10/8/10 We woke last Sunday morning, parked behind a Shell station in Frisco, CO, between a big rig flat bed which had come in overnight and a Budget Rental truck that had been brought in on the hook just before we went to sleep. We wondered if the mechanic would work on our vehicle and get us on the road on Sunday… he had found a new radiator for her on Saturday afternoon but Sunday isn’t exactly a great day for repair services in the Colorado mountains! A bike ride, brunch in town, and a few hours reading outside the garage and we were on our way again, heading north and east toward Rocky Mountain National Park.
We wondered about the accommodations we would find. On the previous Thursday we camped in Cimmaron in a National Park Service area which was closed and locked on Friday; on Friday we camped outside Leadville, CO in a Forest Service site which had already been buckled up for the winter… someone forgot to tell the rangers that it isn’t winter yet… well, the night temperatures did affirm the need to shut down the water and declare summer over.
Leaving Frisco at 3:00 PM, we headed for the Park about 60 miles away, climbing in altitude as we went, thankful for the good work of the mechanic, and glad to be back on the road. Route 40 took us thru Grand County where Aaron had worked and we had visited on several occasions. As we drove we could see smoke from a large and growing fire billowing in the hills ahead of us. We were dismayed to learn that the fire was in National Forest Service land behind the YMCA of the Rockies facility outside Fraser. Our family had spent a wonderful Christmas there a few years ago. As of 10/7 the fire was 100% contained. http://www.inciweb.org/incident/2137/
Arrived at an open campground in Rocky Mountain National Park just before dark in time to watch elk graze in the meadow campground right next to our vehicle. Their bugling was the symphony which decorated our sleep that night.
Our journey on Monday took us up Trail Ridge Road, from west to east thru the Park. Leaving the meadow which was at 9,000 ft we climbed above tree line to 12,000 feet, winding and twisting as we went. A hike on the tundra trail at Rock Cut… wind and sun were intense, oxygen was limited, and 360 degree views of mountains, tundra table land, rock outcrops, and elk in high meadowland… what could be better! The fleece lined jackets we bought in Silverton were a blessing. Our day’s journey ended at Moraine Campground on the east side of the park, a place where we decided to stop for 2 nights.
The ‘layover’ day gave us time to be still, sketch, work around the RV, and take the Park Shuttle bus to Bear Lake for a delightful afternoon hike.
Wednesday morning we left the Park, headed for breakfast and groceries in Estes Park and then on toward Wyoming. After a few false starts we finally found the one place open for breakfast, had brunch enough to last the day, and were on our way again. The road from Estes Park to Loveland goes down thru Big Thompson Canyon… forever and ever, down deeper and deeper, walls closer and closer - Thank you, Mother Earth. You were distant and beautiful in the mountains at 12,000 ft. As the canyon lead us to 5,000 ft, you were still magnificent, close, solid, and raw. What a treat!
Eastern Colorado, Wyoming, and western South Dakota have offered new land forms… open grassland that rolls flat and low for miles, dry prairie, beef critters clumped near windmill driven wells, sun and sky so wide and big it seems never to end. If the mountains defined the land we have been thru, the sky and clouds define this area. We travel back roads, avoiding the fast traffic on Interstates, and following isolated pathways. A full tank of gas and lows of water gives confidence but the possibility of breakdown in a remote area always plays in the back of the mind.
Again we have been drawn to the beauty of this land and the strength of the people who love it. Today we head to the caves at Wind Cave National Park and then eventually on to the Badlands and our journey across South Dakota to Minnesota.
We wondered about the accommodations we would find. On the previous Thursday we camped in Cimmaron in a National Park Service area which was closed and locked on Friday; on Friday we camped outside Leadville, CO in a Forest Service site which had already been buckled up for the winter… someone forgot to tell the rangers that it isn’t winter yet… well, the night temperatures did affirm the need to shut down the water and declare summer over.
Leaving Frisco at 3:00 PM, we headed for the Park about 60 miles away, climbing in altitude as we went, thankful for the good work of the mechanic, and glad to be back on the road. Route 40 took us thru Grand County where Aaron had worked and we had visited on several occasions. As we drove we could see smoke from a large and growing fire billowing in the hills ahead of us. We were dismayed to learn that the fire was in National Forest Service land behind the YMCA of the Rockies facility outside Fraser. Our family had spent a wonderful Christmas there a few years ago. As of 10/7 the fire was 100% contained. http://www.inciweb.org/incident/2137/
Arrived at an open campground in Rocky Mountain National Park just before dark in time to watch elk graze in the meadow campground right next to our vehicle. Their bugling was the symphony which decorated our sleep that night.
Our journey on Monday took us up Trail Ridge Road, from west to east thru the Park. Leaving the meadow which was at 9,000 ft we climbed above tree line to 12,000 feet, winding and twisting as we went. A hike on the tundra trail at Rock Cut… wind and sun were intense, oxygen was limited, and 360 degree views of mountains, tundra table land, rock outcrops, and elk in high meadowland… what could be better! The fleece lined jackets we bought in Silverton were a blessing. Our day’s journey ended at Moraine Campground on the east side of the park, a place where we decided to stop for 2 nights.
The ‘layover’ day gave us time to be still, sketch, work around the RV, and take the Park Shuttle bus to Bear Lake for a delightful afternoon hike.
Wednesday morning we left the Park, headed for breakfast and groceries in Estes Park and then on toward Wyoming. After a few false starts we finally found the one place open for breakfast, had brunch enough to last the day, and were on our way again. The road from Estes Park to Loveland goes down thru Big Thompson Canyon… forever and ever, down deeper and deeper, walls closer and closer - Thank you, Mother Earth. You were distant and beautiful in the mountains at 12,000 ft. As the canyon lead us to 5,000 ft, you were still magnificent, close, solid, and raw. What a treat!
Eastern Colorado, Wyoming, and western South Dakota have offered new land forms… open grassland that rolls flat and low for miles, dry prairie, beef critters clumped near windmill driven wells, sun and sky so wide and big it seems never to end. If the mountains defined the land we have been thru, the sky and clouds define this area. We travel back roads, avoiding the fast traffic on Interstates, and following isolated pathways. A full tank of gas and lows of water gives confidence but the possibility of breakdown in a remote area always plays in the back of the mind.
Again we have been drawn to the beauty of this land and the strength of the people who love it. Today we head to the caves at Wind Cave National Park and then eventually on to the Badlands and our journey across South Dakota to Minnesota.
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