The Rockies...Finally!

We made it to Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado today.  

Today we drove 438 miles in 9 hours.

Our four day totals from Sugar Hill, New Hampshire to Rocky Mountain National Park are 2121 miles in 41.5 hours.  Wow! 

The deer aren't spooked by humans.

We made it to Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado today.  

Today we drove 438 miles in 9 hours.

Our four day totals from Sugar Hill, New Hampshire to Rocky Mountain National Park are 2121 miles in 41.5 hours.  Wow!  

That’s a lot of driving, but as we sat at our campsite, sipped a beer and enjoyed panoramic views of the park and Longs Peak, we agreed it was worth every minute and mile!

We were on Interstate 80 by 7:15 this morning.  As we progressed into western Nebraska the scenery became flatter and browner, and much more like Kansas than Iowa.  Occasionally there would be patches of green, irrigated wheat or corn fields. Interstate 80 parallels the Union Pacific’s main east west route, so we kept pace with a variety of trains along the way.  

We stopped in Cheyenne, Wyoming for a delicious brunch at the “Egg and I”. It’s part of a highly rated chain that we visited in Memphis last spring.  There’s a restaurant in Hyannis with the same name, but I’m sure it’s not part of the chain.

Before getting back on the highway, we took a brief driving tour through downtown Cheyenne, which has a charming main street with beautiful old buildings.  

Cheyenne’s is located in the southeast corner of Wyoming, so we were quickly into Colorado and by 4 PM we were at the park’s visitors’ center.  The traffic leaving the park was very heavy, and all the campgrounds in the park were full, so we were very glad to have reserved a spot. 

As we pulled into our campsite we immediately saw two mule deer searching for crumbs just three sites from ours’, and as we set up our gear we were treated to additional mule deer and a herd of elk that were grazing in the distance.  What a welcome!

Our dinner was very simple; grilled cheese with fresh tomatoes from Lisa Woodward’s garden.  As we ate we were serenaded by faint calls of trumpeting elk in the distance.  Amazing!