The rails have long since been removed, leaving a steeper-than-the-walls-of-Hades staircase made up of the remaining railroad ties.

This thing is gnarly. Waking up with a massive hangover next to Joan Rivers gnarly. It looks pretty steep, and it just keeps getting steeper. It's about a mile in length, and it gains two thousand feet of elevation in that mile. That's not far from 45 degrees average. I was pumping away pretty good at first, but after the first few minutes I had to stop and compose myself - lest I reach hip flexor failure and eat shit - so I didn't fall all the way back to the bottom.

Not bad up here

Lots of huffing and puffing, burning legs, and a slightly crushed ego later I arrived at the top. It took me a little over 48min, which I'm told isn't all that embarrassing. The view from the summit is well worth the trip and a nice reward. The way back down is kind of a downhill 5k run on a trail next to the incline. It was a cool experience to check off the list, but I'm not sure I'm ever going for a PR. It was time to head across Pikes Peak through some country that makes paintings feel inadequate. On to Buena Vista, then back through the continental divide to Aspen.

Couldn't find who killed Kenny

The scenery driving across Colorado is nothing short of mesmerizing. One of the most impressive views of the entire journey was South Park. The REAL South Park, which is a giant expanse of open, flat terrain in the middle of the mountains. It's something breathtaking that I don't think a camera can do justice. Coupled with the canyon roads, and rock precipices it's an awesome sight to behold. It was made more spectacular by the company I got to see it with.

A little relaxing in the gorgeous surroundings, and it was on to the final leg of this epic Journey. Next up was the beautiful mountainous desert of western Colorado and the striking landscapes of Utah and Nevada. See ya in Salt Lake City.