RED(rum), WHITE(water), & BLUE(birds)- A Grand Finale TR to Our Year of the National Parks

[HouCuseChickie]

DAY 4

There was no gym at this place and I figured we'd be doing a lot of hiking in RMNP, so I just planned to sleep in. There were just two problems with this plan...

1. The display on the microwave was this brilliant blue and it took me several hours before I hit my breaking point and had to cover it up.
2. I guess being in the mountains at a higher elevation meant an earlier (much earlier) sunrise...which was evident shortly before 5:30am!

Needless to say, I was up early. In fact, I was the ONLY one who was impacted by any of this. Everyone else did eventually get up and we ran by convenience store connected to The Mad Moose to get some breakfast on the go...i.e. Kind and Nutrigrain bars. After that, it was on to RMNP!!!

The first visitor center for this park is actually outside of the guard shack check point area, so we stopped there first. I guess I missed the sign about park maps at the checkpoint and the ranger I asked didn't look too pleased. Oh well.

It was now time to officially enter the park!

Some of you may recall that we used a 4th grader pass for the national parks and sites last summer. They are only good until Aug 31st each year, but we'd been told she was good to use this (i.e. get a voucher to issue a new one) as both an incoming and outgoing 4th grader. We didn't need it for our December trip due to the government shutdown, but Sam's 4th grade science teacher is big on the national parks and printed vouchers out for all of her classes before the end of the school year to encourage her students to visit the national parks this summer. So, we used the voucher printed by her teacher this time. This actually sparked a lot of discussion with the kids...like could we pass them off as 4th graders for subsequent trips. The answer..."We could, but we won't." And we went on to explain how it's nice that we were able to utilize this program, but if we love our parks the way we do, paying the admission in the future will help add to some of the funding of that which we love. I think they get it.

And we're in ... and we're driving UP!

I'm not quite sure what I expected, but I wasn't ready for the main road to be a series of switchbacks winding their way up in into the mountains. Maybe it's because the roads through Grand Teton (at least the ones we've been on) keep you below the mountains. We stopped at one of the early lookout points and as you can see, we are already pretty high. The kids spotted a bald eagle on our way up to this point, but none of us were able to get a picture. Oh well...we at least got to take in the gorgeous scenery.

(quite the tie dye ensemble K is sporting today!)

 

[HouCuseChickie]

We started to get kind of silly by taking pics of each other.

Yeah...have to show that the hiking boots are in a new park!

And we keep heading up...

The pics all start looking similar, but we could feel our ears popping the whole way up as we got higher, the temps were dropping, and we were starting to see some of that snow right along side of us.

And now we're officially in the tundra!

So, we decide to get out since we saw a neat looking viewing area and trail. Right after we got out, we saw something furry by the railing. A passing hiker said that there are marmots everywhere and that they've never seen them quite like this before. First, I just saw this guy peaking out...

I usually feel pretty fortunate if I just spot one and at first, I really thought that would be all...since there's nothing right in front of me...

 

[HouCuseChickie]

...but then, there were marmots EVERYWHERE! And while I'm no fool and wasn't going to try and touch them like some idiots, they were certainly not afraid of us. A couple of days later, I was advised to be careful when opening my pack near marmots as they like to crawl in. Good to know. So...here you go...LOTS of marmots.

Sorry...it's a lot of marmot pics (and it's only about a third of them), but there were at least 50 of them out there and I'd never seen anything like it. I'm not sure if it's because Sam recently heard me talking about a relative's upcoming Bar Mitzvah, but she dubbed this as the "Marmotzvah." LOL

We decided to make our way to the overlook and you can also see why we got out here in the first place. I mean, this is an awesome view right here!

 

[HouCuseChickie]

I struck up a conversation with the woman in the black shirt above. She was so excited to see people taking their kids to places like this and capturing photos. It brought her back to her childhood and their own family pictures. She offered to take a family picture for us, but I was good. She seemed nice enough, but I really don't like handing off my camera.

We decided to head back to the car and move on to the next spot...took a few more marmot pics on the way too!

On the way, Sam spotted a decent sized herd of elk!

This would be where her next major saying of the trip started. Every time she spotted something before us, she'd call out "20/20 Vision Y'all!!!" And we all started doing it if we saw something before her. LOL

After passing some more snow that was close to the road...

(snow in July still amazes me)

...and dealing with one-lane traffice due to road work at about 12,000 ft...

(this felt kind of terrifying)

...we stopped to use the restrooms at the next big view point. After we got out, we heard people talking about bighorn sheep. We crossed the road and sure enough, there was a whole herd of them!

I was tempted to take some landscape pics since it felt like we were on top of the world (we kind of were)...

...but I've always wanted to see adult bighorn sheep (and not just the baby we saw last year in YNP), so I went back to sheep pics.

 

[HouCuseChickie]

The sheep also have some marmot friends...

Back to sheep!

I'm also kind of awful with video, but this marks the day where I start to remember that I can take it. Sheep in action!



This was also the first time I spotted this mountain lake that looked so cool...that I know I probably wouldn't be getting to visit.

More stunning views...

And more stunning sheep! LOL

There was a trail on the other side of the road that looked like it would have some incredible, top of the world, kind of views...so we decided it was time to climb! I took pics along the way to show how far we'd climbed up as well as just pretty stuff along the way...

(I believe the range in the background is referred to as Never Summer)

We made it! And obviously couldn't go any further (OK...shouldn't is more like it, since we saw people disregarding the signs and going on).

 

[HouCuseChickie]

After making this hike, my watch registered me as climbing 27 flights of stairs! Those super fit parents pushing the stroller in one of my previous pics were even huffing and puffing, but I give them credit...since they were pushing that thing and chasing after the toddler who didn't want to ride in it.

It was stunning at the top of this portion, and we even saw some marmots!

I also remembered (again) that I can take video...so, here is some of the second (and smaller) Marmotzvah in action!



What goes up, must come down...so it was time to head back to the car. We took more landscape and flower pics along the way.

(Cheesy- but I actually got a bit choked up, because this is one of the most stunning views I've ever seen)

I also got a few more pics of that lake that I found so fascinating...

 

[HouCuseChickie]

And some views in general...

(snow melt waterfall, I suspect)

We took one last peak before heading back into the car and found several pika! I saw one once in YNP, but it was scurrying across the Grand Loop. Like the marmots, these guys seems un-phased by humans.

And Sam wanted a few more pics of the sheep...

After the trip, we learned that RMNP has two variations of pika...those that live in the tundra and those that are below. Scientists have recently discovered that there's some crossbreeding going on between those that live in the fringe areas of these environments, which could bring all sorts of changes over the years.

Oh well, it was time to move on.

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That's it for now. I may post more later if back to school prep goes well. Coming up...lunch around 12,000', a possible gas emergency, and the best wildlife moment of this trip (or pretty much any, when I think about it) that brought both happiness and heartache.

 

[ajrwdwgirl]

Great report so far! I'm loving all the mountain pictures!

 

[HouCuseChickie]

Great report so far! I'm loving all the mountain pictures!

Thank you! This is such a stunning area!

 

[HouCuseChickie]

Day 4 continued...

So, we start driving up again...

...and we stop at this spot with a lone elk wandering around. I obviously didn't have my telephoto out for these driving pics and since I'm using a medium sized photo size for the TR, it's not easy to see them. I guess if anyone wants me to post larger pics, I can. They just take up a lot of page space. My husband didn't understand why I didn't just keep the telephoto on the whole time, but it's a tough call...get the big landscape mountain pictures or wait for possible wildlife?

I do give Little Miss 20/20 Vision Y'all credit though, because you can see how this elk could have easily just blended in with the rocks.

I did finally take out the bigger lens...not that it helped a lot.

I think I was more interested in the blue ice in this area.

It is a pretty area, so everyone got together for a pic...

I took a few more pics...

One more zoomed in elk pic...

We got back in the car and headed to the Alpine Visitor Center...

Kendall forgot the national parks passport book (I only reminded her a million times), so they were stuck stamping blank pieces of paper that they'll paste into the book at home.

I took this time to also pick up some souvenirs for my work team (magnets)...

 

[HouCuseChickie]

...and then it was outside for some pictures. You can even see elk off in the distance...

...and a random bird on the snow closer to the building...

...and a marmot friend scurrying across the snow.

More outside pics...

And I must be blind, but this is the first time that I noticed that these are a bunch of bulls. I don't think I've ever seen this many male elk together. Friends ...for now! LOL

(they look like they actually like each other!)

And then into the next gift shop. I really regret not buying something for me in here.

(not sure where I would have used it...but this should have been my goodie!)

At some point, Sam must have also wandered into some of their more educational things, because I found all of this on the other camera (along with more marmots that she found outside)...

 

[HouCuseChickie]

(one of at least 30)

David was debating about lunch and was thinking it was too early, but I didn't know where else we'd be able to get food...so, we got in line to get some! And I took some pics of the place...

This was some of the food...

Initially, we were stuck at a table without a view, but a couple with window seats got up and we quickly took over their table. There were still quite a few empty tables, so it was still early enough to coordinate such a move for a view. You really can't beat this for your lunch view!

(action lunch shots- heheheh)

After lunch, the kids took pics with the bear!

Time to head out, but first we popped back into the bathrooms outside and I admired the heaters they had in there. It wasn't that cold while we were up there, but there was a signifcant temperature difference at that altitude.

A number of people were climbing up this trail...but not today for us.

On our way out, we noticed a heavy ranger presence in the parking lot. One ranger approached us and mentioned we're free to take a look for spots, but was relieved when we told her we just vacated ours and are trying to leave. After seeing this...I guess it's a good thing we decided to eat when we did!

We started heading through the back side of the park and I was casually taking pictures...

 

[HouCuseChickie]

...but then David looked at the gas gauge and realized that we were getting kind of low...which would mean getting out of the park. (and he wonders why I always bug him about gas...and the one time I don't) He figured it was all of the uphill driving that did it, but wasn't sure if we'd make it back the way we came without fueling up. This vehicle was really fuel efficient, but struggled a lot with the uphill stuff. I nervously took pics as we started heading towards the other main park exit.

So, we started aiming for the towns on the outside of the other side of the park. Thankfully, there was a place for gas right outside of the park and the downhill didn't zap too much of what we had to get us there.

We picked up a few things of lip balm, since the dry air was starting to take its toll, and headed back into the park.

RMNP also has card readers, so no need to wait at the guard shack if you have a pass.

We stopped at the first visitor center on that side of the park. I didn't go in, but the kids saw a board with animal sightings and a bull moose had been spotted on a nearby trail just a couple hours earlier. I didn't go in and didn't really see this picture until after the trip, but in seeing this now...I'm realizing that they didn't read the rest of it. It'll make sense for you too in a little bit.

When driving through before, we said it looked like prime moose territory and based on that sign, we were right. We tried to get to that Onahu trail where the bull moose was spotted, but the parking was full. So, we decided to try and trail just down the road...figuring that large animals have pretty broad territories. Sam wanted to see a moose more than anything... actually since last summer too, so we were going to try and make it happen here...

We met a woman on our way in who said they'd just spotted a baby moose trot across the water. They said it was awesome, but also were wondering where mom might be. So, it looks like we were in the right area for Sam...which also kind of scared me, since I know moose tend to be cranky. Either way...it's a gorgeous part of the park!

Around this point, we had a bit of a differing preferences issue. Sam wanted to continue along the water, but Kendall wanted the more out in the open path. So, David went with Sam and I went with Kendall. It wasn't a big deal at first. I mean, I just went along taking pics on what was the more commonly followed path.

 

[HouCuseChickie]

And then I saw something...and I'm going to use a larger pic size for these so it all really stands out...

OK...somethingS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I didn't crop the others, but I cropped this first one so it's clear what we were seeing...

Naturally, I did not have my telephoto on for this nor was my camera in burst mode at the time. Still, I snapped as many as I possibly could. I now also realized that the visitor center board was referring to a moose cow and calf. I think David and the kids saw that the handwriting was more like the "elk" written above and not realized that it was actually concerning moose.

I can't begin to describe how quickly this all happened. They were there and then they were gone.

Kendall said that I totally fangirled! And ya know what...I think I had every right! I didn't want to scare them or tick off the mom, but I tried calling for David and Sam without being too loud. I found them a couple of minutes later...but it was too late...moose well out of sight and no noise or movement in the trees. And Sam was DEVASTATED! She couldn't even look at the pictures for a couple of hours. I was excited yet feeling so awful at the same time. I mean, it's such dumb luck, but Kendall didn't care about this the way Sam did. I guess at least K didn't gloat.

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That's it for now. More day 4 to come.

 

[MinnieM123]

...but then David looked at the gas gauge and realized that we were getting kind of low...which would mean getting out of the park. (and he wonders why I always bug him about gas...and the one time I don't) He figured it was all of the uphill driving that did it, but wasn't sure if we'd make it back the way we came without fueling up. This vehicle was really fuel efficient, but struggled a lot with the uphill stuff.

Hubs used to talk about people having various car issues in high altitudes in Colorado. When driving up in the mountains, the cars should be tuned differently, and may use a lower octane gas. He mentioned that occasionally his father would stop to help a tourist, whose car had broken down (so to speak) by the side of the road. I also read the below stats somewhere--

If the car's not turbocharged or supercharged you lose about 3.5% of your horsepower for every 1,000 feet of elevation change. (Assuming the car has fuel injection ... Which can automatically adjust the air fuel ratio ... carbureted engines do worse as the carburetor would need rejetting to be efficient).

 

[HouCuseChickie]

Hubs used to talk about people having various car issues in high altitudes in Colorado. When driving up in the mountains, the cars should be tuned differently, and may use a lower octane gas. He mentioned that occasionally his father would stop to help a tourist, whose car had broken down (so to speak) by the side of the road. I also read the below stats somewhere--

If the car's not turbocharged or supercharged you lose about 3.5% of your horsepower for every 1,000 feet of elevation change. (Assuming the car has fuel injection ... Which can automatically adjust the air fuel ratio ... carbureted engines do worse as the carburetor would need rejetting to be efficient).

That's interesting that you bring up the gas. We were halfway through the trip when we noticed that regular grade was 85 octane vs. 87. We were still on the first tank of gas from the rental company, so they should have fueled it accordingly for this phase of the trip. Still, I don't think the engine was turbo or super charged, so that would explain the struggles it had in the park.

This is also good to know. We're thinking about taking my vehicle for skiing in New Mexico, so I may need to talk to the shop about this before we hit the road.

 

[Nala06]

How long did it take you to drive Trail Ridge road? I was planning on making that an all day activity to allow time for getting out and enjoying the views.

 

[HouCuseChickie]

How long did it take you to drive Trail Ridge road? I was planning on making that an all day activity to allow time for getting out and enjoying the views.

I know we got into the park before 9am and were up at the Alpine visitor center right around 11am. I'm not sure if you plan on stopping there, but I would highly recommend getting there on the early side since you can see what happens to the parking as well as the traffic/line to get in. We did not stop at every overlook, but we obviously got out several times. Obviously, we did not stop on our way down the back side since we had to get gas. We did stop several times on the way back up, but again...not at every spot and that construction up towards the top definitely slowed us down on the way back. I can't say for sure, but I think we got back to our lodging between 4 & 4:30 that day. We also didn't push the time too much since I planned more time in Estes Park than any other part of this trip, so I knew we had two more days to hit RMNP if we had anything else we wanted to see. Hope this helps!

 

[HouCuseChickie]

Day 4 continued...

After Sam settled down some about missing the moose, we decided it was time to move on. We slowly walked back in hopes that we'd find them again, but there was nothing. Still, we took some pretty pics along the way (I'll spare you the ones I found of moose droppings- although they made it a little better for Sam)...

As we headed back to the car, David and I also noted a lack of birds. We'd seen large nests, but not much in the way of anything to occupy them.

We drove up to Lake Irene and hiked around a bit up there. Pretty, but not much going on there either (unless you count the guy blocking half of the lot that we reported to a ranger)...

See, she's looking much better.

And we're almost back to the car...

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We hit the road again and started to make the long journey back to the Estes Park side of RMNP. And I took pics along the way...including the traffic jam we got into because of that road construction we saw earlier.

 

[HouCuseChickie]

Yeah...I kind of went overboard...and this isn't all of them. I mean, I haven't even gotten to the traffic jam yet!

And I was still going mid-jam (but I'll try and limit it to one!)...

At least we didn't wait too long before they let our side of the road go...

We thought this looked neat...

And I love all of the run off...

Coming down...