RMNP…day one

The biggest reason we went to Estes Park was to go into Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP). But the funny thing is, we’d read a little bit online, but we didn’t have a clear picture of what we were going to do once we got there. Basically we were flying be the seat of our pants.
So that picture you saw in my last post of my hubby sitting at the table…that’s pretty much a daily scene. Looking at the map or the magazine or the guide book and plotting our next day/move. And believe it or not, it worked out pretty well for us.

I know I have been to RMNP, but I was very young. So this was all new stuff to me. I love going places I’ve already been, but experiencing something new is exciting for all of us.

I can’t say enough amazing things about the park. It’s stunning. It’s got it’s own weather and it’s own vibe all the way around. And the people in the park are so friendly to each other. It’s like we all stand there looking at those mountains and realize we’re all a tiny part of something very big. And it changes us. Even if just for a second.

Enjoy the pics…and the narration. Ha, I can’t help myself. : )
We encountered a bit of a bummer on what I call our ‘high’ day..the day we drove past the timberline into the tundra. There was haze in the air from wildfires elsewhere. (no idea where..not in RMNP)  Anyhoo…made the scenery very dull. But after many years of vacationing in various mountains, you get what you get…weather there is it’s own thing. So on this day, we got haze. : /

We used to be driving on those roads….waaay down there!

Cuteness. : ) There were chipmunks all over the place and we had so much fun watching them.

allrightythen. {gulp}

It was a wee bit windy..or a lot…and a wee bit chilly…or a lot. : )

We late lunch at the Alpine Visitor’s Center…and it was UP THERE.

And you should be so proud of me…I got a veggie sandwich on whole wheat bread..but it tasted awful…so I had brought {emergency} food and ate from the trunk of the van. I wasn’t going to eat unhealthy stuff. Even there. Ok..I did eat that bag of bbq chips…and they were so good. But I got some other things to make a healthy meal from the van. And notice that bag of chips…very puffy stuff. This kind of altitude does weird things. Science in action. : )

More elk.

Evidently they draw a crowd.

At one time there were two ranches owned by the same family. The land was turned over to the park system with the stipulation that the oldest ranch would remain intact as a museum. The newer ranch, with slightly newer buildings etc, was demolished to return the field to it’s natural splendor. The ranch that is only alive in pictures was called The Never Summer Ranch…clever name. And back in the day, way back when, people would spend money to go there and enjoy the weather and pretend to be a cowboy on a dude ranch.

Site of the newer ranch. A gorgeous meadow area.

And this is the museum. It has volunteer docents from the parks service acting as guides and telling about all the buildings on the ranch and the family that made it all work. All I can say is they were very hardy individuals. The eldest lady of the family continued to come and spend her summers there way on into the later parts of her life. Amazing and hard working.


I can’t imagine these sorts of homes in the middle of summer…much less the middle of winter. This was almost like a little town. The husband did a mail order course and got a degree in taxidermy and would mount things that their guests killed. Just a fascinating life.

Check out that elevation. Woot.

Yes, it was cold when we were in the tundra. Every time we stepped out of the van it was colder than the time before. Very cold and very windy. We did not spent much time taking pics before hopping back in the car. Brrrr.

It was gorgeous in a barren sort of way. Amazing how it was a whole different eco system at every elevation.

We pretty much did the high road scenic drive in its entirity. And it took us the better part of a day. But we were taking our time. By the end, we were glad to head ‘down’ into Estes as the altitude was beginning to give hubs and I a bit of a headache.

That was Monday.  Stay tuned for Tuesday and Wednesday. : )