RMNP and the Snowy Range
Visiting Family
After finishing our move to Colorado we invited Melissa and Sam out. They came out for a long weekend and we did as much as possible. On our first day, we decided to go to Rocky Mountain National Park. We drove up Trail Ridge Road to the top visitor center and completed “A Hike to the Top” on the Alpine Ridge trail. This hike starts just under 12,000 feet in elevation. A combination of the high elevation with a long stair climb left many people gasping for air and taking many breaks on their way to the top. From the top viewpoint, you can see much of the park and typically see many Elk in the surrounding areas.
As we descended Trail Ridge we made some scenic stops and even found a large herd of elk. We stopped to check them out with the enormous crowd that was continuing to grow. There was a park ranger keeping people from doing silly things like trying to pet or get too close to the elk. For the most part, the elk didn’t care that we were there they just went about their business as usual. Ending our day at Bear Lake for sunset was a great way to relax before heading home. Bear Lake is beautiful with a flat easy walk that amounts to 0.6 miles. We enjoyed taking it easy and watching the wildlife as we enjoyed each other’s company.
The next day we spent at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science ending the day celebrating Melissa’s birthday at Biaggi's Ristorante Italiano.
Heading to the Snowy Range
One of my all-time favorite places to go to is Medicine Bow. I have camped here countless times and enjoyed the amazing views and endless amounts of wildlife. We had to stop get take a picture at the Welcome to Wyoming sign for Melissa and Sam as this was their first time in this state.
Snowman in July
During our day trip, we did not see any wildlife. Typically I ride a 3.5-hour off-road 4 x 4 route that has never failed to provide sights of at least a couple of moose. We did get to see some amazing views hiking around Mirror Lake and they even got to build a funny little snowman in July.
All in all, we had a great time hosting them for the short 3-day trip. We got to see some beautiful sites and create new memories. Most important of all Melissa fell in love with my little dog Walter pictured above.
Animal Spotting:
Elk
Marmot
White-Tailed Deer
Chipmunks