Yes, John Denver captured the essence of the Rocky Mountains - we have been 'high' since we spent the day there Thursday. Incredible, beautiful, surreal, majestic.....on and on. I cannot explain the wonders that are in this park. We have been to numerous National Parks and this by far is the most spectacular we have been in. And, we are going back today to get another fix. But lets back up to where and what we have been doing since we got here in Loveland, Colorado.
Tuesday afternoon and evening we spent with our niece/nephew Caryn and Scott and their daughter Emily and Emily's two children Cody and Imana. A great visit, caught up on each other's lives and then had a nice dinner in old Fort Collins area. Wednesday Emily and kids were visited by us as we traveled to Fort Collins to see her and then we all came back here to the RV so Cody could play on the playground. I will not show pictures for security reasons, but suffice it to say - the kids are absolutely adorable, and Cody found that riding in a big truck was outstanding. Thursday? Well, Rocky Mountain National Park and Estes Park. For those that know this area Estes Park is a name of a city right at the entrance to RMNP. Cutsy, trendy, but has the feel that you want to live there.
Dave and I were in heaven in the RMNP. We traveled the Trail Ridge Road, stopping to gawk and take pictures. And the amazing thing - if we were here one week into the future we would not have been able to go to the end of the road to Alpine Visitor's Center - they are in the process of closing the road down for the winter. This road is only open about 4 months a year, the snow gets to 35 feet in some places. We saw new snow on the ground and were told that from now on this new snow will not melt, only get more on top and build as winter approaches. The most amazing road to travel, and the highest paved road in the US. Pristine, beautiful. We saw glacier lakes (see the two in the picture above?), all kids of wildlife, flowers, birds, amazing to see. We hiked the Tundra Community's Trail which at first glance - no big deal. As we started along this paved path we noticed many high school 
kids cleaning the side of the path and stopped to ask. It was community service 'give back' for these kids of the Eagle Rock School, well known in the country for kids who have chosen to go to school and work in the community for excess of 500 hours a year. Very impressive. The walk? When we got 
to the end and climbed up on the one outcropping (told to go there by the teacher of these kids) there was a plaque and a directional dome structure that showed the distance to national parks around the country. We saw so much and felt relatively acclimated to the 12,000 feet since we have been living at an altitude of about 5000 feet for the past two weeks. What got us worn out is we would get out of the car, take pictures or walk a bit, in about 40 degree weather with the wind blowing about 30 knots. Brrr. And we just could not stop in getting out to walk a bit. Every where you looked was truly amazing. On our way out of the park we came across a pack of female elks and a baby or two, never saw the buck. They stopped in the middle of the road and just stared, then moved on. Today we are heading back to the park for another fix. Have to put this park on your list of things to do - truly amazing!
kids cleaning the side of the path and stopped to ask. It was community service 'give back' for these kids of the Eagle Rock School, well known in the country for kids who have chosen to go to school and work in the community for excess of 500 hours a year. Very impressive. The walk? When we got 
to the end and climbed up on the one outcropping (told to go there by the teacher of these kids) there was a plaque and a directional dome structure that showed the distance to national parks around the country. We saw so much and felt relatively acclimated to the 12,000 feet since we have been living at an altitude of about 5000 feet for the past two weeks. What got us worn out is we would get out of the car, take pictures or walk a bit, in about 40 degree weather with the wind blowing about 30 knots. Brrr. And we just could not stop in getting out to walk a bit. Every where you looked was truly amazing. On our way out of the park we came across a pack of female elks and a baby or two, never saw the buck. They stopped in the middle of the road and just stared, then moved on. Today we are heading back to the park for another fix. Have to put this park on your list of things to do - truly amazing!
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