Heading east

Every trip like this seems to have a point where we say- ok, let's start home. So this morning we left Rocky Mtn Nat'l Park and headed east. Have stops planned in Denver, in Kansas, and in Missouri, and perhaps Tennessee,  but generally speaking we have turned around and are headed back where we came from.

We took a different route back from Rocky. Highway 34, along the Big Thompson River. We saw a lot of repair work being done, fixing up damage done last fall in the flooding.  Saw a lot of houses along the river that had partly or totally been washed downstream when the river rose.

Even today the river was flowing fast and powerfully, so I can't even imagine what it was like in September. Many houses still had their walls and roof intact, but the foundation and floors were partially or totally washed away. Saw floors dangling down towards the river, with furniture halfway slid off.

A lot of heavy equipment and such were in the area. I am sure work is being done as quickly as folks can get the bulldozers and such to their property, but surely it's going to take years to get back to where they were before the floods.

Estes Park has it figured out

The quilt shop and the sporting good store are side-by-side:

Both good options for a rainy afternoon following a rainy and deep-snowy morning hike.

A cool and rainy day

Trail Ridge Road part 3

Bicycles? Good gracious...

Up on top:

Parking lot pile of snow:

My best picture:

Trail Ridge Road part 2

Elevation for today topped out at 12,300 feet up at the end of the Tundra Communities Trail.  That's some thin thin air. David bought a hat- says 'Got oxygen?'

A sign warning us all to stay away from the edge of the snow wall:

Some idiot posing for a picture right at the edge of the snow wall:

Time for a walk:

This young man from New Mexico was having fun  in the snow, so I asked him to get in the picture his mom was taking of

us. I could tell him mom was giving it a 50:50 chance he was gonna throw that snowball. He didn't, but his mom was thinking if he did, I only had myself to blame:

Trail Ridge Road part 1

Trail Ridge Road is the high altitude road across the middle of Rocky Mountains

National Park, east to west. At the beginning, about 8200 ft elevation, at the  top, about 12,300.

Starts mild enough:

Oh look, snow!

Walls of snow along the road:

Serious snow plow:

Morning visitor

Went for a walk

Fern lake trailhead, but only as far as 'the pool'. Actually went a short distance beyond, in the direction of Cub Lake, but turned around when it got a bit too steep.

The trail went along the river for most of its distance. Gorgeous walk! 

Rocky

Arrived at Rocky Mountains National

Park yesterday afternoon. I was expecting this to be my favorite stop on this trip, and I am not disappointed. Love this place.

 

Small business in Denver

Several additions to the local small businesses here since our last visit. The closest is called Green Man. Another is MMJ. 

No Name City

Does anyone besides me remember the musical with Lee Marvin and Clint Eastwood, about 1971 or so? One of those 'so bad it's good' movies. Western gold rush setting- the town of No Name City.

Clint Eastwood sang.  No lie. 

Grand Junction CO to Denver

The Colorado River runs along I-70 for a good bit of this trip. Sometimes still or flowing slowly, but more often fast and rough:

Then we got higher, and the weather got colder:

Down the other side it got warmer again. Lots of historic mining towns tucked into the valley. The same valley the interstate runs through:

In Denver now. Probably no updates for 4 or 5 days.

Headed to Denver today

I have noticed when people from around here talk about sections of interstate to be cautious about, they don't mention cities. No talk similar to how people back east talk about getting through Atlanta, or Washington, D.C. 

Around here, the talk is about going over the passes. Kind of a Rocky Mountains version of going over Black Mountain in NC. I think we have 2 passes to cross west of Denver today.     

Edit: I looked it up. Vail Pass, 10,666 ft elevation. Loveland Pass, just under 12,000 ft I think the map said.  

Devils kitchen trail

One of the trails in the Colorado National

Monument.

Yeah, it was hot.

The trail went across bare rock in a lot of places. The piles of small stones mark the trail.