Annabelle Needles // Move Beautifully

If there’s one recognizable feature of the Colorado Springs landscape, it’s Pike’s Peak.  Birthplace of “America, the Beautiful” and towering over the city like a colossal guardian (and, in fact, protecting us from the brunt of most gloomy weather – redirecting things north or south and keeping us relatively dry in its shadow).

I’ve been to the top a few times, both in the car and on the Cog Railway – and I’d say they both have their benefits.  My husband plans to hike the mountain this spring, but I’ve yet to decide whether I’ll attempt such a feat or not.

I love that even in the summertime, you can find towers of snow next to the tracks.  Although the journey in the train can get tedious  (the humorous conductors get notably less humorous after a few hours) it is beautiful to sit and enjoy the views without driving.  If the ticket price is off-putting, look on their website for coupons, and keep in mind that driving will use more than a half a tank of gas – I’d recommend filling up before heading up.

If you drive, of course, it’s nice to be able to move at your own pace – stopping for pictures as often as you want, and sitting at the top for as many famous cinnamon donuts as you please.  And hiking, well, that must at least win you some sort of medal for all that effort.  Whichever way you choose, the views from the top are worth it:

I love mountains because they remind you how big the world is – am I the only one who sometimes gets caught up in life’s complications, only to realize later they weren’t so important or monumental as I had given them credit for?  Places like this, 14,000 feet up in the sky, remind me that things aren’t as overwhelming as they appear when I’m analyzing them under a microscope.  The big picture is just as important.

It’s always a good reminder that we’re bigger than our problems and the world is much bigger than ourselves.  If you don’t have mountains to climb, where do you like to go to get a better look at the big picture?