Hello, Colorado! We woke up in Rocky Mountain National Park at 8,000 feet. Tonight, we sleep in Golden Gate Canyon State Park at 9,000 feet. We’re still on the front-range foothills of the Rockies — called that because it’s the first mountain range you encounter when traveling west across the Great Plains. Our first full day in “the Centennial State” (because it joined the Union in 1876) in photos and captions below.
Rocky Mountain National Park has peaks up to 14,000 feet. (This one isn’t that high.) During our morning walk through the Moraine Campground, we saw a smattering of other campers and a glimpse of snow…… lodgepole and ponderosa pine…… and mule deer. (See her huge ears? Like a mule’s!)This buck seems camouflaged against the rocks. The deer here didn’t seem to fear humans. This campground is just one small part of the huge national park and I wanted to see the best of it. So we headed “up,” only to learn that the road is closed at the most scenic parts. Just before we turned around……this bird saw crackers inside and parked itself on the truck hood. Bold! Pretty sure it’s a black-billed magpie.To avoid cities, we followed the Peak-to-Peak Scenic Byway on our way to the interstate that crosses Colorado. After long days of driving, we wanted to keep this day short. (High elevation seemed to affect me more than him, although I’ve been in it a lot without problems. This time, I get tired so easily. Doing research in a moving vehicle doesn’t help.) We watched for campgrounds and landed at…… this tidy state park which had one more space with electricity available. (Helpful on these cold nights). A camping spot with electricity costs at least $40 per night, often more, and always more for out-of-staters. Certainly cheaper than hotels, but not free. Since we arrived just after noon, there was plenty of time to explore.We jumped on the E-bikes to seek out the advertised “panoramic view.” The viewing platforms were more impressive than the view itself in this case. But wait!When we started to explore the roads, things got interesting.When we came across this sign on a road that’s closed for the winter, we knew it would get very interesting. 19% grade is very steep. We peddled/motored on to take a look…… and came across this awesome view. Not a soul around. The peaks that we will see more clearly tomorrow are in the distance. He returned to the campground to prepare dinner and I continued to explore..…. and chose this hiking trail. Because I still need to shake the travel soreness from my legs. (His big truck is not made for a short person like me.)The Raccoon Trail was gorgeous and nearly deserted……but also very steep. (You can’t tell that here.) I turned around before I planned to and huffed and puffed my way back up, remembering that high elevation affects one’s endurance. Stay tuned for more of this wandering travelogue, which I am doing by phone, with gloves on — because I need the privacy of outdoors, and it’s cold — so please pardon any mistakes.Meanwhile, back at Camp Many Moons in far-north Michigan, progress continues on the garage. Nice new gravel! There’s no point in a new building without the right landscaping, right? Not to mention making it easier to drive into the garage. And plow. I can’t wait to see the finished product.
