Colorado – A Real Rocky Mountain High!

We left the canyons and Arches of Utah behind as we started our return journey home to the Carolinas.  Our first stop was in Grand Junction, Colorado to see the Colorado National Monument.  The Independence Monument and Grand View inside the National Monument area were similar to the canyon lands area of Utah.  We had a short stay in Grand Junction and it was time to continue east bound to Glenwood Springs, Colorado.

Glenwood Springs was a neat little town.  We have never seen so many resources focused on bicycling and hiking as they have in this part of Colorado.  Living in a relatively conservative area as we do, we also have never seen so many tattoos, body piercings, and same-sex couples.  We used our Glenwood Springs RV resort for our base as we traveled to the Maroon Bells Mountains outside of Aspen.  The Maroon Bells are probably one of the most recognized sites in Colorado for their use in the Coors Beer commercials.  We drove to Aspen the evening we arrived so we could locate a good spot to photograph the bells.  Anna and I woke up at 3:00a.m. the next morning so we could arrive at the Maroon Bells in time to view the beautiful sunrise as it painted the purple mountain’s majesty with a maroon glow.  A picture of the sunrise is shown above as the feature photo for this blog.  The next day we returned with our friends Curt and Cathy to share the magnificent views with them.  We were glad we returned as we were able to spot and take photos of a newborn deer fawn that was taking cover in the foliage near Maroon Lake.  We also took a guided tour this day where we learned about the avalanches, glacier formations, winter sports, and animals in the area.  After leaving Glenwood Springs we were off to Estes Park and Rocky Mountain National Park.

The Sunday traffic on the interstate from Glenwood Springs to Estes Park at the entrance to Rocky Mountain National Park was slower than an inchworm climbing one of Colorado’s fourteeners.  A major bicycle rally extended for miles and miles along Interstate 70.  We had an interesting lunch break at an Interstate rest stop where Anna met a fellow Clemson grad who was traveling with his wife and a large parrot named Harley.  Anna enjoyed the meeting and held Harley for a minute until he bit her shirt near a “not there” location.

Our campground in Estes Park was located right at the east entrance to the Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP) at Beaver Meadow and a short drive to Bear Lake.  We used our first day there to familiarize ourselves with the area and spent time visiting the shops in Estes Park.  The next day we drove all over creation trying to run errands.  The third day we headed out for a day on Trail Ridge Road, the highest continuous paved road in the United States. What a day.  We drove out of Estes Park on the Old Fall River dirt road where we hiked to view the Alluvial Fan, the site of the 1982 flood.  Continuing up the road we soon found ourselves at altitudes where the snow packs had not yet melted.  After a couple of hours we intersected with the newer paved Trail Ridge Road.  Nearing Chapin Creek trailhead, we spotted the antlers of a large bull elk at the top of ridge.  We hiked up the mountain slope above 12,000 feet in altitude to get a better look.  At the top we were able to photograph two large bull elks and enjoy a beautiful view.  We had a relaxing stop and a great lunch at the Alpine Visitor Center.  After lunch we crossed the western continental divide and headed to the western entrance of the RMNP to lower altitudes and bogs where moose can sometimes be found.  We located two.  The first was a small female who appeared to be stuck in a bog and had to work some time to free herself.  After climbing up from the bog we continued west to the Holzwarth historic site in the Kawuneechee Valley.  Later in the day we located a very large Bull Moose south of the Holzwarth site.  He had a rack bigger than Dolly Parton’s.  What a beautiful animal (I’m talking about the moose.)  We patiently waited and watched as the moose emerged from the woods and entered the bog where we were able to photograph him.  Later that day we crested the higher elevations again on our return to Estes Park where we located a herd of about fifty elk, and we had another sighting of two more large elk bucks.  We thought they might be the same two we spotted on the hight ridge earlier that day.  The next morning we headed out for Bear Lake to see the morning sun reflecting on the lake, and then we hiked to Nymph Lake higher up the mountain slope.  It stormed our third day there and we used the time to catch up on some business matters and relax in Estes Park.  RMNP is a location we are adding to our list of places to return.

Our last stop in Colorado was Colorado Springs, home to the US Air Force Academy, Pikes Peak, and the Garden of the Gods.  Upon our arrival at the Garden of the Gods RV Resort, our motorhome suffered a complete hydraulic failure.  We spent the rest of the day making arrangements for repairs.  Tiffin Motorhomes came through for us by offering to overnight the suspect failed control board to a repair facility in Branson, Missouri where we will be stopping at the end of the month.  On our first full day in Colorado Springs we toured the Garden of the Gods.  After leaving the visitor center, Anna stated that she just wanted to see a Big Horn Sheep before we leave Colorado.  There they were -five minutes later.  Who knew?  A half dozen of them standing atop a cliff as magnificent as you can imagine.  We spent the afternoon in Manitou Springs eating and shopping like a couple of tourist.  We visited the US Air Force Academy on Sunday morning where we were able to attend the church service in the Chapel.  As an US Air Force veteran, this was a great experience for me.  The service was nice and the Chapel is a magnificent structure.  We later toured the academy which is located on a huge geographic expanse.   That evening we went to Seven Falls but we had to leave early due to an approaching storm.  For our last hurrah in Colorado Springs we drove the auto road to the top of Pikes Peak.  We decided not to take the Cog Railway because we wanted to take a picnic lunch and operate on our own schedule.  The drive was long and at times steep, but we made it to the top (14,110′).  Even though we had been at higher elevations for a couple of weeks, it was still a little difficult to breath that this altitude.  We were fortunate that the clouds did not envelop the mountain top this day.  We were able to see for miles.  It was no wonder that it was the view from this mountaintop that inspired the song “America the Beautiful.”

Needing to continue on our return trip home we are heading for Missouri, the “Show Me State,” and the show town of Branson.  We have previously visited Branson.  We love the shows and the strong family and patriotic American values that the people of Branson embrace.   The final leg of our summer 2013 journey is underway.

Click here to view additional photos related to this blog, and don’t forget to click the links at the top of our blog to view the other features of our website.

As always, we hope to see you down the road!