Day Twenty Four

Rocky Mountain National Park

Today was an absolutely terrific day. Since we arrived on Tuesday, the weather has been quite cloudy.

This morning we woke up to a cloudless blue sky! It was exciting to see the Rockies in their entirety.

Our tour started at 9am, but we made a quick stop to the local donut shop before. The donuts were out of this world. Apparently people travel hours for these donuts, and they are well worth it.

We met our tour guide, boarded the modified jeep, and started our tour. (This is a photo from later of the jeep)

This mountain was sacred to the Native Americans. A young adult boy would travel by himself from distances as far as Wyoming to receive an epiphany about their purpose in this life. Many did not survive the trip on foot. (On the right, there is a Native American's face. Similar to our Old Man on the Mountain.)

We entered the park and it was spectacular. Here are photos of all the types of wildlife we saw.

Great Horn Owl guarding her nest:

Herd of Elk:

Because it is early spring, they are not that pretty yet:

Coyote:

Can you spot the Mountain Sheep?

Nor could we at first.

Here is a zoomed in photo. Every morning a portion of the herd travels down the mountain to get a sip of water out of the salt ponds. Our guide said the Rangers block off the road to let the sheep pass, just like elementary school crossings.

Mule Deer (also not as pretty due to the time of year):

Magpie:

In 1982, a manmade earth dam created in the late 1800’s let go. This cause 6-8” of mud to cover Estes Park, and created a lake at the base of the dam. This is the waterfall that remains.

Colorado Aspen Trees are amazing.  One seed will start a tree, when that tree is about 6 feet tall and healthy it will expand its roots and a seedling will come up. Once that seedling is 6 feet tall and healthy, it will expand its roots and another seedling will appear. This process repeats. The trees on the left are all one organism and genetically identical. The same can be said for the trees on the right. Aspen also have a powder on their bark that is a natural sunscreen, SPF 6 to be exact. The second layer of the Aspen's bark is eaten by female elf after birthing, because it is a natural pain reliever. 

Aspen are canopy trees. As they grow, they release their lower branches and it creates what the Native Americans identified as eyes on the tree.

We took Trail Ridge Road to the highest point in the park that is open, 11,000+ feet in elevation. The remainder of the road is being snowplowed. It should open tomorrow with snow walls reaching 15 feet tall.

Now, Rocky Mountain National Park is so gorgeous and breathtaking it can bring tears to your eyes. It was nothing I could have ever imagined. In one word, it’s majestic.

We had a wonderful day: an excellent tour guide, perfect weather, lots of wildlife and scenery that is unimaginable. If you have a chance in your life, this is a must see.

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