We both have a case of the lazies this morning, but we get going about 1130 for a ride through Rocky Mountain National Park, a mere 32 miles from our camper to Estes Park. We went and found a car wash first, as the car got pretty filthy between Green River & Longmont, road construction and all.
Our drive takes us through several small towns and our elevation changes from 4800' at the camper to 7500' at Estes Park. At Estes Park we stop at the Visitor's Center and get some literature and also gas up the car & get a sandwich for a later picnic stop up in the park. As we head into the park, there is another visitor's center and we stop so Barb can get her National Park Passport stamped...she is near to having her second book filled. We have visited a lot of the National Parks & Monuments and we have visited with a lot of the volunteers & Park Rangers as we go...they are always so helpful and fun to talk to. This time I asked a very nice young lady to explain the differences between Aspens & Quaking Birch trees...she spent probably 20 mins. describing how to tell the difference. I know everything I need to know about that subject :). I also told her the story about the Humpback Whales feeding outside of Juneau...she seemed to really enjoy hearing about that incident in nature.
We moved on, used our Senior Pass to enter the park for free...that pass has paid for itself about 20 times in the last year...great investment. As we drive through the park, we notice 1000's of dead Spruce trees, just like in Canada, Alaska & several places in Montana & other places throughout the west. We finally find a sign that describes the problem in detail. It is very sad how many affected trees there are out here, and a little bitty beetle is to blame, along with warmer winters that allow the larvae to hatch. Here is part of the story: http://csfs.colostate.edu/pages/spruce-bark-beetle.html. The next thing will be forest fires when all the dead trees catch fire...yikes!
The Aspens are in full bloom, beautiful bright yellow. Patches are everywhere and amazingly, the lower elevations are where the trees are most abundant. I also learned from my friend at the Visitor's Center that there are 8 species of Aspen and they all become a slightly different color in the Fall. Barb has never been all the way through the Park, so she really enjoyed the scenery, it is a pretty place. We tried to go through in 1995 with our son Mark, but the road was closed by 24' of snow in early June and we had to go back to Estes Park. We make it all the way through this time and stop at Lake Irene on the way down from the summit (12,183') for a picnic by the lake...pretty spot.
We drive west through the Park, and south through Winter Park and Idaho Falls and back east through Denver. Thankfully, this time it is late enough that there is no traffic. We get back to the camper about 815...long day considering we left just before noon. But it is another day of seeing the beauty that is the western US...amazing places.
We are going to relax on Saturday and then go for a little ride and go to the races tonight. It is a beautiful day today...not a cloud in the sky. Our luck continues to hold regarding the weather.
Steve & Barb Larson
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| Patches of blooming Aspen are everywhere, along with dead Spruce |
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| Lake Irene...beautiful spot for a picnic |
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| Female Elk tending to yearlings and having lunch |
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| Different species have different colors |
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