Day Two: Hiking Bear Lake and Dream Lake

Pictures are worth a thousand words here... every scene is truly majestic. Each time you think you've got the most beautiful scene captured, another one is right around the corner. We spent Tuesday hiking the Bear Lake and Dream Lake trails. We used the Park n' Ride at the park which worked out perfectly and took the shuttle to the trails. Spent all day hiking and enjoying the beautiful scenery.

Day Two: He's Looking Right at Me !!!

Again, minutes into the park and we come face to face with an elk !

Right to the car window, he's looking right at me !

Here we are climbing the Alpine Summit at 12,000 ft.

Can you see me right behind Art... I'm wearing the skirt !

Let's Drive to the Alpine Center -What Were We Thinking ?!?!

So we arrive at our B&B in Estes Park, just outside the gate at Rocky Mt. early Monday morning.
We discover that there is no TV, cell phone signal or Internet - but that's just fine, in fact it was great. Before we even enter the park, our first wildlife sighting was a black bear - minutes into the ride!

We decide to take the Trail Ridge Road (about 17 miles?) to the Alpine Center of Rocky Mountain, the highest point you can travel by car at about 12,000 feet. What on earth were we thinking !!!! We had the constant exclamations of "Look... Don't Look" as we climbed the narrow road higher and higher, looking out over sheer cliffs into the Forest Canyon. I had to close my eyes several times and beg Art to hug the right of the road (mountain side) for fear that we'd fall off ! It was quite an accomplishment to reach the Alpine Center at the top (took about an hour to get there with the slow moving traffic and hair-pin turns). Art was feeling lightheaded due to the altitude, so I took a walk to the highest point while he stayed back. Felt like we drove to heaven!

The weather couldn't be scripted any better... 80 and "brilliant" sunny days, no humidity and cool nights about 45-50 with the mountain air rushing in as nature's air conditioning. A perfect way to start the week !

Are We in Albi or Denver?

Are we in Albi (France) or Denver?

After a long day of travel, airports and sitting in the last row of plane to Denver (not a good seat), we made it to Denver by mid-afternoon. Coming from the airport, Art wanted to show me where he lived on Lowry Air Force Base 30 years ago, only to discover that things have changed quite a bit. The AFB is no longer there but we drove by and got a glimpse of how the area has built up.



In Denver, we walked around 16th Street and found a great French Bistro called "Vendome" tucked away in a little cove off Larimer Street. Excellent meal, good wine and wonderful mango-pineapple-cheesecake crepes !!!!



The excitement is building for Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP) in Estes Park tomorrow!