Friday I-Wish-I-Were-There (Rocky Mountain National Park)

Welcome to my Friday I-Wish-I-Were-There Blog.
Today I’m going back to one of my favourite spots in the U.S.A—the Rocky Mountain National Park. We were fortunate enough to visit this park during autumn, and the aspen trees had turned into their beautiful, golden colour—what a divine sight!

Highlights:

Alberta Falls. We chose an easy hike to the Alberta Falls - only 0.8 miles, but it seemed like longer! On the way it began to snow and the kids were just buzzing - dancing around and sticking their tongues out. When we reached the falls we stopped, admiring the amazing view over the golden aspens to the snow frosted mountain peaks in the distance. 

Sprague Lake. We attended a talk by a ranger about beavers here. By the time we arrived, the weather was changing AGAIN (from pelting us with snow) and the sun had come out! This happened frequently while we were in the park. Very interesting talk and though we didn't see any beavers, we could see their handiwork in an old dam and an abandoned lodge. The lodges they build are so strong, that the ranger was telling us he had got a photo of a black bear standing on one trying to get inside, but it couldn't do it. 

Bear Lake. Bear Lake was so serene & peaceful, with the pine covered hills and craggy rock behind it reflecting in the still waters. 

Alluvial Fan. Alluvial Fan is an area where a dam burst in 1982 sending a massive (29 million gallons!) flash flood pummelling down the mountain side, sweeping huge boulders and trees in a huge fan shape through this area. The kids had fun playing and climbing on the boulders, while we looked at the pretty waterfall. 

Beavers. On a tip from a ranger we went for a hike to an area where beavers were known to be active. We walked along a big open area with the pine-tree-covered foothills surrounding us until we came to the river, where we found some old beaver dams. My daughter was getting a bit grumpy and wanted to sit down, so I stayed with her while my husband and son scouted further upstream. They came back after about 10 minutes to say they found a huge beaver lodge and a beaver had swum by them about 2 feet away! But when my daughter & I followed them back, there was no sign of life and we never did get to see a beaver! 

Trail Ridge road. By the afternoon when the Trail ridge road (which is the highest road in the U.S.A and goes right through the actual mountains ) was finally open, we were starting to feel the effects of the high altitude (we were about 9000 feet up). But, ignoring our tiredness, we drove up Trail Ridge and it was well worth it. Amazing views of the endless stretch of foothills & valleys, plus the snow capped mountains all around. We continued to drive up into the Alpine Tundra. We could see where the snow plough had cut through the snow at the edge of the road - some parts the snow looked to be about 2 feet deep! We drove past the highest point on the road, and made another stop at the Alpine Visitors centre. The kids had a great time kicking around in the snow at the edge of the parking lot, and we all found the dagger like icicles hanging from the edge of the roof pretty fascinating. Fantastic views on the way up & down. 

Wild Elk. On the way back through Estes Park township we saw a large gathering of wild elk - in the local golf course (evidently the elk can't read the posted sign)! It is their mating season & they come down from the mountains to do their thing... We saw only females, but I could hear a male bugling in the distance. These are big, big creatures, and the males are a lot larger (with their towering antlers too) so you wouldn't want to get too close to one or come across one on a dark road while doing your 75 MPH!!

The photo of the magnificent male elk was taken the day after when we spotted one in the park.

Chipmunks. Just. So. Cute!

The Stanley Hotel. Creepy but wonderful to see where my favourite author got his inspiration for 'The Shining.'

Of course while we were in the Rockies we had to get some footage of the kids and I singing John Denver’s 'Rocky Mountain High'. And after experiencing only a little of the beauty of this very special place, I can understand why John Denver loved these mountains so much. 

Tracey