In addition to fly fishing in Estes Park, we spent two full days exploring the amazing Rocky Mountain National Park. The park is known for sweeping meadows, rugged mountain views, elk, moose and other wildlife and the continental divide.
Our first day in was a hike to the top of Deer Mountain. We had 360 degree views from the top with a beautiful view back to Estes Park (see second to last picture). This was a fun and scenic hike, covering 7 miles and a 1,400 foot elevation gain. Glad we did the previous hike in Buena Vista to get conditioned for a higher starting altitude. We didn't crave the idea of an oxygen tank quite as much!
Our next day in was a driving trip, going along the famous Trail Ridge Road. The views were stunning and lots . . . and lots . . . of elevation climbing. The highest point reached on the road was 12,183 feet and we later crossed the Continental Divide.
So this is the final post of this trip. We covered 6200 miles in our Navion, 1300 miles on our Toad (pulled car), visited 11 national parks and numerous other destinations. Kovu and Kiara (our two Ragdoll cats) did amazing on the trip as well. They have become seasoned travelers. They have been to every continental state west of the Mississippi plus a few more for a clean 30 states under their fur! In addition to family we visited at the beginning of the trip, we saw Cindy's brother, Tim and Maria, on a spur of the moment drive by when we realized how close we would get to Corona, CA enroute to LaVegas. We had a nice dinner with nephew Jerry, Toshimi and their boys in Denver, and we spent an evening with our daughter-in-law, Jess's parents Rick and Mary Jo in Fremont, NE. We couldn't have asked for a better trip and how smooth everything went!
Now we need to start planning the next adventure!
Photo Notes: If you look to the top right of the third picture, you will see a lightening bolt. I've never caught that in camera before! The little creature in the eighth picture is one of two playful marmots. Cindy got the great shot of an Elk in the next picture! The last picture shows one of the views of the top from the Deer Mountain hike.