We woke this morning refreshed after a very long sleep and excited for the day ahead. Breakfast was of the kind we will see frequently in motels on the trip; waffles, cereals, pastries - but here paper plates and plastic cutlery, obviously to save on washing up.

We had tickets for the first train on the cog railway to take us up Pikes Peak, one of the more well-known mountains in the US, marking a frontier challenge for the gold rushers. It was also the inspiration for America the Beautiful (which was sung for us by one of the conductors). Deep snow drifts actually stopped us reaching the very top, but the views were incredible and we could see across to the Continental Divide.

Nearby was the Garden of the Gods, but reaching it was tricky due to diversions. Reverting to type, my fault for not being quick enough with directions, and Bob's for driving too fast!

The Garden of the Gods was a strange and wondrous place, and we loved it. We walked along the trails further than planned gawping at the incredible rock formations and colours created by the forces of nature over millions of years.

We found a great place to eat in Old Colorado Town followed by 'custard' ice cream back in Manitou Springs.

We spoke with many lovely people today, none of whom had heard of Norwich. The closest we got was meeting a fan of the comedy series 'The Detectorists' so we could say that was near (in American Terms) to where we live.