LinKen Travels: Rocky Mountain National Park

Elk Meadow RV Resort
Estes Park, Colorado

May 30- June 3, 2014

We have conquered the Rockies!!!! To be safe, I drove the car behind Ken to save the Beave having to haul or brake those additional 5,000 pounds up or down those steep grades we were expecting. Piece of cake!!! Have to say, it was a beautiful drive!

One concern was, when leaving Glenwood Canyon, they were bracing the shores of the Colorado with sandbags, expecting the banks to overflow anytime!! On the way, we saw signs that cautioned watching for water on the road shoulders...and yes, there were a few areas overflowing, but not yet dangerous.

I haven't taken a lot of time to critique campgrounds; but, I have to say, here we are in a beautiful setting; a great log cabin lodge for entertainment, an impressive office/store area, a humongous fenced-in dog park, beautiful heated pool and spa.....and crappy sites. Long enough for sure but, muddy, weeded and certainly unlevel. Too bad; instead of $53/night (with the Good Sam discount), they could charge $100 and I would be a happy camper!!!!

By the way, these are our views from our campsite (worth the crappy site):

You may remember this is an area where last spring they had devastating flooding. On our way to Estes Park on Route 34 we saw many cabins and homes that were just hanging over the banks that had been washed away last year. The road was still in a clean-up mode with a lot of new construction, meaning stops and starts along the way. After arriving, and with Ken being as diligent as he is about watching weather and roadways, we found our planned trip to our next destination could cause us a wait of at least an hour...so we've changed our plans to backtrack the way we came and find the highway, once again!!

2013

We spent a day walking the streets of Estes Park. I have to say, as the time has come closer to spring, the number of people out and about in any of these tourist towns has grown. This town is developed along the Big Thompson River (which is the same river that caused so much damage last year). Thank goodness this is not what we saw this year; but as the river's banks grow, we have seen many sandbags waiting at the doors of so many stores, readying for what may come.

2014

Getting kind of high here!

And moving a lot faster than normal!

This is what happened on Route 36 and why we're heading to our next destination via Route 34!!

Let's get back to what brought us here: Rocky Mountain National Park. I would have to check to be sure; I think Capital Reef was probably a bigger park, but we cover a lot of ground here. And more than ground, we cover altitude!!! Up and up, and up, and up.

First stop, Bear Lake, 9,450 feet elevation. Beautiful, crystal clear water...no bear!! We're following the path as the rangers are trying to clear it of snow. Have to say, this is where the air felt the clearest....beautiful!

Flathead Peak on the left

Wow, that didn't take long...let's head to Trail Ridge Road, which had just opened. Trail Ridge Road is the highest, continuous paved road in the U.S. It climbs from 7,800 feet to more than 12,000 feet.

One of Ken's complaints along this stretch of road was that they couldn't put the scenic pullouts where they would have made the most sense....however, maybe not the most "secure"!! We did manage to get some good pictures though!

And then, I think, the best:

Those roads on the right are the ones we climbed to get here....I hope that gives you the magnificence of this sight!!! Taken at Many Parks Curve.

And yet, we were not finished....we have reached the clouds!!! We're at 11,000+ elevation here. This isn't a place for skiing; this is a place for admiring!!

Now, we have to start downward!!! I have to say, I am now truly an expert on the Acadia's five LOW speeds...thank goodness, we shouldn't need new brakes when we get home!!! However, my white knuckles are another story!

Haven't seen too many wildlife this trip. Here's a female elk we met along our way.

Headed home to enjoy ribs at Smokin' Dave's Ribs, recommended by Jean and Jim Frye (thanks, guys) and a glass of wine to wind down another day of wondrous sights!!!