Denver and Red Rocks

[Tue 6/21 - Thu 6/23]

Woke around 7am Tuesday at our Winter Park campsite and quickly packed up camp - didn't even make coffee, opting instead to find a breakfast spot when we got to Denver. The winding drive south on highway 40, up and over a Rocky Mountain pass, was beautiful. We picked up I-70 and continued east into Denver, parking in the Union Station area, a block from our hotel, around 9:30. Had a great breakfast at One Fold, walked back to the hotel and were pleased to learn our room was ready. Showers were a welcome treat after 3 nights of camping.

After cleaning up, we headed out for a tour of downtown Denver, walking from our hotel, past Coors Field, on to the State Capitol and Civic Center area, stopping for a pint at Pints Pub (a great British-style pub that claims to hold the World's Largest Single Malt Selection Outside Britain), then on to Laramie Street and back to the hotel, a nice 4-5mi walk. We really enjoyed seeing the city - one neither of us have spent much time in - and agreed we need to come back again and stay a little longer.

Colorado State Capitol

Two feet at 5,280 feet above sea level (on the Colorado Capitol steps)

A portion of Pints' single malt collection

Laramie Street - mid-afternoon lull

We got back to the hotel around 3, cleaned up in time to be picked up at 3:45 by my college buddy, JD, and his wife Kathy, our companions for dinner and a concert at Red Rocks.

JD drove us to The Golden Mill, a great restaurant/pub with self-service beer taps - you get a card that you tap before you pour; it measures how much you pour and charges by the ounce, so you can sample dozens of local beers (mixed drinks too). Sat outside and enjoyed a great meal, then headed over to Red Rocks, a spectacular venue for live music - especially on a gorgeous early-summer night. Saw Neko Case, Iron & Wine (the reason I picked this show) and Andrew Bird. All were great - especially enjoyed when Iron & Wine joined Andrew Bird on stage for a few songs. After the show, we headed back downtown, stopped for a nightcap near our hotel, then said our goodbyes after a great night.

Pre-show with JD & Kathy

I&W

Night sky over Red Rocks

Alarm woke me at 6:45. Karri was already up and showered(!). I showered, we packed up, grabbed breakfast at the hotel and were on the road by 7:30. Our destination today is Bozeman, MT, about a 10hr drive. We previously intended to head toward Chicago but (as previously mentioned) changed plans and are heading for home. Staying with friends, Jack & Diane, who joined us for a portion of our Yellowstone trip last year. If all goes according to plan, we'll have an 11hr drive home on Friday. Hard to believe this is our last night of the trip.

Colorado River and Winter Park; No Plan? No Problem

[Mon 6/20 - Tue 6/21]

Arrived at our new campsite in Timber Creek Campground around 6, a nice but small site. Enjoyed leftover chicken & rice by the fire on a clear and chilly evening. Climbed into the van around 9pm. It got cold overnight and we both layered up as the night went on, but both of us slept well - til almost 8am (guess we were tired)! Woke to frost on the ground that melted quickly under a cloudless sky.

Packing up camp after a frosty night

Tuesday was a rare day with no specific plans - including no campground or hotel reservation - other than to work our way closer to Denver, where we have a hotel reservation for Wednesday night. We packed up camp and headed out of the park, south toward Grand Lake, then continuing on along the western shore of Shadow Mountain Lake. We decided to check out the dam at the southern end of the lake which flows into the Colorado River, then decided to do a short hike along the eastern edge of the river. We hiked a little over 2 miles, stopped and had lunch on the shore of the river, then headed back to the van.

Shadow Mountain Lake

Spillway to the Colorado River

Trail along the Colorado

Lunch spot

We drove another 30 miles south to the ski town of Winter Park, where Karri had scouted a couple first-come-first-served campgrounds. Around 1pm, we pulled into the first, Idlewild, and found a large, private site that was one of a few still available, so we snagged it and setup camp. Then we hopped on our bikes and rode a couple miles along the Fraser River Trail (which runs through the campground) back to the main strip in Winter Park. 

Welcome sign at Idlewild!

Our site

Fraser River Trail to Winter Park

Decided to stop for a beer at The Ditch on 40, a roadside bar/restaurant with an inviting upstairs patio. We ordered a couple beers, glanced at the menu (a mix of southwestern fare and bar standards), and decided a late-lunch-early-dinner might be in order. We shared fish tacos and a burger - both very good - and had a 2nd round of beers before biking back to camp. Setup the hammocks and relaxed as the afternoon started to cool off, then lit a fire, poured a cocktail and are now sitting fireside, snacking on cheese and crackers, our 'dinner' for tonight. This will likely be our last night camping for the trip.

During our leisurely day, we also decided on a modification to our plan. After Wednesday night in Denver, we planned to continue on to Chicago, drop the van at my cousin's, then fly home before returning a few weeks later for our annual 'Lange Open' family reunion & golf outing (being held for the first time in Michigan). Instead, we're going to drive home and then decide whether we drive or fly to the family reunion. We'll have time on the road to discuss.

Going to be another early night to bed. Tomorrow we will explore Denver a bit, then are meeting up with a college buddy of mine and attending a concert at Red Rocks - a bucket list venue for both of us.

RMNP - Timber Creek Campground and Timber Lake

[Sun 6/19 - Mon 6/20] 

Pulled into our campsite at Timber Creek Campground, a few miles from the northwest entrance to the park, around 6pm. Did minimal setup as we have to switch to a different site for tomorrow. I got a fire started while Karri whipped up a delicious Mexican dish with chicken, rice, corn and black beans. We were both tired, so cleaned up quickly and climbed into the van around 8:30pm. 

Up at 7:30 after a rough night of sleep for me. Quick breakfast in camp, packed up the van and headed to the Timber Lake Trailhead, about a mile down the road. Our plan was to hike to Timber Lake, a 10.5mi out-and-back trail with 2,400' elevation gain. I was still sleepy and Karri is still battling a cough, so we agreed we'd turn back early if we weren't up for the full hike. But if you've read any of our other posts, you know that's not how we roll. :)

There were only 5 other cars in the parking lot when we set out just before 9am - a nice respite from the crowds on the other side of the park. The temperature was around 60 degrees and warming with blue sky and occasional puffy white clouds. After about a mile on the trail Karri spotted an elk nursing her calf just 30 yards up the trail.

Elk nursing her calf

We stopped so as not to disturb them - and a little concerned mom might view us as a threat. A couple came up the trail behind us, then a single hiker who asked what we were waiting for, before scoffing and pushing through. The elk moved off the trail, we let the other couple through, waited a bit, then continued on with the trail to ourselves. 

The trail passed mostly through ponderosa pines as we steadily gained elevation, crossing several small streams and climbing over a number of downed trees. There was a slide area around the 2-mile mark, but fortunately we were able to press through.

Crossing the slide area

At about the 3-mile mark, Karri spotted a moose with her calf just off the trail about 40 yards ahead. The day before, we overheard a guy from Montana say that a moose cow with her calf is about the meanest animal in the wild - likely hyperbole, but we kept our distance nonetheless. 

Baby moose!

We waited several minutes while they ate - periodically looking up to check us out. They eventually moved deeper into the woods, allowing us to pass. We pressed on, still climbing, crossing more streams and passing more wildflowers than we'd yet seen on the trip.

Wildflowers

Stream crossing

We were both struggling a bit more than usual but the 'should we turn around?' conversation never happened. About 4.5 miles in, we started to see patches of snow. At about the 5-mile mark, we were trudging through soft, sometimes deep, snow. The trail was tough to follow at times, making us thankful for our Alltrails map and a decent GPS signal. The last quarter mile was slow as we carefully picked our route, hoping to avoid sinking a foot deep into the soft snow (known as 'post-holing'), before we finally arrived at the lake.

Soft snow

Post-holing demonstration (for educational purposes only)

Made it!

The lake was beautiful, surrounded by rocky/snowy peaks. For once, it wasn't freezing and the wind wasn't howling, so we enjoyed lunch on a rock at the edge of the lake before heading back down.

Timber Lake

We passed a few groups coming up on our way down but mostly had the trail to ourselves. We were both tired and anxious to be done. Got back to the van around 3pm. Drove back to the campground to check-in to our site for tonight. Pulled into the site, then realized it was still early and there wasn't much shade to be had - and no mature trees for setting up the hammocks for a nap - so decided to head back into Grand Lake for a beer and afternoon snack. Ended up at Lariat Bar and Grill, a divey local spot. Had a great chat with the bartender as I wrote this post and we made plans for the rest of our time in the area. Heading back to camp now.

Estes Park, Trail Ridge Road and Grand Lake, CO

[Sat 6/18 - Sun 6/19]  *** Happy Fathers Day! ***

Not gonna lie... That massage felt pretty good after a week of hiking. Karri loved her spa treatments too. 

After pampering ourselves, we headed back to our room to relax a bit and clean up, then hopped on the bikes and rode into town. Stopped for a salad and a couple slices of pizza at Bob & Tony's (good, not great), then walked the bikes along the Estes Park River Walk, before hopping back on and riding to Lake Estes. Rode the length of the park, then turned around and biked back to the room, about 8 miles round trip. 

Nice riding trail along Lake Estes

Mountain backdrop

We relaxed a bit back at the room, then cleaned up, stopped at the outdoor bar at our Inn for a cocktail and some live music before heading to dinner at Bird and Jim. We had a delicious meal (shared a steak, salad and appetizer) and great service. Toward the end of the meal we found ourselves reminiscing about our fathers, sharing some of our favorite memories of each (to the point I felt I should explain to the waitress why we were both getting a little misty!). A great night - capped off with a quick dip in the hot tub before drifting off to sleep.

A couple great dads!

Up at 7am to pack up and drive the Trail Ridge Road over the Continental Divide to the northwest corner of the park. It's about a 45-mile, winding drive from Estes Park to Grand Lake, CO, climbing 4,000 feet up to 12,183 at it's highest point. Trees can't grow above 11,500 feet so about 11 miles of the drive are through wind-blown tundra. It was beautiful, fascinating and, at times, unnerving as guardrails are few and drop-offs are steep!

Moose sighting at the start of the drive; later saw a mama and calf

Longs Peak 

Just above treeline

Blue sky trying to push through

We stopped at several pullouts to soak in the vastness of the Rockies, snap photos, or walk along a trail through the tundra.

We hiked a half-mile out to these rocks that, for some reason, have survived the elements that others didn't

Mountains as far as you can see

We eventually descended and passed through several meadows and valleys on the western side of the park. Drove through Timber Creek campground to scout out our campsites for the next 2 nights (have to switch sites after the first night), then continued out of the park and on to Grand Lake, CO - a cool, western town on the shores of Grand Lake. Stopped for a great lunch at One Love Rum Kitchen, waited out a brief rain storm, then walked through town a bit before stopping at Charlie's Sports Bar & Grill for a couple beers, blogging, and watching the finish of the US Open. Heading now to setup camp.

RMNP and Estes Park

[Thu 6/16 - Sat 6/18]

After a nice stop for breakfast in Estes Park, we drove about 13 miles south on highway 7 along the eastern edge of the park, then took a 2-mile dirt/gravel road back into the park to get to Wild Basin Trailhead, arriving around noon. The parking lot was full, but we were able to snag a spot just as someone was leaving.

We packed up and hit the trail to Ouzell Falls, a 6-mile out-and-back hike with about 1,000' elevation gain. We originally intended to hike all the way to Ouzell Lake (10mi out-and-back), but the combination of tired legs and a late start made us back off that goal. It was hot under the mid-day sun as we hit the trail.

The trail follows along a creek as it slowly ascends to the falls. It was a little crowded but not bad. The creek was running strong - in a couple places, it was close to overflowing its banks.

Swollen creek

Lot's of white water

We got to the falls, then climbed a little higher to get a better view. 

Ouzell Falls (tough to give perspective... probably 40-50' from top to a pool just behind that rock)

We sat on a downed tree near the base of the falls, cooled by a gentle mist from the tumbling water, and had lunch before heading back down. Near the bottom, we took a side trail to get views of a couple more falls.

Lower Copeland Falls (I think)

We got back to the car around 3pm, hot, sweaty and tired. On the drive in, we had noticed a roadside lodge on highway 7 that offered showers, and both agreed that was a well-earned indulgence. So we stopped at the charming Meeker Park Lodge, cleaned up, grabbed a couple drumstick cones, and hopped back in the van, feeling refreshed.

Got back to camp around 5pm and invited our neighbors - a lovely retired couple from Tampa whom we'd chatted with each day/night in camp - to join us for happy hour. We ended up sitting around their campfire for a couple hours sharing travel stories - they spend 5 months every summer traveling the U.S. and Canada in their camper/trailer. We really enjoyed their company and shared contact information in the hopes of meeting again. Around 8pm, we made a quick pasta & salad dinner, cleaned up and climbed in the van around 9:45pm as an electrical storm starting to roll in.

Storm clouds to the east

We both slept well - and long - waking around 7:30am(!) Friday, moving day. We packed up the van, checked out of camp, and drove to nearby Sprague Lake, which we had heard was a good spot for wildlife viewing. We parked and enjoyed a leisurely 1 mile stroll around the lake, spotting a moose in the woods about 75 yards off the trail.

Continental Divide over Sprague Lake

Names of those peaks from handy sign-board on the trail

From Sprague, we drove back up to Moraine Park, stopped at the nearby Discovery Center, then continued up to Fall River Road in the hopes of seeing some bighorn sheep - success this time!

Bighorn sheep enjoying a lakeside breakfast of... mud (for real)

We continued out Fall River Road a couple miles to the northeast park entrance/exit, the a couple more miles to the Inn on Fall River, our home for the next 2 nights. Our room wasn't ready yet, so we got a couple restaurant recommendations from the clerk and headed into Estes Park. Had a delicious outdoor brunch at Claire's Restaurant and Bar while we watched a storm system settle in over the mountains. We walked around Estes Park, stopping in a few stores. Aside from an abundance of tacky t-shirt shops - it's a pretty cool mountain town. 

We could feel the storm system rolling into town and, since we didn't have our rain jackets, agreed that if it started raining we'd duck into the first bar we saw. Soon enough, it started to pour just as we passed The Wheel Bar - clearly a sign. We grabbed 2 seats at the bar and enjoyed a few pints while watching some of the US Open. It rained hard for nearly 2 hours, making us thankful that we weren't hiking and that our gear wasn't getting soaked around a campsite.

We headed back to the Inn around 4, checked into our room - a delightful suite on the river with it's own hot tub, fire pit and washer/dryer(!). We started a load of laundry, took a quick soak in the tub, relaxed a bit, showered, dressed and headed to the Rock Inn Mountain Tavern for dinner - an awesome spot we highly recommend. Got back to our room around 9, excited to climb into a real bed. I slept great... until 4:45am, eventually getting up around 6 and tip-toeing out to get coffee and work on this post on our riverside patio. Karri slept til 9(!) - a much-needed battery recharge, as she's been battling a mild cough (non-Covid... 2 negative tests).

We're really going to pamper ourselves today. Karri booked me for a massage and herself for a body scrub and facial. Roughing it...

RMNP - Going with the Flow

[Tue 6/14 - Thu 6/16]

We're back at Coffee on the Rocks in Estes Park enjoying coffee and a breakfast sandwich at 8am. We've changed our plan a bit and, fortunately, all has worked out great. 

This place understands me

Tuesday morning, after stopping here for coffee and connectivity, we headed back into the park. Morning rain and clouds had kept us from our planned hike from Bear Lake Trailhead. Instead we hiked Deer Mountain Trail - a 6 mile, out-and-back hike with 1,400 ft of elevation gain - to the top of Deer Mountain. We had read it was a popular trail, so felt fortunate to get a parking spot near the trailhead when we pulled up around 11am. We hiked under clear skies while the storm system slowly lifted from the peaks to the south.

The trail was busy at the bottom but thinned out as we gained elevation. It was sunny but hold-onto-your-hat windy whenever we weren't protected by trees. There were several overlooks with great views of Longs Peak, Moraine Park and Estes Park. It was a great way to get oriented to the northeast corner of the park.

We're heading somewhere up there

Storm lifting from Longs

Ponderosa pines provided a nice break from the wind

The hike was a manageable challenge, with a steady incline before a take-your-breath-away stair climb to the summit at 10,013'. The views were worth it!

Continental Divide with Morraine Park in the foreground

"Merry Christmas from the Langes"

If it wasn't so windy, we would have had lunch on the rocks, soaking in the views. Instead, we decided to head down, keeping a brisk pace on the steady downhill. 

Heading back

We got back to the van, cleaned up a bit, then decided to drive through the northeast corner of the park, along Old Fall River Road. We had read this was a good spot for wildlife viewing. We stopped at a waterfall and spotted an elk eating lunch right next to the parking lot. Further down the road, we spotted a moose along a stream. There were several signs for 'Bighorn sheep crossing' but, unfortunately, we didn't see any.

Elk

Moose (in the foreground)

We got back to camp around 5:30, enjoyed happy hour and an amazing steak dinner next to the campfire. Cleaned up and climbed in the van around 9pm. 

I forgot to set an alarm so we 'overslept' until 6:45am. Had coffee and breakfast, loaded up our packs and rode our bikes to the park-and-ride, where we caught an 8am shuttle to Glacier Gorge Trailhead for the hike up to Mills Lake and on to Black Lake. 

It was clear, cold and windy as we started out. The trail was busy but not too crowded and, again, cleared out as we gained elevation. We had hiked the first portion of the trail on Monday, alongside Glacier Creek and several beautiful waterfalls. 

Glacier Creek

We started to hit patches of snow, but they were brief and manageable. After about 2.5mi, we arrived at beautiful Mills Lake (9,940'). 

Mills Lake (Black Lake in the bowl below those peaks in the distance)

After the lake, we passed through a marshy area, then began a steady climb up to Black Lake. We had heard this part of the trail had a lot of snow, but the ranger assured us we could get through with micro-spikes. We started to hit frequent patches of snow, put on our spikes, then hiked almost entirely through snow the rest of the way.

Elevated platform to get us through a marsh

Stream feeding Mills Lake

Snowy Trail

The last stretch up to Black Lake was steep and slippery, as the late-morning sun was starting to soften the snow. Plus the wind was blowing hard, making it slightly unnerving. It was a thrill to finally get up to the lake, 5.2mi from (and 1,480' above) our starting point.

Final climb; later learned there were stairs somewhere under that snow

Made it!

The lake is surrounded by several peaks - Powell (13,176'), McHenry's (13,242'), Chief's Head (13,521'), Longs (14,259) and Storm (13,321). We weren't sure which was which, but they sure were beautiful. The entire scene was so immense, we couldn't capture it in a single photo.

Chief's Head Peak (13,521') on the left and McHenry's Peak (13,242') on the right... (I think!) 

Still some ice on the lake

We were incredibly fortunate to have the entire lake to ourselves. We would have loved to linger over lunch, but the wind was howling and it was cold, so we headed back down.

Initial descent

Waterfall with sideways icicles due to wind

We made good time on the way down, although our legs were extra tired from climbing through the snow. We got back to the trailhead around 1:30pm, roundtrip around 10.5mi. Caught a bus back to the park-and-ride, biked back to camp, setup the hammocks and enjoyed a lovely afternoon nap. Happy hour and dinner (leftover chicken tikka masala and corn on the cob) by the fire. Cleaned up and in bed by 9pm, exhausted after a great day!

Up at 6:20am. Our original plan was to do another hike from Bear Lake today, but we feel like we've gotten a good taste of this area of the park and want to experience something new. So we packed up the van and headed into Estes Park for breakfast, connectivity and to take care of a couple errands. Now we're off to Ouzell Falls and Lake, on the eastern edge of RMNP. It's a gorgeous day, cloudless and the wind had died down. Hoping for a great hike!