Today was an early rise so we could go to Rocky Mountain National Park, south west of Fort Collins/Wellington where we spent the night. Oh, it was SO worth it! We had explored the southwest corner of Colorado on a previous trip where we saw Four Corners, Mesa Verde, and stayed in Durango. That's where I learned I liked mango Margaritas...
The Rockies are not like the mountains back home, they are sharp and many snow capped. There were breathtaking views around every bend. The primary vegetation at sub-alpine levels were spruce; we opened the windows to take in the fragrance!
Some of the road was in poor condition and we had been warned about construction delays. None today with half hour stops...nor was there bumper to bumper traffic that we had been cautioned about. Many of the pull off areas were utilized as storage for roadwork machinery and supplies. There are fewer stops that can accommodate larger vehicles like RV's. That meant fewer photo ops.
After the harrowing drive to the top which is over two miles in elevation, Skip announced that we were NOT going back the way we came. It was a result of the condition of the road with many ruts and bumps that made steering hard. It was a good call because the condition of the road out the other way was resurfaced and much nicer.
We were also rewarded with a herd of elk, including some bucks. (or is it like moose: bulls?) Skip had been joking that they were as fictitious as jackalopes as we hadn't seen any either trip to Colorado.
The Rockies are not like the mountains back home, they are sharp and many snow capped. There were breathtaking views around every bend. The primary vegetation at sub-alpine levels were spruce; we opened the windows to take in the fragrance!
Some of the road was in poor condition and we had been warned about construction delays. None today with half hour stops...nor was there bumper to bumper traffic that we had been cautioned about. Many of the pull off areas were utilized as storage for roadwork machinery and supplies. There are fewer stops that can accommodate larger vehicles like RV's. That meant fewer photo ops.
After the harrowing drive to the top which is over two miles in elevation, Skip announced that we were NOT going back the way we came. It was a result of the condition of the road with many ruts and bumps that made steering hard. It was a good call because the condition of the road out the other way was resurfaced and much nicer.
We were also rewarded with a herd of elk, including some bucks. (or is it like moose: bulls?) Skip had been joking that they were as fictitious as jackalopes as we hadn't seen any either trip to Colorado.
The Continental Divide was marked several places along our route. The sign in the park indicated which side drained into the Atlantic and which went to the Pacific. Hard to believe that the watershed is so huge and the divide is so far away from either ocean.
The road back to Wyoming also offered beautiful vistas; we passed several large lakes and wove through mountain passes. I was surprised that both in the park and on this road there were people on bicycles with all their gear. I'm sure they thought we were the crazy ones in the RV. It looked like too much hard work to be fun. When the rain started I pitied them, when the pea sized hail came down I knew that had to hurt when it hit their backs!
Another plus of the long trip back to the interstate was that we witnessed a pronghorn crossing the road and running between the wires of the cattle fence. Both of us expected it to go over the fence. Beautiful creatures...
The driving yesterday amounted to almost 500 miles. We were driving west toward the setting sun and unable to read signs until Skip had enough and we stopped for dinner. By the time we got to the KOA it was midnight. I had joked as we passed an oil refinery that I hoped the campground wasn't near it. As we got off the next exit, made a right, then a second right my fears were realized we were right behind the oil refinery. They didn't have an envelope with our name and reserved site hanging with the others, so we took on of the two sites left. The entire place was stones, not gravel, larger stones...no vegetation, no trees. I said to Skip: "All that's missing is the train" and sure enough the train whistle sounded! We were so tired we slept without leveling the RV or hooking up the water or sewer.
In the morning the view of the hills surrounding the place WAS beautiful. It was a dessert, so that's why there was nothing green. I would NOT recommend that place, even though it was clean and the people were nice. They said someone took the site they had reserved for us, they were going to make sure they paid!
This afternoon we arrived in Montpelier, Idaho. It is beautiful here, but I will save that for another post!
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