Rocky Mountain National Park 2013

Saturday, July 27, 2013

Beaux playing Bocce

Thursday Mark and Susie, Tommy and I took a drive over to Rocky Mountain National Park. It is a 3-hour jaunt over Rabbit Ears Pass and worth every mile to get there.

It is spectacular! 

neighbors hot tub

As we entered into the park the clouds started to roll in. We climbed just over 2500 feet in elevation. This park is known for the weather fluctuating in a heartbeat.

We drove to the apex where there is a Welcoming Center. Mark and I both stamped our passports. 4 years ago I purchased a ‘passport’ book at Arches National Park. Each time you visit a National Park they offer a cancellation stamp for that region. The stamps are dated and are a nice memorandum of where you visited and when. So far I have 27 cancellation stamps. How lucky am I? 

At the peak we were atop a lot of cloud cover. As we were standing on the periphery taking in all the beauty that it offered, a towering cumulus cloud materialized immediately in front of us. It was unexpected, chilling, remarkable, humid, and hard to believe all in one. It progressed so rapidly and ferociously. I videotaped it but I still haven’t figured out to transfer video onto this website. L

We resumed our drive and departed the park on the eastern side into a town called Estes Park. It is the epitome of a tourist trap.

 

A white man named Joel Estes in 1859 settled Estes Park.

The Outlook Hotel

As in all western history we lied and cheated the Native Americans and pushed them off ‘their’ land. Remnants of teepees and fire rings remain along Mary Lake. Joel Estes is famed in the town’s history for climbing to the summit of Long’s Peak which is inside the National Park.  Long’s Peak tops out at 14,235 feet above sea level. It was written in the newspaper as a wonderful, courageous feat that placed Estes Park on the map for unspoiled wilderness that all Americans should experience.

In 1909 The Stanley Hotel was built in Estes Park.  It lodged a guest named Stephen King. While residing there he changed the setting for his book, The Shining. It originally took place in an amusement park. He renamed the hotel in the book The Outlook Hotel and it still remains up on a hill overlooking Estes Park. It is nevertheless a running hotel business to this day. It is beautiful. The infamous maze is not part of the grounds and we could not find out if it actually was on property during the filming or it was located elsewhere. CREEPY!!!! LOL! 

After having lunch downtown we re entered RMNP and took an altered path back through. This time we took a gravel road that was one way. It was full of switchbacks and great a great choice because it turned and twisted deep into the mountains with no view of other roads. We stopped at a cabin that Mark had visited while being a member of the Sierra Club in High School. It astonished us that he remembered exactly where this cabin was because he has not been back since he was 18.  We were impressed.

Marks cabin

Along our journey we observed moose, deer, chipmunks and lots of unspeakable beauty. The sun broke through on our way home and Mark and Susie were wonderful guides. It was a great day!

my shot

Yesterday, Mark and Tommy and I took a jeep ride on the Green Mill Mine Road. We took some shots with Tommy’s .22, and I took a lot of pictures of wild flowers. My aim was the closest to the target which we dubbed as an ‘eye’ in the Aspen tree approximately 30 yards from where we were positioned.

 

Mark’s cousin Michael arrived in town yesterday and will be staying here for a week or so. His wife, Debbie and two children, Aaron and Emma will fly in on Monday. We will probably be moving on in the latter part of next week. Before we do though, we plan on going for a motorcycle ride with Roy, Kimmay and her dad, JC.

 

Thanks for reading and please enlarge the pictures.

Steamboat Springs, CO 2013

Monday, July 22, 2013 

JC, Kim, Chris & Susie

We arrived at Mark and Susie’s last Tuesday, early evening. They live in Clark, CO. A place where the locals refer to it as; The Clarktic Circle. It is up the mountain approximately 20 miles from Steamboat Springs, CO.  It is eclectic!!

Mark and Susie's house

As soon as we pulled in and greeted each other Susie invited me to her monthly game of Bunko. Bunko is a dice game. She gets together with 12 women once a month and has a blast. The house changes every month so one time a year she is the host. The host prepares dinner and dessert. Everyone brings their choice of beverage. All the participants anti up $5.00 and the top 3 places cash out at the end of the evening.

yes, they have a teepee

Her friend Pat hosted this month’s game. We played on her deck that overlooks the Elk River. The same river Mark and Susie reside on. It is breathtakingly beautiful. I have not played Bunko before and was completely clueless, but everyone was very welcoming and before I knew it, I had it down pat. I ate well, drank well, and had a great time along with meeting 11 new women. Susie actually won $5.00 because she had the most lost games. LOL!

Really cool Rock

The following day here, Mark had concrete poured for columns to build a carport type of overhead for the Bobcat, named Bobby! They use this Bobcat often, mostly for snow blowing in the winters. The average snow in Clark is 360 inches per season.  I never comprehended why the West calculates snow in inches, until last December when Tommy and I flew out here to ski. Every time ‘inches’ fall they call it fresh powder. The majority of people who work call in sick and ski the wondrous stuff called ‘fresh powder”. As it falls, it packs itself thick and hard, so the fresh material is beloved.

Susie and Beaux

It must be 420

Thursday came and Susie and I met Kimmay downtown Steamboat at a restaurant called Cottonwood Grill. It is an establishment set on the Yampa River. It is gorgeous. We went to hear Kimmay’s father’s friend play classical guitar. We ended up having dinner and it was a great evening. The music, the company and the food were great.

My favorite Dragon 

Friday arrived before we knew it. Tommy took us for a 4-hour tour over Sand Mountain, through California Park and back through Deep Creek. The vistas were remarkable. They were boundless and extraordinary.

view from side porch

Hahn's Peak

Saturday morning we awoke and hiked 8 miles through Burn Ridge Trail to Southfork Trail. This was a wonderful hike. It is very easy on your eyes and feet. I found gold! No One here believes me, but I know I did. And I kept it! 2 years ago we hiked this trail and there was a mudslide of a mountain along the trail. At that time we panned for gold and found flakes. I practically begged Susie, Tommy and Mark to go back but they neglected my desire to pan for more gold. This time, I WILL go back and make a claim. Part of this mountain has not move for tens of thousand of years and I just know this is my destiny! HEE HEE!

The previous time we did this hike we only went half way across because a storm came in suddenly and ferociously. We were pelted with hail and moved rather quickly back toward the car. This year, we completed the trial from start to finish. It was first-rate. It was a day of oneness with nature. (Ha-ha, Susie made me write that!)

Elk

Since we’ve been here, we have had Kimmay and Roy, along with Diane and T-Bone here, at Mark and Susie’s for dinner. T-Bone’s name originated from his grandfather calling him Tommy T to T-Bone. T-Bone’s Grandfather was the federal magistrate of Yellowstone Park for over 30 years. Diane is a local property appraiser. Kimmay and Roy also live in this neighborhood and travel around the world for both business and pleasure.

lunch spot

 Sunday, yesterday, we drove through Hog Park into Wyoming and had lunch at Saratoga Resort and Spa. The entire round trip took 5 hours and along the way we passed deer, foxes, and 3 Forks Ranch. Google it! IT’S AMAZING!!!! $8000.00 a week gets you a room, all the alcohol you can consume, any kind of outdoor activity you can imagine along 24-hour room service and endless spa treatments. But don’t expect to stop by for a drink unless you are a registered guest! 

Beaux and Louie

Sunday night we played Bocce ball in Susie’s private roadway. Neither Tommy nor I have played before. It’s a great drinking game! We enjoyed it and can’t wait to play it again.

We have, as always, had so far, the best time with Mark and Susie in their incredible Log Cabin House that they are leaving to us…. (Yeah right), and look forward for many more fun times.

Thanks for reading. Double click on the pictures for enlargement and enjoy!  

Buckhorn Lake and Telluride

Sunday, July 7, 2013

We packed up from Grand Junction, CO and traveled south to Montrose, CO. Montrose is merely an hour and a half down the road but was a key stop on the way to where we really wanted to go.

We set up camp then put the dogs into the jeep to take them up a mountain to Buckhorn Lake. We went to this lake 2 years ago and had a terrific time. The last time we were up there we were eating our lunch sitting on a log overlooking a stream that led into the lake, and roughly 10 yards in front of us, a grizzly bear crossed the river. I was dumbfounded. I do not think I have ever, in my life, been more petrified. We scattered as fast as we can and got away without harm. 

This time, we were heading back to the same spot but with the dogs.  We knew most all animals would stay away if we had them with us. When we reached the top we were startled to see so many other people there, until we realized it was July 4^th weekend. A lot of people had a 4-day weekend and were camping. There were a lot of families.

Tommy caught 8 rainbow trout. I struggled to catch just as many, if not more, but I could not keep them on the hook. It was extremely frustrating. All that mattered though was that we craved rainbow trout for dinner and Tommy had caught us some. YUM!!!

Dinner

The dogs had a great time. Sire spent the entire time, over 3 hours, completely in the water. Beaux adventured around on his own until he became impassive. He ended up back at the jeep and slept beneath it for a period, while we fished.

 We had a terrific day. We were all weary from the resettlement and the fishing so we dropped the dogs off at home, fed them, walked them, and then headed downtown for dinner.

We awakened early the next day,Saturday,and met up with the friends we met earlier at a fireworks show. It just so happened that we parked next to a couple that belonged to The West Slope Jeep Club. The driver was the vice president. After talking a while he invited us to join his group on a trail ride. We slipped in line with the rest of the group and headed towards Imogene Pass.  This pass leads to Telluride. Telluride is one of my most adored places on earth! ~~~~~~~

Airing down our tires

I climbed the water fall

It’s peculiar but when I was 15 I repeatedly said that someday I would get a U-Haul truck, take everything I own and drive to Colorado. It didn’t matter where in Colorado that I resided; I just had this attraction to be there. At that time in my life, I have never been west of Virginia so why I was lured there is mystifying, but it was sincere and has at no time left me.

driving through a rock

Currently that I am back here for the 3^rd time, I by no means want to leave. There is a sense of calm, peace and a belonging here. While we are here we are meeting with a real estate company and will, hopefully, buy a home here. We equally cannot wait to start a new adventure here. ~~~~~~~

Back to the jeep trail. There were 10 of us going and everyone included was tremendously friendly and embracing to us as invitees.

 

can you see how skinny the trail is?

The scenery on this trail is exceptional. We drove from just over 5200 feet in elevation to 13,232 in 45 miles. Along the way we passed a mining town called Tomboy Canyon. We were advised of a book about a woman who traveled there in the 1800’s. She met her husband there and remained until her death. The book illuminates the sufferings and hardships of the intemperate cold winters and the lengthy gloomy existences in the mines. It is titled The Tomboy Bride, and I anticipate on obtaining it on my NOOK. (When I find the time to read it is another story!)

this was NUTS!

A lot of the original housing is still in this valley, although collapsed, from age and weather. The mine openings are still obvious and the little settlement is inspirational.

Subsequent to the mine town, we divided up. 5 of us went on towards Telluride while the other 5 turned around and repeated the trail to head home.

downtown Telluride

On the remaining trail down to telluride we encountered a copious amount of traffic. The trail is just over the width of one vehicle. We had to pass close to 30 of jeeps heading the opposite way. It was so dangerous and so frightening at times, I got out of the jeep. How these individuals maneuvered around each other with out going over the cliffs was outside my comprehension.

Once down in Telluride, the last sign on the trail was to ‘beware of a speed bump’. Ha! Speed bump!

We drove around downtown but not long. We still had an hour and a half ride back to base camp. We took the highway back and along the way followed the infamous Ralph Lauren 7 mile long fence. The name of his ranch is ‘Double R L”. Double R is for Ralph and Ricky, his wife. It is a 17,000-acre ranch that sits below the San Juan Mountains. His ranch is fenced in. Along highway 62 you follow the fence for just over 7 miles. It is impressive.

Ralph and Ricky Lauren

Ralph Lauren's fence

We arrived back home around 4:00, watched Nascar and relished the fresh fish caught the day before for dinner. Were not sure whats on the schedule for tomorrow but I’m sure it will be great! Anything in Colorado is great! Thanks for reading. (double click pictures to enlarge)