Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1920-09-01
TO Pixies PEAK
WITHOUT BUSTING
Most Thrilling Adventure Col
orado Springs Has to Offer
the Tourist.
By Frederic ]. Haskin.

most thrilling adventure that Colorado
Springs has to offer the tourist is the
trip to Pixies Peak.
This fact is impressed upon you the
moment YOU arrive by innumerable
transportation agents who usually but
tonhole YOU at the railroad station and
sell YOU a ticket for the trip before you
can take refuge in your hotel. Here the
transportation clerk also hands you many
photographs of the Pixies Peak road and
invites ycu TO make the trip under his
inimltahlc supervision. Outside, hundreds
~ touring cars are parked along the curb.
the drivers vigilantly watching for
anv nimhle tourist who has managed to
escape the first lines of Pixies Peak agents
and needs lust triflc more persuasion.
Thus. with the exception OF a few old
ladies and invalids who fear the effects
of the high altitude. everybody who comes
~ Colorado springs feels that life will
slwa,s he incomplete If he does not I'M
meJiatclv become acquainted with thhis
historic and hazardous point. There arc
three ways in which YOU can go--by auto
mobile. by the cogroad and by burro.
Itis also possible 10 walk, but seldom COM
Portable.
The reporter made the trip by auto
mobile since the agents of this means OF
TRANSFORMATION were the first to perceive
us and sell US a ticket The other members
~ the party consisted of bride and groom
from Utica, y. Y. an old man from De-
troit. and couplc of young ladies from
Florida. All of MS were hustled INTO the
car at Q O'Clock IN the morning. with
the exception Of the old man who de-
laycd the party for twenty minutes while
searching for his ulster.
As the sun was exceptionally. hot even
NJ this comparatively early hour. everyone
was first amused and then lrritated at
the old man for wishing to carry a heavy
wrap but n few hours later, on the top OF
tho peak. his exceeding forethought
WIS not only understood but envied.
40 ExTRA CHARGE FOR SCARE.
As We bowled along over a fair road
~ Nanitou and thence in the direction
of the Pike National Forest, the driver
started An uncomfortable discussion by
turning around in his seat and asking
each passenger il he had reason to believe
that he would bc unduly affected by the
altitude. Everybody believed hIm selito
hc immune. but was acquainted with
various narrowing incidents. told to nm
or her by Coloradoltes, concerning people
who were not 80 fortunate.
One of the Florida ladies had heard
Of woman who had died of heart failure
and the guide chipped gayly into the
conversation with several "reminiscences
of pcople who had tainted, become deal,
or turned green and purple and had had
10 bc removed bv stretcher to lower
altitude. The bride and groom had also
heard OF a couple who had attempted TO
climb the mountain on foot and who had
been frozen to death as they reached the
top, perishing romantically IN each others
AIMS. This must have occurred, they
thought, in the fall, as II could hardly hap
pen in the summer.
The first real thrill in the trip is when
YOU reach the enterance to the Pixies
Peak Auto Highway, The Worlds
Highest Motor Drive, and are requested
20 nav two dollars toll. This individual
pavment i not mentioned IN the ex-
trnsiyc literature on the subject, so that
the two ladies from Florida were unpre-
pared and had To borrow the money
trom the driver. They had left all their
money with their mother, they said, who
could not bc induced 20 come with them.
After leaving the toll house, the car
ascends rapidly up the smooth, yellow
road which constantly turns. twists and
winds about the spruce-covered mountain
sides. eommanding a marvellous view OF
valley below. Monitor, Wmch you |
Ike a group OF black specks IN the
distance. and beyond it the plateau can
he seen for miles and miles until 1T dis
appears in mist Looking up, You get
startling climpses of the road you are to
follow. like a yellow snake coiled about |
the mountain.
III ANYTHING ever happened TO the brakes
az this car SO that il started backing
downhill-" suggested the bride cheer
fullv. ending her remark with graceful
gesture at a nesrby precipice.
LOOKS DANGEROUS
That's why We didn't make the trip
in our own car, explained the groom.
sNe drove all the way from Utica with
3 hu, otherwise it's brand new, and you
can't depend upon a brand new car. It's
aps 10 develop all sorts Of surprises"
But many people, according to our
chauffeur. do climb the mountain IN new
as well as every other kind of cars,
and there are the expected number OF |
accidents. There would doubtless be |
many more If the road bed were not so |
incredibly smooth-such marvellous |
specimen of engineering The lnterminable |
twisting and writhing. with other cars |
passing at frequent intervals, requires |
cool. sure driving however, and the down |
ward grade. especially, cannot be made |
with worn brake-bands. As the chauffeur |
onaintly remarked, Its no place to |
get screw loose, either IN your car or |
IN your head.
After we were halfway upt mountain. |
we began TO meet whole professions of |
other cars. many of which passed us in |
both directions, our chauffeur carefully /
living up To the safety first button on the |
lapel Of his coat. Then. suddenly at a |
wide twist of the road, We came upon a |
vide log house. set in the shadow of q small |
peak. where the chauffeur suggested, we
order dinner for our return few hours
hence after visiting the summit.
shortly after leaving this hospitable /
inn, the atmosphere becomes rapidly |
cooler and the spruce trees thinner |
Another half hour, and you are passing
the timber line, trying TO look as if you
liked the sudden change of season from
summer 20 winter, and wishing that you
had been a little less scornful Of your
friends suggestions for carrying heavy
WRAPS. Most of our party with the ex-
ception of one OF the Florida ladies, |
was plentifully supplied with sweaters and
coats. but what was really needed was
a large supply of woolen blankets or fur
robes. The chauffeur slowed the car while
he pulled on pair of feece-lired gloves,
and the rest Of US tucked our hands into
our pockets.
We had long since left the sun bshinf
L. /. 4