RMNP and Great Sand Dunes National Park

I got up early the next morning to take some photos of what I thought would be a pretty location. Maybe not stunning, but I had the place to myself, except for a coyote and some wild turkeys. There were some clouds earlier in the morning, but nothing really caught the light. Watching the land get lit up as the sun rose over the mountains behind my shoulder was spectacular.

From there, I took a scenic drive over the Continental Divide (twice), going through some rural parts of Colorado, on my way to Alamosa and the Great Sand Dunes National Park. It was actually spitting rain when I arrived, with lots of lightning to the south, but that cleared out just as I arrived. These are the highest sand dunes in North America - 7,700 feet, with the tullest dune 750 feet above the valley floor. There were thick clouds covering the mountains, but then a strong wind came in and blew the clouds out...and blinding sand into my face. It felt like gale force winds started about 10-15 minutes after I'd climbed to the top in search of a nice photo. The wind was relentless, and I eventually climbed back down. I snapped this photo from a pull-out along the drive out of the park.

There were storms all around me that day, this is a snapshot I took at a cattle guard crossing along my way back to Alamosa. The sky was so awesome, and since I had the road to myself, I couldn't resist.

That's it from my trip. Household goods arrived yesterday - I have loads of unpacking to try to get everything ready for Catherine and the kids for when they arrive. Can't wait for school to be done so they can join me here.

Cheers!

Marc

Rocky Mountain National Park

I got up early the next morning to catch sunrise. None of those pictures made it into this post, since I snoozed a bit too long after my alarm. I watched a beautiful sunrise, but was not in a good location to photograph. Stunning around me, just not photogenic.

So after the sun rose and the golden light faded, I finished hiking up to Dream Lake. The hike started with snow literally at the very edge of the parking lot, and continued unabated for the entire hike. This one started at 9,500 feet, and my poor lungs felt it!

Fortunately, it is a short hike (1'ish miles) with modest elevation gain (500'ish feet), but the snow (and ice) were sketchy. When I arrived, the mountains were largely shrouded in clouds, snuffing out the good light.

I continued on to Emerald Lake, a bit short of another mile with more than 700 feet of elevation, taking me up to 10,100 feet. In both places, I had the trail and the location to myself, which was simply amazing. The clouds were still there when I arrived, but cleared out in less than 10 minutes.

As I was making my way down to Dream Lake, I encountered my first fellow hikers. At Dream Lake, a couple was doing their wedding photos - they are just out of camera to the right.

Since the sun was out...and I forgot my sunscreen, I headed back to the car rather than heading straight to The Loch. It added a mile or two to my hike, and some decent elevation change that really drained me. Along the way to The Loch, I passed Alberta Falls. This is pretty close to a parking lot, so there were a ton of people, though way less than on my way back down after hitting The Loch.

The Loch, like Emerald and the majority of Dream lakes, was covered in snow and ice. Despite sitting at 10,190 feet and almost 3 miles in, was crowded. Add to the fact that the trail was SKETCHY in places (walking over snow bridges, icy/slippery in exposed areas) - but mostly within 1/4 mile of the top - I was surprised at how many people were up there. It was still pretty and restful in spite of the crowds. 

Cheers,

Marc

Made it to New Mexico

I made it to New Mexico - it was a fast and furious trip, but it was also a nice break. The hard work is about to begin!

It has been quite some time since I've updated this photo, but I did a couple of days before I left Maryland. I didn't update it for our TX-VA or VA-MD moves, but here we are. You may remember it from our WA-TX move. 

I took off from Maryland on a Thursday morning, and made great time. I started in Ohio seeing most of my side of the family, then off to Memphis to see Christina. Due tot he so-called gas shortage, I took the scenic route. From Memphis, I drove through Arkansas and the Ozark National Forest, then up through a corner of Missouri on my way to Kansas. I spent the night in Kansas and then made my way to Colorado, where I had planned to spend 2 nights.

I arrived a bit after lunch, so decided to hike up to Gem Lake, not far from Estes Park) the Gatllinburg of the Rockies, only way less crowded...). Gem Lake is about a 2 mile (one-way) hike with 1,000 feet of elevation gain, topping out at 8,800 ft. About 3 minutes from the top, I heard a rumble of thunder but didn't let that stop me.

Gem Lake itself is a little tarn tucked between a cliff on one side and the remainder of the mountain on the other side, with narrow inlet/outlets on the north and south ends. It was an easy hike, and quite popular - it took a bit of waiting to get no people in my photos.

On my way down, the storm moved closer, just starting to sprinkle on me when I made it back to the van. I drove deeper into Rocky Mountain National Park, and came across snow on the road (the rain at Gem Lake was snow at higher elevations.

Fortunately, it was just a 1/4 inch of slushy stuff, but I did drive back to my hotel and grab some dinner along the way.

Cheers!

Marc