Rocky Mountain National Park - there and back again

FINALLY!!!! YAY!!!!!

Headed out the door at 10:30 am. Destination - Estes Park. I grabbed my laptop thinking I'd stop and sit somewhere with a warm beverage and maybe get some work done. I took my usual route up to Boulder and stayed on Broadway through town to get to Lyons. There is lots of construction still going on on Broadway but it wasn't any worse than sitting in traffic and stoplights on 28th through town. I made one pit stop in Lyons and then headed up towards Estes Park.

Estes Park is one of my most favorite places to be in Colorado. I know it fairly well, having spent several weeks working on various archives projects with my library school. I took an archives class as a student and then spent the next few years assisting current students with the projects. The history of the area fascinates me. And having spent so much time there, I can usually avoid the tourists and the crowds. But, yesterday, it was very quiet. I guess the cold weather and snow might be keeping them away.

I stopped and had a bowl of chili, sitting outside to enjoy the moment.
















I stopped in the Beaver Meadows visitor center to check on the road conditions. On the board they were officially listed as icy but the ranger said they were actually mostly clear. So, off I went. I bought a year pass. I hope to spend a lot of time riding through here this season. :-)

Once in the park, I headed up Trail Ridge Road. I like to look at the road past the road closed sign to see how high the snow is. Here is some video of me leaving the parking area at Many Curves Park, where the road is closed. (Hopefully the video works.)



The roads were very clear, even clear of gravel or sand. Some of the shaded curves had some gravel so I just took those very slowly. No traffic, no people wandering the roads, I didn't even see any wildlife. I road up Trail Ridge Road to the road closed sign and back down. Then took the road out of the park at the Fall River entrance. There was a gaggle of cars pulled over at the fork in the road to go into downtown or up to the Stanley, so I went through town instead. They were probably taking photos of elk so I thought I'd just avoid the situation.

I headed back home the way I came. When it was all over, I'd traveled 152 miles in 6 hours. It was a good day. It could have only been better if my hubby had been with me. Maybe next time. This time it was nice to have some solitude. And, I didn't get any work done, so that was ok too.