Have I told you lately how wonderful David is? I woke up at 4:45am and really needed to go to the bathroom. The rangers had done there best to let everyone know how serious the bear problem was in the campground. Being a little anxious, I woke up David and he happily escorted me to the bathroom. I fell right back to sleep, but unfortunately he didn't. At 7:30, he woke me up and we decided to get an early start on the day.
We packed everything up and headed back down the road about 10 miles to Grant Lake. There we rented a small tin boat with an outboard and headed onto the lake to fish. The lake was really smooth, we both were yearning to ski. We fished for a while in the middle of the lake and then towards the far side in a little cove. After snagging on anything and everything on the river, it was nice to cast as far as I could and not have to worry. We spent two glorious hours enjoying the lake and casting. (no, we didn't catch anything, but that's not the point).
It felt good to be back on the bike and we headed on 34 through the park. The Rocky Mountains are incredible. The road kept winding past tree line to the alpine tundra. At the top there was a Visitor's Center with interesting displays and fabulous views. We had lunch in the coffee shop there and, at our table right by the window, we could watch the deer and elk outside.
The road, the highest paved through road in the U.S., continues through the tundra. The tundra was different here than in Canada or Glacier NP in that there was low green grass as far as the eye could see. There were lots of wildflowers, we are even beginning to know their names. We took some pictures from the various overlooks. I hope they can capture the beauty since it is impossible for me to do in words.
From the park, we went through the town of Estes Park, a cute tourist, resort town. We found a great private campground with only a few sites left. We were able to set up during a light sprinkle, but after that a thunderstorm hit full force. The lightning was beautiful and the storm didn't last too long. Our site is on a hill overlooking the tenting area and some of the town. The view is nice and the site is private even if it is a little slanted. We saw a mother deer and two fawns munching on bushes. I think the best part may have been that a pizza place in town delivers pizza right to your site! It's been a long time since we've had hot, fresh baked pizza.
We bought some firewood and had a great fire. It took a bit of work and we didn't have many logs, but it just helped us to get creative.
janet.
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