We recently had a very enjoyable two-week vacation in CO and WY, and I would like to share the pictures and adventures with you!
I had been looking forward to my grand-daughter getting old enough to introduce to the joys of RV travel, and this was the year for her first long trip. She had been on a weekend outing with us a year or so ago, and really enjoyed it.
We were driving from Little Rock, and had two weeks off. My son's family was driving from Tulsa, and they had a week off. We made plans for them to rent an RV in CO, and we met in Colorado Springs on a Monday, and then set off together to see the sights. The RV had to be returned on the following Saturday, so we were going to stay in the southern part of CO.
This was our planned route in CO:
They left Tulsa on Saturday, and head west on 412 through the OK panhandle.
We left Little Rock on Saturday morning, and drove though Tulsa so we could visit my people for a few hours, then head up towards Kansas on some slower roads.
We made it to Osage Hills State Park near Bartlesville, OK and decided to stop for the night.
Whenever we go through Kansas, we like to seek out some of the quirky places that are off the beaten path so whenever we hear someone complaining about โHow flat and boring Kansas isโ we can ask them โReally? Have you seen..........โ Kansas has some beautiful hand-quarried stone churches in several of the little prairie towns. There's the Big Well in Greensburg which is also the town that was literally wiped off the map by a tornado in 2007 and is rebuilding and implementing a โtotally greenโ initiative, Big Brutus (a giant coal mining shovel) in West Mineral, the world's largest outdoor municipal concrete swimming pool in Garden City, etc.
This time, we wanted to see the โWheat Jesusโ and โThe Worlds Largest Easelโ. What the....???
I kid you not.
โWheat Jesusโ is a billboard in Colby, KS raised by a local couple to spread a message of...........โItโs a silent message,โ said one of the key people behind the sign. โItโs something very special to my wife and I. To me, itโs one of those things that were so positive in my life......My idea, people can look at that and they can make up their own mind,โ he said of the message the billboard sends. โThey donโt have to be told.โ He was right, we didn't have to be told.
Wheat Jesus, Mary, and Joseph! That's some tall wheat he's standing in!
The Worlds Largest Easel is in Goodland, and you need to actually get off of I-70 to really appreciate it. It's an 80' tall reproduction of a Van Gogh painting, and is described as โa celebration of art and agricultureโ. Kansas used to grow a lot of sunflower seeds.
We arrived in Colorado Springs Sunday evening. We were planning on spending the night at Cheyenne Mountain State Park, but they were full so we found a spot at a private CG called Golden Eagle.
Nice sunrise.
We had a few hours to kill Monday morning before we could pick up the rental RV, so we went to Garden of the Gods.
The boss's cat (Kahlua) and GD (Gabrielle) getting reacquainted. Kahlua is about 15 years old, and has forgotten how much fun small children can be. She tries to discourage them by hissing a lot whenever they invade her zone of comfort.
She eventually decided that Gabby was tolerable enough to sit by while we took a tram tour around the park. It was raining off and on, so we were at least able to stay dry while we looked around.
After picking up the RV, we head out towards the Cripple Creek/Victor area to go on a mine tour and ride a narrow-gauge train!
The Molly Kathleen Mine.
Getting hard-hats and jackets before we descend 1000' into the mine.
They aren't kidding. You will be seriously punished!
Down in the mine.
Our tour guide. She's a real hard-rock miner who loves to blow stuff up. My kinda gal!
Ancient โmuckingโ machine.
Air drills.
Looking up one of the vertical shafts.
Underground workshop.
Old mining structure.
Chipmunk on a feeder.
The town of Cripple Creek.
After the mine tour, we drove down into town to take a short ride on their narrow-gauge train.
Mine tailings from old mines.
One of the trains.
After our train ride, we started the long drive to Mesa Verde. This would be our only long driving day (thank goodness!) We drove over Wolf Creek Pass.
We made it to Mancos that evening, and spent the night at Ancient Cedars RV Resort outside of Mesa Verde NP. The next morning we went over to the Visitors Center as soon as it opened to get tickets. The tours sell out quickly. Ours would be after lunch.
We went back to the campground, went to the playground for a while, had lunch, and then head back over to the park.
The drive from the park entrance to our first tour site is about 45 minutes. We stop to enjoy the views along the way. That's the Montezuma Valley below us.
Hold still Gabby! I'm taking a pano-shot!
Sign describing the difficulties in building the first road.
Our first tour is of Balcony House. The ranger stressed that there will be ladders to climb and narrow passages to squirm through. Oh boy!
Everyone made it to the top OK.
It looks worse from this angle!
Balcony House ruins.
One of the many Kiva's at Mesa Verde. These were used for religious rituals.
Milling stones.
Ranger explaining the kiva and how it was used.
Balcony House pano-shot.
Happy vacationers!
We're supposed to fit through that?
Gabby had no trouble with the passageway.
I had to fold myself up a little to squeeze in.
Thank goodness those Puebloans put the chain and fencing here. This would be really dangerous otherwise!
Ruins on the other side of the canyon.
Our next tour was Cliff Palace. Looking down on it before the tour.
Our groups ranger talking before the tour.
Notice how every space is exploited. Even the โatticโ area!
The towers in Cliff Palace are very impressive.
Cliff Palace can get hot in the afternoon sun.
Some ancient art is still visible on the walls of this dwelling.
Farewell to Mesa Verde!
After leaving Mesa Verde, we head towards Durango, and then continued on the Million Dollar Highway to Silverton.
We stopped at Molas Pass to enjoy the view.
This road has a lot of switch-backs!
Tunnel!
The town of Silverton.
A great picture of two trains.
After enjoying lunch and the shopping in Silverton, we drive on to Ourey.
Holding down the bench while the girls shop.
We stopped for the night at Monarch Park FS Campground, just below Monarch Pass.
One of the tributaries of the Arkansas River runs through the campground.
Taking a walk.
Our campsite. Lots of trees have been killed by Mountain Pine Beetles. Dead trees in campgrounds are cut down for safety.
Making s'mores over a fire. Kids have to learn this stuff!
Sharing a seat.
That was about it for the week. It went by too fast, but that seems to be the case when you're spending time with family, especially grand-kids. I think Gabby enjoyed the trip, and I'm looking forward to doing it again!
The next day we started heading towards Colorado Springs, making stops to get the rental RV ready to turn back in. We said our good-bye's near Salida, and the boss and I turned north towards Grand Lake and Rocky Mountain NP.
I'll add the second week of our vacation later. We do some hiking in RMNP, drive up to Laramie, WY where we spend a few days at Vedauwoo FS campground, then drive the Snowy Range Scenic Byway through the Medicine Bow Mtns.
It was a great trip!
:):)
I had been looking forward to my grand-daughter getting old enough to introduce to the joys of RV travel, and this was the year for her first long trip. She had been on a weekend outing with us a year or so ago, and really enjoyed it.
We were driving from Little Rock, and had two weeks off. My son's family was driving from Tulsa, and they had a week off. We made plans for them to rent an RV in CO, and we met in Colorado Springs on a Monday, and then set off together to see the sights. The RV had to be returned on the following Saturday, so we were going to stay in the southern part of CO.
This was our planned route in CO:
They left Tulsa on Saturday, and head west on 412 through the OK panhandle.
We left Little Rock on Saturday morning, and drove though Tulsa so we could visit my people for a few hours, then head up towards Kansas on some slower roads.
We made it to Osage Hills State Park near Bartlesville, OK and decided to stop for the night.
Whenever we go through Kansas, we like to seek out some of the quirky places that are off the beaten path so whenever we hear someone complaining about โHow flat and boring Kansas isโ we can ask them โReally? Have you seen..........โ Kansas has some beautiful hand-quarried stone churches in several of the little prairie towns. There's the Big Well in Greensburg which is also the town that was literally wiped off the map by a tornado in 2007 and is rebuilding and implementing a โtotally greenโ initiative, Big Brutus (a giant coal mining shovel) in West Mineral, the world's largest outdoor municipal concrete swimming pool in Garden City, etc.
This time, we wanted to see the โWheat Jesusโ and โThe Worlds Largest Easelโ. What the....???
I kid you not.
โWheat Jesusโ is a billboard in Colby, KS raised by a local couple to spread a message of...........โItโs a silent message,โ said one of the key people behind the sign. โItโs something very special to my wife and I. To me, itโs one of those things that were so positive in my life......My idea, people can look at that and they can make up their own mind,โ he said of the message the billboard sends. โThey donโt have to be told.โ He was right, we didn't have to be told.
Wheat Jesus, Mary, and Joseph! That's some tall wheat he's standing in!
The Worlds Largest Easel is in Goodland, and you need to actually get off of I-70 to really appreciate it. It's an 80' tall reproduction of a Van Gogh painting, and is described as โa celebration of art and agricultureโ. Kansas used to grow a lot of sunflower seeds.
We arrived in Colorado Springs Sunday evening. We were planning on spending the night at Cheyenne Mountain State Park, but they were full so we found a spot at a private CG called Golden Eagle.
Nice sunrise.
We had a few hours to kill Monday morning before we could pick up the rental RV, so we went to Garden of the Gods.
The boss's cat (Kahlua) and GD (Gabrielle) getting reacquainted. Kahlua is about 15 years old, and has forgotten how much fun small children can be. She tries to discourage them by hissing a lot whenever they invade her zone of comfort.
She eventually decided that Gabby was tolerable enough to sit by while we took a tram tour around the park. It was raining off and on, so we were at least able to stay dry while we looked around.
After picking up the RV, we head out towards the Cripple Creek/Victor area to go on a mine tour and ride a narrow-gauge train!
The Molly Kathleen Mine.
Getting hard-hats and jackets before we descend 1000' into the mine.
They aren't kidding. You will be seriously punished!
Down in the mine.
Our tour guide. She's a real hard-rock miner who loves to blow stuff up. My kinda gal!
Ancient โmuckingโ machine.
Air drills.
Looking up one of the vertical shafts.
Underground workshop.
Old mining structure.
Chipmunk on a feeder.
The town of Cripple Creek.
After the mine tour, we drove down into town to take a short ride on their narrow-gauge train.
Mine tailings from old mines.
One of the trains.
After our train ride, we started the long drive to Mesa Verde. This would be our only long driving day (thank goodness!) We drove over Wolf Creek Pass.
We made it to Mancos that evening, and spent the night at Ancient Cedars RV Resort outside of Mesa Verde NP. The next morning we went over to the Visitors Center as soon as it opened to get tickets. The tours sell out quickly. Ours would be after lunch.
We went back to the campground, went to the playground for a while, had lunch, and then head back over to the park.
The drive from the park entrance to our first tour site is about 45 minutes. We stop to enjoy the views along the way. That's the Montezuma Valley below us.
Hold still Gabby! I'm taking a pano-shot!
Sign describing the difficulties in building the first road.
Our first tour is of Balcony House. The ranger stressed that there will be ladders to climb and narrow passages to squirm through. Oh boy!
Everyone made it to the top OK.
It looks worse from this angle!
Balcony House ruins.
One of the many Kiva's at Mesa Verde. These were used for religious rituals.
Milling stones.
Ranger explaining the kiva and how it was used.
Balcony House pano-shot.
Happy vacationers!
We're supposed to fit through that?
Gabby had no trouble with the passageway.
I had to fold myself up a little to squeeze in.
Thank goodness those Puebloans put the chain and fencing here. This would be really dangerous otherwise!
Ruins on the other side of the canyon.
Our next tour was Cliff Palace. Looking down on it before the tour.
Our groups ranger talking before the tour.
Notice how every space is exploited. Even the โatticโ area!
The towers in Cliff Palace are very impressive.
Cliff Palace can get hot in the afternoon sun.
Some ancient art is still visible on the walls of this dwelling.
Farewell to Mesa Verde!
After leaving Mesa Verde, we head towards Durango, and then continued on the Million Dollar Highway to Silverton.
We stopped at Molas Pass to enjoy the view.
This road has a lot of switch-backs!
Tunnel!
The town of Silverton.
A great picture of two trains.
After enjoying lunch and the shopping in Silverton, we drive on to Ourey.
Holding down the bench while the girls shop.
We stopped for the night at Monarch Park FS Campground, just below Monarch Pass.
One of the tributaries of the Arkansas River runs through the campground.
Taking a walk.
Our campsite. Lots of trees have been killed by Mountain Pine Beetles. Dead trees in campgrounds are cut down for safety.
Making s'mores over a fire. Kids have to learn this stuff!
Sharing a seat.
That was about it for the week. It went by too fast, but that seems to be the case when you're spending time with family, especially grand-kids. I think Gabby enjoyed the trip, and I'm looking forward to doing it again!
The next day we started heading towards Colorado Springs, making stops to get the rental RV ready to turn back in. We said our good-bye's near Salida, and the boss and I turned north towards Grand Lake and Rocky Mountain NP.
I'll add the second week of our vacation later. We do some hiking in RMNP, drive up to Laramie, WY where we spend a few days at Vedauwoo FS campground, then drive the Snowy Range Scenic Byway through the Medicine Bow Mtns.
It was a great trip!
:):)
Thank you all for the wonderful comments! I'm glad you all are enjoying our vacation. I can't stop thinking about all the fun we had spending time with my son's family. We're all looking forward to doing it again.
There are so many cool places to go in Colorado, I never get tired of visiting that state. Traveling with them made the first week extra special for us. Gabby was a good traveller, and I think she had a ball.
We were sorry to have to tell them good-bye at the end of the first week, but we quickly got busy discussing options when I asked the boss โNow where do we go?โ We've been to Colorado several times in the past, and know that the possibilities are nearly endless. We didn't necessarily want to spend the entire week ahead in CO though. We made a plan to take in a few familiar sights in CO, spend at least one night in RMNP and go on hike or two that we haven't done before, then head up into WY to do a few new things.
This is what our second week route turned out to be:
We drove from Salida through Leadville, got on I-70 for a few miles exiting at Silverthorne, and tried to find a place to stop for the night around Lake Granby. Being Saturday though, all of the obvious campgrounds were full. We checked out a few primitive areas in the Arapaho NRA, but those were pretty full too, and the air was thick with dust from the ATV'ers. We finally just bit the bullet and found a private CG. The next morning we set out for Grand Lake.
Grand Lake is a pretty little town that we have always enjoyed visiting. It gets a little busy during peak season (which means now), but we can always find a few fun things to do there.
We had lunch at a favorite restaurant with a nice view of the lake.
Did you know that there's a water diversion tunnel that takes water from Grand Lake, under RMNP, to Estes Park 13 miles away? I didn't either until this trip.
Adams Tunnel
The sound of hummingbirds buzzing around is heard continuously. We got some ice cream and watched them visiting a nearby feeder.
The RMNP Adams Falls trail-head is accessible just outside of town. It's a short, but worthwhile walk.
We then drove into RMNP to enjoy the drive on Trail Ridge Road, and spend the night at Galcier Basin CG.
As we near the highest elevation, we see the road has turned in to a long two-lane parking lot.
The views are still spectacular, though!
We finally see what has caused the traffic-jam. Elk! Nice rack. :B
A herd of elk!
View from the campground looking towards the mountains of the Continental Divide.
The Taylor Glacier.
Tyndall Glacier.
Mountain pine beetle damage explained. I found the last sentence illuminating: โ.....and has occurred several times previously in the past 500 yearsโ.
We got up early the next morning and drove towards Glacier Creek and the Alberta Falls trail-head. The Alberta Falls trail-head parking lot is always full. ALWAYS :M . We found a place to park the camper at a nearby turnout, and backed the truck in. I knew the traffic on this road was going to get very busy in the afternoon, which would make it difficult to get out of our parking spot if I pulled in. We walked a little along the creek below the turnout, but the trails peeter out pretty quickly there.
We walked along the road to the Alberta Falls trail-head, and set out towards the falls.
The cat came along with us. She walked some and rode some.
The falls area is beautiful. Plenty of company to share the experience with, too.
Kahlua reminds us that she is not really a fan of noisy water.
She gets out of her bag on a less crowded section of the trail.
We leave RMNP, and head over to Loveland through Thomson Canyon to spend the night at Boyd Lake State Park. Kahlua is exhausted! She jumps into her โwindow seatโ bed before I can even get it hooked up and she falls fast asleep.
The next morning we get on I-25 and head north towards Cheyenne, WY. Some interesting metal sculpture in Loveland.
Our intent is to get on WY-210 (Happy Jack Road) west from Cheyenne, which is supposed to be a beautiful drive. Fortunately we stop at the WY visitors center to get some brochures, and find out that Cheyenne Frontier Days is in full swing, and WY-210 will be difficult for travellers who are just wanting to pass through. We instead get on I-80 west, bypassing the congestion and head for our next destination: Vedauwoo (Vee-da-voo) Forestry Service CG.
Vedauwoo is an impressive outcropping of Sherman granite that has been sculpted by wind and weather for millions of years. It is a favorite destination for hikers, rock climbers, mountain-bikers, and campers.
Our welcoming committee. Hello number 29064!
This could be interesting.
We arrived just in time to take the best site in the park. This is one of the nicest FS campgrounds I've ever seen. There are no hookups, and the water system hadn't been opened for the season yet, but we had everything we needed for 2-3 days. We immediately paid for the next two nights.
I love all the rocks sitting around here. I'd like a few of these in my yard.
Paying the โIron Rangerโ.
Hanging our tag out.
View behind our campsite. Let's go for a walk!
Kahlua says: โLet's go!โ
We get on the Turtle Rock Trail. The rock formations are impressive, and the terrain changes dramatically as we walk around the formation.
The cat has a different perspective of the trail than we do.
A beaver pond with it's lodge in the center. Mr. Beaver was nowhere to be seen, but his work was all around us.
Mule deer.
A wascally wabbit.
Exploring some of the other camping loops. These are two of the walk-in tent sites.
The next day we considered climbing on some of the easier rocks, but it didn't take me long to decide I'd rather be down looking up. We head for a trail that's a little farther out from the rocks.
Some of these balanced rocks look like it wouldn't take much to tip them over.
We almost walked right on top of a moose. That's right, a moose! This female was bedded down in a shady, cool low area when we walked by. She got up and only moved about 20 feet away, waiting for us to move on so she could lay back down.
We found a shady spot of our own to take a lunch break.
Back at the campground, enjoying the peace and solitude.
Exploring the rocks behind our campsite.
Climber on top of the rocks.
Pano-shot of our campsite.
Leaving Vedauwoo.
Another nearby attraction is the โAmes Monumentโ, a memorial to Oaks and Oliver Ames, two brothers who were instrumental in building the Transcontinental Railroad. The monument is located near the former town of Sherman, WY and the highest elevation of the railroad. The monument was completed in 1882.
I had to adjust the next two pictures in order to be able to see them better. I was taking them almost directly into the sun.
The railroad's original route crossed Dale Creek nearby on a trestle that was the longest and highest bridge on the Union Pacific RR. The trestle would sway in the wind when a train crossed it, and empty boxcars would get blown off the bridge frequently. The tracks were eventually relocated to a safer area, and the town of Sherman soon turned into a ghost town.
After leaving Vedauwoo, we head towards Laramie, WY on I-80. There is a beautiful scenic road that begins there that we want to take.
WY-130, or the Snowy Range Road, begins in Laramie, and continues to the Upper Platte River Valley. The 28 miles of it that go through the Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest are designated the Snowy Range Scenic Byway. It was the second NF scenic byway in the US. Most of the road within the NF boundary is closed during the winter.
The NF boundary is just outside of Centennial, WY. You very quickly see why this is called the Snowy Range.
I need to fill our water tank before we can camp a few more nights without hookups, so after talking with a NF volunteer we head for a campground with a working water hydrant. Some of the campgrounds water systems have been opened and others have not. We went to the Brooklyn Lake CG, and used their hand pump. It was slow, but it got the job done.
It's situations like this when I really appreciate the marine deck-plate I put in the top of my water tank when I have to fill it using my plastic jugs. Lifting a 6 gallon jug above shoulder height to pour in the fresh-water gravity fill would be difficult at best. Removing the deck plate and pouring it at knee height is much more comfortable.
After filling the water tank, we decide to check out some of the other campgrounds before choosing where to spend the night. We end up at Sugarloaf CG, near Sugarloaf Mountain and Medicine Bow Peak. What a beautiful area this is! The campground has had a lot of trees cut down due to beetle kill, but there is an up-side to that: the views are great!
We stake our claim on another great site.
We set off for a trail head a short walk away.
I have to warn you, when it came to choosing which pictures to post for this portion of the trip, I just couldn't control myself. So many of them were so breathtakingly beautiful that I HAD to show you. Hope it doesn't blow your data plan caps. :B
Boulder fields and snowbanks still melting.
The wildflowers were in full, gorgeous bloom.
Lewis Lake.
These are two โprospector holesโ that someone dug when searching for minerals in the area.
I see you looking at me.
Trail cross-roads. This a a natural mid-point in the trail we are on, and rather than continuing to the end and having a long walk back to camp, we decide to back-track to where we started and drive to the other end of the trail tomorrow. There's a weather front moving in that's been darkening the sky and making rumbling noises for the past hour or so.
Back at the campground.
It started to rain just about the time we got back to the trail-head. By the time we got to the camper, there was frozen โsneetโ coming down.
The view from the cab-over window as the front moved in. It didn't amount to much.
Sunrise the next morning.
โA Camper Window With A Viewโ...............and a cat.
The next day, we drive over to the Mirror Lake trail-head, stopping at the Snowy Range Pass viewpoint along the way.
Telescope viewpoint, built to resemble CCC structures from the 1930's.
Mirror Lake. Unfortunately, the lake wasn't very โmirror-likeโ today.
Trail-head. This goes by several very pretty lakes at the foot of the Snowy Range peaks.
GIANT boulders!
There's a bit of tragic history to this view. In 1955, United Airlines Flt-409, a DC-4, crashed into the near vertical cliff face in the center of this picture, just 60-70 feet below the approximately 12,000 ft. summit. All 66 souls on board were lost, and no definitive cause was ever determined. The plane was behind schedule, off its assigned course, and was flying higher than an un-pressurized aircraft should have been. Most of the wreckage was scattered on the slope below the cliff, but because it hit so close to the summit, some of it was catapulted over to the other side. The victim's bodies were all recovered, and most of the larger pieces of wreckage were removed, but there are still a lot of pieces left up there. It was the worst aviation disaster in the US at that time.
We had read that at one time, there was a memorial sign near the lake marking the spot where UA409 crashed, but it has long since deteriorated. The FS doesn't want to encourage people to seek out the site, so they won't replace it and avoid mentioning it. From other information available on the web, we knew where to look for this old post.
A shot form further back showing the old post and the crash site marked in red.
The mountain bore a dark stain for years after the crash. You can read more about it here:
UA Flight 409
Unfortunately, our vacation is almost over and it's time to start heading back. We pass a forest fire near the WY-CO border. I believe this is the Tonkawana Fire.
This spot was very active. We could see huge flames at times.
We worked in one more scenic drive on the way back. This is on the Cache la Poudre-North Park Scenic Byway
River rafters. We honked and waved, they waved back.
This was an interesting sight. An entire train of nothing but wind-generator blades. I see them on the highways all the time, but this is the first time I've seen a trainload of them!
Our last night out. Needed a parking spot around Goodland, KS. This was the best we could do.
I'm back at work now watching these pictures go by on my LCD picture-frame, counting down the days to the next vacation!
P.S.- Oh yeah, the new truck is a beast! It loves the mountains!
:):)
There are so many cool places to go in Colorado, I never get tired of visiting that state. Traveling with them made the first week extra special for us. Gabby was a good traveller, and I think she had a ball.
We were sorry to have to tell them good-bye at the end of the first week, but we quickly got busy discussing options when I asked the boss โNow where do we go?โ We've been to Colorado several times in the past, and know that the possibilities are nearly endless. We didn't necessarily want to spend the entire week ahead in CO though. We made a plan to take in a few familiar sights in CO, spend at least one night in RMNP and go on hike or two that we haven't done before, then head up into WY to do a few new things.
This is what our second week route turned out to be:
We drove from Salida through Leadville, got on I-70 for a few miles exiting at Silverthorne, and tried to find a place to stop for the night around Lake Granby. Being Saturday though, all of the obvious campgrounds were full. We checked out a few primitive areas in the Arapaho NRA, but those were pretty full too, and the air was thick with dust from the ATV'ers. We finally just bit the bullet and found a private CG. The next morning we set out for Grand Lake.
Grand Lake is a pretty little town that we have always enjoyed visiting. It gets a little busy during peak season (which means now), but we can always find a few fun things to do there.
We had lunch at a favorite restaurant with a nice view of the lake.
Did you know that there's a water diversion tunnel that takes water from Grand Lake, under RMNP, to Estes Park 13 miles away? I didn't either until this trip.
Adams Tunnel
The sound of hummingbirds buzzing around is heard continuously. We got some ice cream and watched them visiting a nearby feeder.
The RMNP Adams Falls trail-head is accessible just outside of town. It's a short, but worthwhile walk.
We then drove into RMNP to enjoy the drive on Trail Ridge Road, and spend the night at Galcier Basin CG.
As we near the highest elevation, we see the road has turned in to a long two-lane parking lot.
The views are still spectacular, though!
We finally see what has caused the traffic-jam. Elk! Nice rack. :B
A herd of elk!
View from the campground looking towards the mountains of the Continental Divide.
The Taylor Glacier.
Tyndall Glacier.
Mountain pine beetle damage explained. I found the last sentence illuminating: โ.....and has occurred several times previously in the past 500 yearsโ.
We got up early the next morning and drove towards Glacier Creek and the Alberta Falls trail-head. The Alberta Falls trail-head parking lot is always full. ALWAYS :M . We found a place to park the camper at a nearby turnout, and backed the truck in. I knew the traffic on this road was going to get very busy in the afternoon, which would make it difficult to get out of our parking spot if I pulled in. We walked a little along the creek below the turnout, but the trails peeter out pretty quickly there.
We walked along the road to the Alberta Falls trail-head, and set out towards the falls.
The cat came along with us. She walked some and rode some.
The falls area is beautiful. Plenty of company to share the experience with, too.
Kahlua reminds us that she is not really a fan of noisy water.
She gets out of her bag on a less crowded section of the trail.
We leave RMNP, and head over to Loveland through Thomson Canyon to spend the night at Boyd Lake State Park. Kahlua is exhausted! She jumps into her โwindow seatโ bed before I can even get it hooked up and she falls fast asleep.
The next morning we get on I-25 and head north towards Cheyenne, WY. Some interesting metal sculpture in Loveland.
Our intent is to get on WY-210 (Happy Jack Road) west from Cheyenne, which is supposed to be a beautiful drive. Fortunately we stop at the WY visitors center to get some brochures, and find out that Cheyenne Frontier Days is in full swing, and WY-210 will be difficult for travellers who are just wanting to pass through. We instead get on I-80 west, bypassing the congestion and head for our next destination: Vedauwoo (Vee-da-voo) Forestry Service CG.
Vedauwoo is an impressive outcropping of Sherman granite that has been sculpted by wind and weather for millions of years. It is a favorite destination for hikers, rock climbers, mountain-bikers, and campers.
Our welcoming committee. Hello number 29064!
This could be interesting.
We arrived just in time to take the best site in the park. This is one of the nicest FS campgrounds I've ever seen. There are no hookups, and the water system hadn't been opened for the season yet, but we had everything we needed for 2-3 days. We immediately paid for the next two nights.
I love all the rocks sitting around here. I'd like a few of these in my yard.
Paying the โIron Rangerโ.
Hanging our tag out.
View behind our campsite. Let's go for a walk!
Kahlua says: โLet's go!โ
We get on the Turtle Rock Trail. The rock formations are impressive, and the terrain changes dramatically as we walk around the formation.
The cat has a different perspective of the trail than we do.
A beaver pond with it's lodge in the center. Mr. Beaver was nowhere to be seen, but his work was all around us.
Mule deer.
A wascally wabbit.
Exploring some of the other camping loops. These are two of the walk-in tent sites.
The next day we considered climbing on some of the easier rocks, but it didn't take me long to decide I'd rather be down looking up. We head for a trail that's a little farther out from the rocks.
Some of these balanced rocks look like it wouldn't take much to tip them over.
We almost walked right on top of a moose. That's right, a moose! This female was bedded down in a shady, cool low area when we walked by. She got up and only moved about 20 feet away, waiting for us to move on so she could lay back down.
We found a shady spot of our own to take a lunch break.
Back at the campground, enjoying the peace and solitude.
Exploring the rocks behind our campsite.
Climber on top of the rocks.
Pano-shot of our campsite.
Leaving Vedauwoo.
Another nearby attraction is the โAmes Monumentโ, a memorial to Oaks and Oliver Ames, two brothers who were instrumental in building the Transcontinental Railroad. The monument is located near the former town of Sherman, WY and the highest elevation of the railroad. The monument was completed in 1882.
I had to adjust the next two pictures in order to be able to see them better. I was taking them almost directly into the sun.
The railroad's original route crossed Dale Creek nearby on a trestle that was the longest and highest bridge on the Union Pacific RR. The trestle would sway in the wind when a train crossed it, and empty boxcars would get blown off the bridge frequently. The tracks were eventually relocated to a safer area, and the town of Sherman soon turned into a ghost town.
After leaving Vedauwoo, we head towards Laramie, WY on I-80. There is a beautiful scenic road that begins there that we want to take.
WY-130, or the Snowy Range Road, begins in Laramie, and continues to the Upper Platte River Valley. The 28 miles of it that go through the Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest are designated the Snowy Range Scenic Byway. It was the second NF scenic byway in the US. Most of the road within the NF boundary is closed during the winter.
The NF boundary is just outside of Centennial, WY. You very quickly see why this is called the Snowy Range.
I need to fill our water tank before we can camp a few more nights without hookups, so after talking with a NF volunteer we head for a campground with a working water hydrant. Some of the campgrounds water systems have been opened and others have not. We went to the Brooklyn Lake CG, and used their hand pump. It was slow, but it got the job done.
It's situations like this when I really appreciate the marine deck-plate I put in the top of my water tank when I have to fill it using my plastic jugs. Lifting a 6 gallon jug above shoulder height to pour in the fresh-water gravity fill would be difficult at best. Removing the deck plate and pouring it at knee height is much more comfortable.
After filling the water tank, we decide to check out some of the other campgrounds before choosing where to spend the night. We end up at Sugarloaf CG, near Sugarloaf Mountain and Medicine Bow Peak. What a beautiful area this is! The campground has had a lot of trees cut down due to beetle kill, but there is an up-side to that: the views are great!
We stake our claim on another great site.
We set off for a trail head a short walk away.
I have to warn you, when it came to choosing which pictures to post for this portion of the trip, I just couldn't control myself. So many of them were so breathtakingly beautiful that I HAD to show you. Hope it doesn't blow your data plan caps. :B
Boulder fields and snowbanks still melting.
The wildflowers were in full, gorgeous bloom.
Lewis Lake.
These are two โprospector holesโ that someone dug when searching for minerals in the area.
I see you looking at me.
Trail cross-roads. This a a natural mid-point in the trail we are on, and rather than continuing to the end and having a long walk back to camp, we decide to back-track to where we started and drive to the other end of the trail tomorrow. There's a weather front moving in that's been darkening the sky and making rumbling noises for the past hour or so.
Back at the campground.
It started to rain just about the time we got back to the trail-head. By the time we got to the camper, there was frozen โsneetโ coming down.
The view from the cab-over window as the front moved in. It didn't amount to much.
Sunrise the next morning.
โA Camper Window With A Viewโ...............and a cat.
The next day, we drive over to the Mirror Lake trail-head, stopping at the Snowy Range Pass viewpoint along the way.
Telescope viewpoint, built to resemble CCC structures from the 1930's.
Mirror Lake. Unfortunately, the lake wasn't very โmirror-likeโ today.
Trail-head. This goes by several very pretty lakes at the foot of the Snowy Range peaks.
GIANT boulders!
There's a bit of tragic history to this view. In 1955, United Airlines Flt-409, a DC-4, crashed into the near vertical cliff face in the center of this picture, just 60-70 feet below the approximately 12,000 ft. summit. All 66 souls on board were lost, and no definitive cause was ever determined. The plane was behind schedule, off its assigned course, and was flying higher than an un-pressurized aircraft should have been. Most of the wreckage was scattered on the slope below the cliff, but because it hit so close to the summit, some of it was catapulted over to the other side. The victim's bodies were all recovered, and most of the larger pieces of wreckage were removed, but there are still a lot of pieces left up there. It was the worst aviation disaster in the US at that time.
We had read that at one time, there was a memorial sign near the lake marking the spot where UA409 crashed, but it has long since deteriorated. The FS doesn't want to encourage people to seek out the site, so they won't replace it and avoid mentioning it. From other information available on the web, we knew where to look for this old post.
A shot form further back showing the old post and the crash site marked in red.
The mountain bore a dark stain for years after the crash. You can read more about it here:
UA Flight 409
Unfortunately, our vacation is almost over and it's time to start heading back. We pass a forest fire near the WY-CO border. I believe this is the Tonkawana Fire.
This spot was very active. We could see huge flames at times.
We worked in one more scenic drive on the way back. This is on the Cache la Poudre-North Park Scenic Byway
River rafters. We honked and waved, they waved back.
This was an interesting sight. An entire train of nothing but wind-generator blades. I see them on the highways all the time, but this is the first time I've seen a trainload of them!
Our last night out. Needed a parking spot around Goodland, KS. This was the best we could do.
I'm back at work now watching these pictures go by on my LCD picture-frame, counting down the days to the next vacation!
P.S.- Oh yeah, the new truck is a beast! It loves the mountains!
:):)
