Rocky Mountain

Dan and Laurel took me to Rocky Mountain National Park today. Dan's camera is way cooler than mine, so you will probably find better pics here. Be sure to answer the pop quiz!

We took a morning hike up Twin Sisters Mountain. Dan and Laurel are in fantastic shape; I was barely keeping up with them on the way up! (I'll use the old altitude excuse... the trail starts at 9,000 ft and tops out at 11,480 ft.) The peak is above the treeline and the views were incredible, including tons of silly marmots and several bighorn sheep in the distance.

After stopping at the Visitor Center to ask a park ranger why some trees are twisted, we took a dirt road up to see dramatic valley, glacier, creek, and waterfall views. (The ranger looked pretty twisted himself, and disappointed us when he was not able to satisfactorily answer why some trees were twisted.) At one of our stops, Dan pointed out that some pine sap smells like caramel, so I vowed to have a caramel sundae for dessert later.

On the way back, we got up close and personal with three elk bulls. We stopped for pictures, then drove on, only to find a herd of elk cows several miles later. Why the elk were segregated as such remains a mystery to me.


Laurel made awesome quesadillas when we got back! After a day of hiking and sightseeing, nothing could be better. And then we went out for ice cream, and we all got our pine sap, er, caramel fix.

P.S., I am way behind again. Blogs on Capitol Reef, Canyonlands, Arches, Mesa Verde, and Black Canyon National Parks will be up shortly, I promise!