Traveling with Tucson : Drive on Trail Ridge Road

The Road between Estes Park and Grand Lake that runs through Rocky Mountain National Park was supposed to open for Memorial Day weekend but the opening was delayed by weather. It opened on Sunday. We decided to check it out today (Tuesday) on our day off.

The weather looks good. Possible storms coming in later in the afternoon

Snow staring to appear just before Rainbow Curve

Guess they had a lot to plow. You can see the plow markers, I'd guess they are 10-12 feet high

Reaching the Alpine level

The views are incredible

The Road twists and turns

Don't think we need to worry about pedestrians crossing before the snow melts

A view across the frozen tundra

We came prepared but we say people in shorts, sandals and espadrilles trying to walk on this stuff.

This was as far out as I dared to go, afraid that the edge might be a snow shelf and it's a long way down!

An eerie looking landscape with the rocks

About 1/2 way - the Alpine Visitor's center. The other route here is the Fall River road that we hiked on. It is one way from Estes Park and usually doesn't open until 4th of July

The Staff had some fun with the snow. It is the National Park Service's 100th Anniversary this year

Which way do we go?

To plow this road you need to bring in the big guns!

We cross the Continental Divide at Milner Pass. This is where rivers drain out to the Atlantic on one side and the Pacific on the other side.

The road makes a winding descent

Back down below the snowline

We made it! Decide to stop in at Grand Lake Lodge to see if my boss from Custer, SD is around. He is VP of Regency Hotel Management. We decide to have lunch here. I ask the waitress if Josh is around and she says no but she thinks he is due in that afternoon. We are eating in the enclosed patio and I look out and see him on the porch on the phone. He looks up and sees me and waves and stops by the table when he's done. Turns out he only comes here 3 times a year so just Karma that we ran into him.

Now that's a pool!

Grand Lake is beautiful

After lunch we head down to the Village

Tucson wants to go into the Bookstore to meet the resident dog. I say no.

He opts to meet the dog outside - though he was standoffish

It's a nice little town

A little shopping and an Ice Cream and it's time to head back

Back through the Park; I looked up saw at first what I thought was just another Elk - really we've seen so many that when we see tourists pulled over with cameras we say - what's the big deal? Anyway I think wow it's pretty dark for an Elk and realize it is a Moose but by the time I get the camera on - it has gone back down the hill.