The Arkansas River cuts a beautiful deep gorge near Canon City.  They have dubbed it Royal Gorge and have made a bit of a commercial spectacle around it.  A graceful suspension bridge built in 1929 spans the gorge.  There are zip lines (called the cloud scrapers), a gondola ride, a carousel, and a crazy swing/bungee sort of thing they call the skycoaster that launches people out over the gorge.   What was my speed; the gondola, a walk across the bridge, and a spin on the carousel.  The skycoaster and zip line? Not so much.

Oh yeah, check out this water clock.

Everything that is here today, besides the suspension bridge, is new since 2013. Virtually all of the commercial concern was consumed by a huge wildfire that actually jumped the gorge and was heading toward town before they got it under control.  They rebuilt the park in just 13 months.  Makes one think that there might be some money to be made in this tourist stuff!  It is worth the visit, glitz and commercial hype aside.

While we strolled the grounds a band of big horn ewes and lambs wandered through the swarms of people and settled in on the rocks overlooking the gorge.

We bid farewell to Rocky Mountain National Park and head out to explore more of Colorado.  The descent on US 36 isn’t quite as spectacular as the drive in on US 34 but this is a beautiful place no matter how one reaches it.

We find our site at Five Points, Arkansas Headwaters Recreation Area.

Checking out the west side of RMNP

The switchback filled, but paved Trail Ridge Road long ago replaced the Fall River Road for most traffic through the park.  They still maintain (mostly) the old gravel road so we head out that way to check out the view earlier visitors might have seen.  The road is carved into steep hillsides with spectacular views, hair raising drop-offs, and tight switchbacks.  We stop to check out Chasm Falls.  We spot a bull elk calmly grazing the upper meadows just as we approach the Alpine Visitor Center from the back drive.

We make a quick stop at the VC and spy this high altitude moose: we know how he feels.  We had to have this T-shirt.

We continue on over the top on Trail Ridge Road heading for the Kawuneeche Valley, the banks of the Colorado River, and the west gateway town, Grand Lake.  It is a beautiful day and we take our time.  Just feet from the road in the half shelter of the pines a group of elk and their calves are having breakfast.

We drop lower. The valley is much wetter.  The Colorado meanders among broad wetlands with lots of beaver ponds.  We are on the watch for moose.  No luck.

We pass by town and head out toward Shadow Mountain Lake.  There are nesting osprey to watch.  While we are out on a lake shore trail (1 mile on the Continental Divide National Scenic Trail) we spot a fox carrying his lunch.  At the dam, fish are struggling to get upstream through a discharge pipe.  We see a lot of bounce-back.  What hard working creatures!

We check out the town of Grand Lake.  It is a tourist town with a hint of a western theme including a wooden boardwalk lined with shops and cafes.  We grab lunch, local pizza and a pretty good Washington apple salad.  Better head back to our cozy spot on the east side.

Bonus, we spot a cow moose and her calf noshing away at the beaver meadow turn off. They are gangly and awkward looking both as adults and young.  Great to watch.

We are out and about early again today and hit the trail by 7:30 on our way to Ypsilon Lake.  It is a beautiful wooded walk that racks then crosses the Roaring River.  We have great views of the valley below as we began the first of many switchbacks.  It doesn’t take us long to realize it is pretty relentlessly UP.  We climb 2,180 feet in the 4 miles out to the lake with many stops along the way to catch our breath.

The still lake reflects puffy morning clouds. We relax in the silent solitude then enjoy a leisurely lunch.

Remember, afternoon thunderstorms. We head back.  Clouds thicken as we appreciate the easier going of the downhill return trip.  Big cold drops splatter on and around us.    Our luck has run out.  We are still a half mile from the car and it pours.

We head early for the Wild Basin Trail head and a hike to Ouzel Falls.  We are feeling ok after yesterday on the trail but opt for a lower altitude, flatter walk today.    We spot elk along the way.  Once we reach the trailhead we wind our way through thick forest along side a lively creek.  It is a beautiful walk and we even spot an American Dipper (Ouzel) the namesake of this trail.  By late morning the trail is getting very busy.  The forecast is for afternoon showers so we are off the trail by noon.  It is clouding over but only occasional big drops so we head into town, Estes Park to check it out.

We stroll and window shop ducking under shop awnings when the rain is heaviest. We make a quick DQ stop then head for the car between the heaviest showers.  It is getting pretty serious now.  We start for home.  There is thunder and lightening and lots of hail.  It looks like snow in the fields and coats the road enough to leave tracks.  Back at camp we find all is well.  Now we have had our first experience of the afternoon storms everyone has been talking about.

Today has the best forecast for our time here so we decide to take the most weather sensitive hike; a trail to the peak of Mt. Ida.  The route follows the Continental Divide for about 4 ½ miles starting at 10,758 ft and climbing to 12,132.  Air is pretty thin up there.   Signs here claim 40% less oxygen at 12,000 feet compared to sea level.  We noticed it.

Much of the hike is across open tundra above the tree line in the alpine region. Yellow bellied marmots watch from rock perches and occasionally take up guard positions right on the trail.  One challenged me as I tried to pass.  It was a bit un nerving for a second but once he saw I had nothing to share with him he scurried on to the next pair of hikers.  Pica bark from among the talus fields. I spot a horned lark.  Overall, wildlife is pretty sparse up here.

Below us gray talus slopes lead to mountain benches that shelter amazing alpine lakes circled in tundra. Snow drifts hang above them.  It is very Sound Of Music like.

Thunder storms are afternoon regulars so we were heading back down by noon. A cold wind of 30+mph blew in.  That hurried us on down just a little faster.  We stopped to watch and listen to a mama Ptarmigan and her chicks and to catch this pic of a beautiful Colorado Columbine.

The rain holds off so we explore some on our way back toward camp. We check out the Alpine Visitor Center and I climb the stairs to 12005 feet. I felt like I earned the “Got Oxygen” T-shirt they have in the gift shop.  Trail Ridge Road is slow going.  It gets even worse when a band of bull elk decide to pose just 30 feet off the road.  We grumbled a bit about the slow going but we gawked too as we went by.

We are settled in and made a quick run to the nearest NP visitor center to get advice on trails and things to do. The most often repeated suggestion, start early.  August is crazy busy both in the Park and in town, Estes Park.   Trailhead lots are full by 8AM or earlier.  Sounds like wilderness solitude is going to be tough to find!

We scout for pronghorn a bit longer as we finish out our last 100 miles on I-80. With a turn south, the terrain changes.  First it is rolling hills and rock outcroppings then we find the mountains.  It is a nice change of scenery.

The day is uneventful and we arrive safely at Hermit Ridge, Estes Park just outside of Rocky Mountain national Park.

The forecast isn’t great. There is a chance of rain about every day we are here.  Hope they are wrong.

Rawlings, WY is the home of an historic Wyoming Territorial Prison.  The ACLU would have had a field day with this place.  It is cold hard stone and steel with no running water and negligible heat for the first 60 or so years and no hot water until three years before it closed.  A whipping pole served to encourage cooperation and dank dungeon cells were further persuasion for the incorrigible.

They housed as many as 500 inmates at a time. Wyoming was and is a death penalty state and they executed 14 men over the 80 years of use.  Of course stories of those inmates attract the most interest.  Execution was by hanging at first.  The gallows were of a true Rube Goldberg design.  The sentenced actually hanged themselves since their weight on the gallows trap door unlatched a lever that pulled a plug that drained a bucket that lowered a weight that pulled a rope that hinged the post that held the trapdoor shut from below.  The door opened the deed was done.  Then, progress; they went to the gas chamber.  We saw it and one can actually sit in the chair.  I didn’t!

The place is privately owned now and used for movie sets and Halloween Fright Nights. Displays are very low budget and without a guided tour it would be difficult to get much out of a visit.  I think it might be creepier than Alcatraz.  The smells make your skin crawl.  Anyway, it’s an interesting bit of history.

We drove and walked it a bit today. The best spot, a juvenile golden eagle.  We hope to kayak along the refuge shore later in the week if the weather cooperates.  It has been blustery and that really sets up chop on the river.  Tuesday looks more promising