Sun Outdoors - Granby, CO

Sun Outdoors - Granby, CO 

Rocky Mountain National Park is located approximately 55 miles northwest of Denver in north-central Colorado, within the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains. The park is situated between the towns of Estes Park to the east and Grand Lake to the west. The eastern and western slopes of the Continental Divide run directly through the center of the park with the headwaters of the Colorado River located in the park's northwestern region. The main features of the park include mountains, alpine lakes and a wide variety of wildlife within various climates and environments, from wooded forests to mountain tundra.

The Rocky Mountain National Park Act was signed by President Woodrow Wilson in 1915, establishing the park boundaries and protecting the area for future generations. The Civilian Conservation Corps built the main automobile route, Trail Ridge Road, in the 1930's. In 1976, UNESCO designated the park as one of the first World Biosphere Reserves.

We visited Beaver Pond and had a nice hike. This was a much less strenuous hike compared to many areas in the park. Some of the hikes we have done about push us to our physical limits- especially in the elevation, cold, wind and snow. We spend so much time and energy as we trudge through life that we often fail to slow down and refuel our own souls.

We saw this dead tree trunk on the side of a cliff.  The trunk wood shows a full twist about every foot. We have seen local craftsmen create art from these and the spines of the tall cactus. I am envious of the people who find and create beauty from the simple things in life. We picked up a cool piece of a cactus spine, but we have no idea what to do with it. It is sitting on the dash of the RV until one of us eventually throws it away. We are thankfully out of the sandy, dusty desert and back to the lush greenness and sense of hope that spring brings.

 

The Far View Curve area was another good hike for us. There is just something so calming about being outside with snow on the mountains in the background and except for the steady sounds of the stream, it is peacefully quiet. You definitely get a very different perspective when other people and their toxicity do not exist in that time and place. As nature returns to life, bursting with the colors of spring, it brings hope of things to come. The sense of calm I feel out in nature, away from the hustle and bustle of crowds, people and the reality of the violence in our world today is a much needed escape. There is so much beauty in our world that gets over shadowed by the terrible things people do to one another and the world around them. It is good for the soul to seek out the beauty, the quiet and peaceful corners of our world when the world is so full of ugliness. It also gives us a sense of accomplishment to push yourself outside the normal realm of things in our busy, hectic lives. I think we all need a happy place that feeds our souls. I have found mine out in nature, away from people just basking in the beauty that surrounds us if we just stop and take the time to appreciate it. We are all responsible for finding our own joy.  We do not all find joy and peace in the same things and that is a good thing. We seem to think others will fill that void and need in our lives, but that is not their responsibility. It is our own. Where is your happy place that feeds your soul and gives you peace?

Water was cascading down the side of Far View cliff from runoff of the melting snow.

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Lisa was at 2 miles above sea level on the western side of the mountain.  

Lisa was showing off by the snow bank on the side of road. We thought this was a lot of snow until we saw some MUCH deeper.

Milner Pass was closed due to snow on our first day in the park.  The next day it was open, but then they shut it down again following some sleet and ice that day. We had an additional, lovely 152 mile detour since the road was closed.

Notice the snow height coming off a roof at Milner Pass. This was after they had weeks of rain and warm weather that melted most of the snow. This was not a drift, snow was actually that deep still.

Poudre Lake was still frozen. The temp dropped significantly at this upper altitude.

Lisa was standing at the Continental Divide. That is not a snow drift, the snow was really that deep.

Trail Ridge Road was still closed past Milner Pass.  We rode our bikes up to Medicine Bow curve and then just past it, the road was closed just before the Alpine visitor center. We stopped and had our picnic lunch before we turned  to go back down the mountain. Biking up and down these mountains is a popular activity of the locals, just most of them are on regular bikes, not Ebikes. Ironically, many of them were over the age of 60+. They are tougher than we are. We are so thankful we bought Ebikes. 

These were our views of the valley below Medicine Bow Curve as we had our picnic lunch.  In this last picture, you can see the road we rode up.  It is the black line that runs across the left side of the picture. That particular section was fairly level compared to the rest of the 4+ miles we rode up, then 4 more miles back down the mountain. The elevation change was nearly 2,000 feet during those 4 miles. Going down was much more challenging because of the steep descent.

Lisa was still wearing her biking helmet as she hiked in the valley below Medicine Bow Curve while we stopped to eat lunch. You can't really see that her pockets were bulging with rocks she picked up. She has probably brought 500+ pounds of rock back to the RV throughout our journey so far.  We aren't sure what she is going to do with all these rocks, but we have spent a fortune buying stuff to polish, tumble and carve the rocks. She was pretty intrigued with the Navajo art of carving sandstone arches, and that was when we began to get overloaded with rocks, rock tools and gadgets for her new hobby. She has already gotten a few injuries from the power tools, so she mostly uses her dremel instead of bigger power tools now to keep from losing a finger. We started off our nomadic lifestyle with her painting rocks she gathered while we were up north. Things have steadily gotten worse. The amount of rocks we are hauling is impressive, but it gives her something to do. 

This was the highest elevation we rode our bikes. It was cold and windy in this altitude. We were way underdressed for the weather up here. We could not go higher because the road was closed due to snow and ice. 

The snow banks at Medicine Bow Curve, just before we returned on our bikes to Milner Pass. This was still no where as deep as the snow was in certain places.

This is a view of Poudre Lake looking towards Milner Pass.  The two small miniature Buttes coming out of the mountain side seemed so random. There were very few buttes in the area, unlike many of the parks out west.

The road was closed just past this before the Alpine Visitor Center. Trail Ridge Road opened Friday 5/26/23, so we ventured to the east side of the park over the mountain.  Unfortunately, we had snow and sleet that caused them to again close the road. This was the day of our 152 mile detour which was literally the shortest route available to us.  Karma was not having a good day, he had been having   explosive diarrhea for his second day. So yes, that is Karma pooping. This was not a snow drift, the snow was that deep in this area of the park. We were again very underdressed for the weather. At the base of the mountain, it was at least 20+ degrees warmer. Our campground was over 8,000 feet above sea level and we had on short sleeve shirts comfortably.

The Alpine Pass Visitor Center was not open for the season yet.  It appeared they were still digging it out from the snow that surrounded it. The snow was up to the roof line all the way around the building. 

They had dug the restrooms out of the snow bank for visitors to use. It was significantly the deepest snow we had seen. The snow was much higher than the building. Again, this was not a drift, the snow was literally that deep.

Gore Range as viewed from the Alpine Visitor Center covers over 400 square miles. It was such a stunning day, cold but stunning.

Lisa was walking along the  Rainbow Curve to soak up the beauty the Lord has given us. We are still amazed by the number of things we are seeing for the first time. 

Lisa and Karma were hiking at Nymph Lake during a sleet storm. We turned around soon after this because we were soaking wet and freezing. Karma was like an excited toddler playing in the snow. He loved it and even swam in the lake like a dummy.

Lisa was admiring the view around the lake. She might have uttered a few bad words about being freezing cold in the sleet storm.

A view from the trail we were hiking.  There was still a lot of snow on the mountain-including the trail itself. We sure were not expecting to be hiking through deep snow at the end of May.

Alberta Falls on Glacier Creek was having massive runoff from the melting snow. Most of this section was white water due to the the sheer volume coming off the mountain. Karma contemplated a swim in the water, but thankfully, he was smart enough to realize the current was too strong.

The runoff at Glacier Creek was impressive. The sound of the rushing water was the only noise we encountered as we hiked along this trail. Some of the trails we have hiked are moderately crowded, but the majority have been like today where we basically had the trail to ourselves. There is something so tranquil and peaceful when you hear the rushing water and you are surrounded by this much beauty and no one else is around. 

These were some of our views from our hike at Many Parks Curve. This area had significantly less snow than other areas just a few miles away. The eastern side of the mountain was very different than the western side.

This was two miles above Sea Level on the eastern side of the park.  There was no significant snow in this area. We were very intrigued how some areas had snow over the rooftops but other areas basically had no remaining snow.

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Elk have thick bodies with slender legs and short tails. They have a shoulder height of 2-9 feet, with a nose-to-tail length of 5–9 feet. The males are significantly larger and weigh 392–1,096 pounds, while females weigh 377–644 lb. The elk is the second largest species of deer, after the moose. The moose tend to be much more aggressive than the elk and will charge at people if they get too close.

Antlers are made of bone, which can grow at a rate of one inch per day. While actively growing, a soft layer of highly vascularized skin, known as velvet, covers and protects them. They shed the velvet during the summer when the antlers have fully developed. Bull elk typically have around six points on each antler. The North American elk carry the largest antlers. The formation and retention of antlers are testosterone-driven. In late winter and early spring, the testosterone level drops, which causes the antlers to shed. The growth of the antlers is also dependent on age of the bull. A bull elk, in its prime, will develop antlers faster than a yearling. The female will mate with the males with the biggest antlers. I guess size does matter....

During the fall, elk grow a thicker coat of hair, which helps to insulate them during the winter. Both male and female North American elk grow thick neck manes; females of other subspecies may not. By early summer, the heavy winter coat has been shed. Elk are known to rub against trees and other objects to help remove the hair from their bodies. All elk have small and clearly defined rump patches with short tails. They have different coloration based on the seasons and types of habitats, with gray or lighter coloration prevalent in the winter and a more reddish, darker coat in the summer. Calves are born spotted, as is common with many deer species, but will lose their spots by the end of summer.

You can see from looking at the antlers which ones are the more mature bulls. We did not see any wildlife the first day of our visit. We were so excited to see as much wildlife as we did. Many areas had signs posted alerting hikers that several bear have been seen on the trails. Luckily, we did not encounter any bear while hiking this deep in the woods. The hotter and more arid desert parks have alerts about active rattlesnakes along the trail. I sure if anyone spotted us hiking. they would assume we were paranoid because keep our head on a swivel. Just a few months ago, we were in areas with alerts about active shark activity in the beach areas. They even had accessible emergency medical kits in the event of a shark attack.  So we were pleased there were no medical medical kits out here for bear attacks. 

We saw several herds of elk in the park.  We do not have an accurate number, but we saw several hundred elk on this day. Ironically, on our first visit to the park the day before- we saw none. It was not until our third visit we saw males with antlers.

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The moose is a member of the New World deer subfamily. It is the largest and heaviest species in the deer family. Most adult male moose have distinctive broad, palmate ("open-hand shaped") antlers; most other members of the deer family have antlers with a dendritic ("twig-like") configuration. Moose typically inhabit boreal forests and temperate broadleaf and mixed forests of the Northern Hemisphere in temperate to subarctic climates. Over time, hunting and other human activities have caused a reduction in the size of the moose's range. They have been reintroduced to some of its former habitats. Currently, the majority of moose are found in Canada, Alaska, New England (with Maine having the most of the lower 48 states- but ironically, we never saw one there), and New York State.

Its diet consists of both terrestrial and aquatic vegetation. Predators of moose include wolves, bears, humans, wolverines (rarely). Unlike most other deer species, moose do not form herds and are solitary animals, aside from calves who remain with their mother until the cow goes back in heat (typically at 18 months after birth of the calf), at which point the cow chases them away. Although generally slow-moving and sedentary, moose can become aggressive, and move quickly if angered or startled. Their mating season in the autumn features energetic fights between males competing for a female. They fight to impress the female, who typically mates with the strongest bull.

These were some of the moose we saw in the park.  They are a massive animal and do not move with much grace. Unfortunately, the males had already shed their antlers before our visit.

Another view of another lake, this one was Grand Lake.  There are a lot of lakes and streams throughout the park. The Rocky Mountains are very different from the parks in western deserts. Things have greened up significantly during our visit. Surprisingly, we have seen very few flowers in bloom. We seemed to just miss the peak blooming stage during our spring adventure everywhere we went. 

This was a view of Shadow Mountain Lake. The plentiful water seems to attract much wildlife and promotes plant growth. We were thankful to be back in green, lush terrain. The deserts were very interesting to visit, but we definitely do not want to live in the desert. We are still battling the dust we acquired in the desert from the constant dust storms. Every single surface on everything we own, including ourselves, has been covered in dust.

This was one continuous, ornate piece of tree trunk or limb used as a handrail at the overlook.  Mark is especially good at noticing little details, like this.

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Bighorn sheep are named for the large, curved horns of the males. Ewes also have horns, but they are shorter with less curvature. They range in color from light brown to grayish or dark, chocolate brown, with a white rump and lining on the backs of all four legs. Male bighorn sheep have large horn cores, enlarged cornual and frontal sinuses, and internal bony septa. These adaptations serve to protect the brain by absorbing the impact of clashes. Bighorn sheep have preorbital glands on the anterior corner of each eye, inguinal glands in the groin, and pedal glands on each foot. Secretions from these glands may support dominance behaviors.

Bighorns from the Rocky Mountains are relatively large, with males that occasionally exceed 500 lbs. and females that exceed 200 lbs. Males' horns can weigh up to 30 lbs., as much as all the other bones in the male's body.

As we came around a curve on I-70, there was a "herd" of about 5 Bighorn Sheep standing on the side of the road.  When I got out of car to take pictures, they started up the side of the cliff. Their agility is impressive as they scurry up these cliffs.

These signs were on the side of the highway that runs from I-70 to Granby, CO.  We found them pretty humorous, and there were multiples of these on the road.  We are not sure if there is any warning of the use of long range weaponry other than this or not. We did see evidence of several avalanches. There were a surprising number of ski tracks in some very interesting places that did not have a ski lift to the top. We are both skiers and could not imagine hiking up those steep, rocky mountains in such deep snow. Some of the more extreme skiers must have been dropped off by a helicopter. We truly could not fathom hiking up several thousand feet while lugging skis with these elevation changes in that steep terrain buried under many feet of snow.

The brilliant colors of the sunrise over the Rockies from the campground were muted due to cloud coverage. This campground is HUGE and fairly isolated from nearby homes and businesses. This is much more of a "resort campground" compared to most of the places we have stayed. RV's are only one option out of many to stay here. There are many cabins, tents, teepees, covered wagons, RV's to rent plus the usual RV spots. There is one area dedicated to Airstreams- you can rent or bring your own Airstream. Another area was dedicated to Teepees and covered  wagons you can rent. There are over a thousand cabins for rent. It was surprisingly quiet throughout the campground considering the volume of people here.

These were views of  yet another lake, Granby Lake, from the Strawberry Lake hiking trail.

As we were hiking around Strawberry Lake Trail, we just happened to see this very impressive waterfall, in the middle of the picture, as we hiked between lakes. Courtesy of the heavy melting snow, there were quite a few waterfalls throughout the park.

This stream winds its way to Strawberry Lake. We have never seen as many crooked, winding streams as we have seen here. From the higher elevations, so can see these streams snaking all around this area. 

This was another waterfall at Strawberry Lake. The sheer volume of rushing water was very impressive. The current was so strong, it was creating white water rapids.

Lisa and Karma were returning from hiking at Strawberry Lake.  It rained on our way to the lake, which resulted in us hiking through standing and rushing water on the first mile or so of the trail.  We hiked through water that was the runoff coming down the trail and many sections of  deep snow. Lisa stepped in several areas of deep snow which gave away as she trekked over it. In one area, she was midthigh deep in the snow.  Then we hiked through sleet and snow before we gave up headed back to the car. We were definitely ill prepared for this 3+ mile hike hike courtesy of rain, sleet, snow, standing water and deep snow. We were soaked and freezing by the time we returned to our car. We were done for the day after this adventure. Karma had the time of his life, he had never played in this much snow before. He was definitely as excited as a toddler, but he was exhausted by the time we got back to the RV. He barely moved until the next day, but neither did we. The cold weather does not seem to bother him in the least, but the heat is not his friend. We are not very fond of either extremes in the weather.