Western Swing 2013 - 26 - Rocky Mountain National Park

There’s nothing quite like waking up on a Monday in the mountains. Though this was the first day of a work week for Martha, being in Estes Park made it unique because we’re went to the Alpine Visitor Center before she even checked to see what transcription work there was to do.

Morning at the KOA in Estes Park with a snow-capped mountain

in the distance. “Oh, what a beautiful morning” sure captures

the feeling well. Some are loading their vehicles

for a day in the park or for continuing on a journey.

KOA’s tend to cater to travelers who spend two nights

or less whether in one of their Kabins or in a motorhome

or pulling a travel trailer.

US 36 and US 34 cross each other in Estes Park before continuing on separate paths through Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP). In fact, the highways through the Park are the highest in the US in terms of maintenance at elevation. The trip to the Alpine Visitor Center took us to a summit of 12,138 feet as we followed the Trail Ridge Road, the highway in the sky. Since the check out time at the KOA was 11 AM we were in the Park by 8:30. The trek is around 30 miles. The speed limit, like in all National Parks, is 35 with opportunities to pull over and take photographs. It took the full 2.5 hours to go to our turnaround point. In out next visit we’ll make a full loop after going over the continental divide.

Big Thompson River is the culmination of many streams from

the mountains. Since the snow in the upper elevations is

still melting, the river’s water is flowing rapidly at the

lower level near Estes Park.

The climb to the summit isn’t all that difficult. The grade never exceeds 7%. Though the roadway is of standard width, there are several places where there is no shoulder and there certainly are no guardrails. If you make a wrong turn, your GPS will not figure out a way back before landing several hundred feet below.

No guardrail and no shoulder. Actually, this is a good stretch

of road where the edge is not on the edge of the ridge.

There are, however, wooden poles of Ponderosa Pine

standing about 12 feet high that mark the edge

of the pavement.

This photo was taken from an elevation of approximately 11,000 feet

looking down into the valley where one of the tributaries

of the Big Thompson is flowing with water from the

summer melt. This roadway can be seen

on the right half of the image.

Please ignore the look on Byron’s face, he always seems to get

and inquisitive look when someone else is using his camera.

That the sun was shining in his face didn’t help. At any rate,

he’s standing next to an unmelted drift at the Alpine

Visitor Center. The elevation is a little more than

12,000 feet above sea level.

Martha is smiling pleasantly in this photo. Why? Because

she hadn’t yet climbed to the observation peak shown

behind her. We have hundreds of steps to make

in an ascent of hundreds of feet. Those are

people at the top left getting ready to take

the stairs down the hill to the parking area.

This amazing view of the tundra shows the ecosystem of rocks, grasses,

and wild flowers. Thing up here grow very slowly in the thin

layer of soil. The snow on the peaks, all above the tree line,

has yet to melt for the summer. The skies are not

cloudy in the early morning but build as the

day goes on.

These hardy wildflowers fight for the right to thrive

amid the melting snow and rocky soil of the tundra.

The flowers and the grass are low- and slow-growing

never reaching a height of even three inches.

Byron thought a "glamour" shot of the RMNP sign would be a

nice effect. What that means is a soft focus, especially on the

trees in the background. Goodbye, we’ll be back.

Immediately after returning to the campground we left for Douglas, WY via Loveland, CO on US 34. The highway winds downward for 2,200 feet following the Big Thompson River most of the way. There are many inhabitants living in houses and cabins built on the banks of the rapidly-flowing river. There are stretches where there is little room for anything other than the river, the highway, and a fisherman or two. There is no shooting of the rapids here.

One of the more gentle portions of the Big Thompson.

The trip to Douglas was uneventful. Though we had traveled this section of I-25 two times in the last three weeks, Byron was still saw things he didn't see on the other trips. Once into Wyoming north of Cheyenne it isn’t unusual to see antelope in a field. Typically one can be spotted and, on occasion, it’s possible to see of group of four or more. Of course, they are never more than a couple of miles from the creeks as they roam through the vast prairie system.

A rare sight, a group of antelope pausing to sing “Don’t Fence Me In.” Amazingly,

they manage keep from being hit by a car, unlike the deer in the Ohio Valley.