Rocky Mountain High

All travelers begin their journeys with expectations of what to see and do.  Travel books, maps, and conversations with others who have gone that way before all enter into the idea of what their adventure will entail.  But no one has seen what you will see as every day is different and to be honored for what it brings to you.
There is no way to explain the beauty of Colorado and the Rocky Mountain National Park.  Our campsites at Winding River Resort on the Colorado River were surrounded by the natural beauty of the Rockies.

Of course it is Memorial Day Weekend and for fellow campers and bloggers from the Pacific NW that usually means rain. Fortunately for us the rain fell mainly in the late afternoons and evenings.  Except for last night with plans of cooking and eating a prime rib dinner outside by the campfire were nixed by torrential rains and cold winds.  Whoever said you can't serve dinner to 6 in an Airstream was wrong!

On Friday, all of us ventured into the Park with the goal of driving the Trail Ridge Road.  This particular road is the highest road in North America at 12,180 feet above sea level.  It takes you above the treeline into the Alpine Tundra on a narrow, winding road with snow or rock cliffs on one side and sheer drop offs on the other.  If you see a grove of trees on the tundra, they could be less than 2' high and 500-600 years old.  Winds in some areas top 150 mph in the winter forcing the trees to bend and break. We were fortunate to have multiple sitings of moose, elk, mountain bluebird, hummingbirds, and antelope.   

Phil and Linda spotted a fox, while the rest of us continue to look for a bear or the big horn sheep.
There was one unusual siting at the Alpine Tundra Village. It seemed particularly strange to us until we realized that today is the Anniversary of the 1st Star Wars movie in 1977. 

The Rangers working at the park are a wealth of information, always willing to provide visitors with the lastest information on roads, animal sitings, trail conditions and the myraid of things they are asked.  We spoke to a ranger at the visitor center and she told us a few of the things she has been asked as she has volunteered at parks across the continent:

Are we allowed to stay overnight in a campground? 
When do they turn the waterfalls off at Yosemite?
.....and my favorite-How many miles of undiscovered caves are there?

If you are also curious about the 3 questions above, please disengage from your computer and go outside to discover that whole, big world and all its glorious beauty that we are so fortunate to be a part of.

2 Curious Facts of our visit to Colorado.  #1 Any of our chosen resorts have signs posted stated "no marijuana"...not that it matters to us. #2 Cooking at 10,000 feet above sea level is a lot different than cooking at sea level.  Please email to Linda the cooking instructions for baking a birthday cake when you are 2 miles high:)