Mountains, Mountains Everywhere!

For our first morning in Colorado, we woke up to rain and deer in our campsite; both left shortly and we enjoyed a fabulous morning exploring Rocky Mountain National Park. Joni and I were last here 13 summers ago, but it seemed like the first time, the spectacular scenery overwhelmed us. 

We packed up and were on the road by 9 AM, our latest start since we left NH.  Within ten minutes we came upon 2 male mule deer with a huge racks grazing by the side of the road.   (Just like NH, you see the crowd before you see the animal.)  

Continuing on, we drove up to Bear Lake and enjoyed great color on the Aspens whose bright yellows contrast sharply to the dark green Ponderosa pines.  Retracing our route, we drove along a road just below our campground and encountered the same herd of elk that we’d seen the night before, but now we were much closer and we weren’t fighting the setting sun.  There was just 1 majestic bull surrounded by a harem of 40 cows. King Tut on four legs!

Continuing our drive across the park we followed Trail Ridge Road, which reaches a maximum altitude of 12,183.  The higher we ascended the colder and windier it got.  There were plenty of pull offs with spectacular views at every one.  It was hard not to stop at every one and take photos.

On our way out of the park we stopped at Milner Pass for the mandatory shot of us straddling the Continental, and finally a quick stop at the Kawuneeche Visitors Center.

We had a late lunch in the village of Grand Lake at a water front snack bar recommended by our son Alex.  His local knowledge paid off.  As we left Grand Lake the rain started as we continued our planned route through Winter Park, over the Berthoud Pass, where the temp dropped to 37°F.   The 11,306 ft. altitude turned the rain to snow.  The slippery roads and low clouds took all the joy out of this part of the drive.

It was still raining when we arrived in Silverthorne, but we were so happy to Alex and Alice again that the rain didn’t matter.  After catching up with each other for several hours, we went out for a delicious dinner of Indian and Himalayan food.  

Our first full day in Colorado was a good one!

The view from Alex's yard!