Visiting Estes Park and Rocky Mountain National Park - March 25

Driving into Estes Park, coming up from the Thompson Canyon

Picnicking - the breeze was a bit chilly... brrrrrr! Our hearts were warmed by the presence of Aimee's sister visiting on her spring break.

Elk

A hillside of elk in Rocky Mountain National Park. Can you see them?
They look like rocks.

Mountain Vistas

Cute little snow bunnies at the Sprague Lake trailhead. The mommy bunny had a bit of a heart-attack when she first realized that her little boy bunny had ran and hidden himself; he was promptly taught that it's not safe to go and hide under bridges where there is ice of unknown thickness.

Hallett Peak (on left), as seen from Bear Lake area

God's spectacular handiwork!

Some beautiful, omega-3 fatty acid- and nitriloside-rich meat grazing beside the road (i.e. mule deer).

Here's the view down Hwy 34, headed back toward the Thompson Canyon. There was a large herd of elk grazing on both sides of the road (including in people's yards). This is a common occurrence (elk just about everywhere you turn around), especially in the winter when the high-country food supply is covered over with several feet of snow. A story shared by an innkeeper several years ago told of a guest contacting the front desk with the complaint that there was an elk in her room. She had left the outside door of her ground-level motel room open. The motel backed up to a large field, where, you guessed it, the elk where grazing. Apparently one got a little curious.

The Narrows (Big Thompson Canyon)