Rocky Mountain National Park:

Denver was great, but today was the day that I had really been looking forward to. We were headed to Rocky Mountain National Park! Nisheet’s boss used to live in Colorado and advised us that I-70 west was a beautiful drive, so we planned to hop on 70 West and then take 40 up to the west entrance of the park. Great decision!

As we headed down the road we were awed by the views. We had no idea that what we were seeing wasn’t even half as magnificent as what was to come. We exited 70 and started up 40. Simply amazing. The curves, the height, the beauty. We passed the ski resort of winter park (not much excitement in the summer) and left the mountains into a relatively flat area. We turned off onto 30 and suddenly we rounded a corner and were faced with one of the most beautifully blue lake I’ve ever seen, Lake Granby. And then another, Grand Lake. We of course pulled off to the side of the road so Nisheet could walk down and touch the water. As I stood looking and watching, I heard what sounded vaguely like electricity running through the power lines. Except there weren’t power lines in the direction I heard it coming from. I thought about it for a bit, but put it out of my mind. The views were too amazing to worry about such a silly little noise. We got back in the car and headed to the town of Grand Lake for lunch. Most of the restaurants were either closed or packed since it was a holiday weekend, and I was determined to find a cozy little place with a view of the lake. Because of these, we ended up at an average Mexican restaurant with an awesome view. We walked around and looked at some of the quaint shops. It was very enjoyable, but the stop needed no longer than a couple hours, including lunch.

Next up, Rocky Mountain National Park! As we headed into the park, we began to notice all the cars going in the opposite direction. I became anxious about all the lines we would have to wait in (purchasing our entrance pass, animal viewings, etc) and worried that we might not see many animals. Luckily, all the cars seemed to be driving the other direction, and we had a leisurely drive through the park seeing plenty of animals along the way. We saw moose, elk, marmots, and lots and lots of chipmunks. You don’t even need to get out of your car to see most of the animals. Just pull off the road whenever you see other cars pulled to the side and you are sure to see something. The first stop in the park for us (after pulling over too see a mommy moose with her baby) was to take a short hike to the start of the Colorado River. It was refreshing to get out of the car and stretch our legs. Surprisingly, there were very few people around and we really began to feel the vastness of the mountains. We splashed in the crisp, cool water of the river for a while and then headed back to the car. There were various pull offs where we stood mesmerized staring at the rugged vast landscape that is so oppositely different from the flatness in Northern Illinois, but we eventually made it to the Alpine Visitor Center. Almost 12,000′ high. That’s almost 2 miles! It is not only the highest visitor center in Rocky Mountain National Park, but it is the highest visitor center in any of the national parks. The views of the alpine tundra are out of this world, there is a little shop with the cutest mugs with animals on them, and there is also a little cafe with hot chocolate to help warm up. Beyond the center, you can stretch your legs again with another short stroll to more amazing views (and a great photo op). Then, it was time to drive into the eastern side of the park. I was surprised by how different the eastern side was from the western. The western side was lush with forests and streams whereas the eastern side was drier and rockier. Both beautiful, both worth the trip, just different. The sun was beginning to set as we wound our way down the mountain, and we were treated with breathtaking views of the sun setting behind the bare peaks of the Rockies. As the light became dimmer, more and more animals started coming out from the trees and behind the rocks. We saw lots of elk and a mountain full of the cutest marmot. At one point we saw a moose on the side of the road that was so still and silent that Nisheet thought he was a statue.

We made our way out of Rocky Mountain National Park for the night and into Estes Park where we had a hotel reservation. On the way to the hotel, we wandered through the little village and decided on a restaurant that served bison burgers for dinner. Bison! I was drooling in anticipation (and hunger) to try this exotic burger. We received our order and I greedily took a bite. It was juicy. It was tender. It was gamey. It was very very meaty. Something these semi-vegetarian city people couldn’t handle… I couldn’t even finish half of the burger. Fries for dinner it was!!