Back in Business

Finally we have a somewhat reliable and reasonable internet and I can post some more stuff. I have tried to write these posts as we have been going along so I can just pop in the website at some convenient wi-fi location. I have picked a few photos to go along with the commentary, but a lot of them will have to wait until we return home.

Linda at the Zoo

Linda’s Zoo 
Before we left Colorado Springs and headed on down the road, we visited the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo. Linda wanted to go there to see the grizzly bears in the zoo’s North American exhibition. I tried to explain to her that we would see a grizzly when we got to Yellowstone, but she was insistent. So off we went to the zoo to see the grizzlies.

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I must say the grizzly exhibit was wonderful with the main viewing area being a glass-fronted pond that allowed watching them in the water or out. It was great fun, and we truly were “up close and personal” with the bears.

A Grizzly Through the Glass
(The Dots are Water Drops from their Pond)

I Made a Friend at the Zoo

The zoo was very well done and had some other nice exhibit areas that allowed some close interaction with the animals. I particularly liked the elevated walkway where I became pretty good friends with a giraffe.

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Rocky Mountain National Park

The Planner

One of the things that is neat about our road trips is I am never completely sure where we are going. Yes, I know our ultimate destinations are Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons, but I have little idea about what we will be doing along the way. Linda is the planner, and I am just the driver.

On this trip one of the wonderful surprises so far was Rocky Mountain National Park. What a magnificent place! We only scratched its surface with a one-day car trip that took us to the summit, but, oh my, it was just a “wow” ride. It seemed that at every turn there was a new “look at that” moment.

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100 Feet Below the Summit

We entered the park through Estes Park, a tourist town at the base of the mountains that is at an elevation of about 7500 feet. The road through the park peaks at 12,183 feet - an increase of over 4,500 feet! Along the way the temperature drops by about 35 degrees from Estes Park to the summit. 

I took the photo of our GPS just a bit before we reached the peak. Another way to look at how high we were is to consider that it was more than two miles higher than where we live

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Just a Sunday Drive

Throughout our drive we saw beautiful sylvan valleys and awe-inspiring mountain peaks. Even the road was exciting with few guardrails. Here’s a neat windshield shot as we passed along a vertical wall on one side and a low wall and sheer drop on the other. 

One of the things about the mountains is how quickly the weather can change. At Pike's Peak we had a short hail storm. Here in Rocky Mountain N.P. we were in and out of blue skies and rain clouds throughout the day.

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A Meadow Surrounded by Mountain Peaks

Above the Clouds

I'm Still the Boss

Along the way we saw some wildlife like the elk seen here. There was a small a group (called a gang) of bull elk grazing in a meadow at the top of the mountain.

This guy has lost a good portion of one antler. But it didn’t seem to be a bother as he was the apparent alpha male of the group. But the rut is still to come, and I don’t know whether he will maintain that status. 

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I put some photos in the gallery at the end of the post to give you more of an idea of the marvelous scenery we experienced. 

By the way, you may have noticed the photo at the top is the third panorama photo during this road trip (see previous posts). This is actually six photos stitched together through the magic of software. I like this format for an opening picture and will probably use it a couple more times. Also, its fun to do.

I'll try to post again before I lose my internet. Thanks for visiting!