We headed to town (Estes Park) in search of breakfast before entering Rocky Mountian National Park (RMNP). The town reminds us of Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge, TN. Lots of shops, restaurants, quiet in the morning, but wall to wall people later in the day. We found a great restaurant where we could eat on the patio, looking at the mountains and watching the magpies fly around. A pest to the locals, visitors love them - they are black with white wings, and rounded wings and tail when flying.
We headed into RMNP about 11:30, stopping of course at the Fall River Visitor Center (we have to stop at all Visitor's Centers to at least get our National Parks passport stamped), then continuing on Trail Ridge Road. We could have taken the optional one-way, dirt, narrow, twisty-turny road on which vehicles over 25' are not permitted, but I really wanted to enjoy the ride, so I would not let the park rangers tell Rick about that route!
Trail Ridge Road is the highest continually paved road in the US, and traverses the 3 different eco-systems in the park. The Montane ecosystem encompasses the lower portions of the park, below 9,000', and is characterized by pine forests and beautiful mountain meadows. We saw a moose in a meadow, and many elk in the higher areas of the Montane area.
As we ascended, the valley fell away to my side - I'd much rather be on the upside of the mountain, not the downside! I didn't do much looking at this point! We entered into the Subalpine ecosystem, which lies between 9,000' and 11,400' above sea level. This area is charcterized by long, cold winters and short, cool summers, and lots of precipitation - 30" or more. It is the highest, windiest and snowiest forest. We noticed poles - skinny tree trunks, actually, of varying heights along the road. They turned out to be markers for the edge of the road to guide snowplows. The higher poles indicated areas where snowdrifts where high. Many were 20' or higher! Trees become shorter -shrubs, more than trees, and there are more rocks and scrub grasses.
The highest area of the park is the Alpine ecosystem - which is 11,400' and higher. This area occurs above the treeline and is very harsh. Fierce, drying winds, bitter cold, intense ultra-violet light, thin soil and brief growing seasons allow only very specialized plants and animals to survive here. Snow and glaciers are abundant here, even in July. Nearly 1/3 of the park is above the tree line at 11,400'. RMNP holds 72 named peaks above 12,000', and Long's Peak, at 14, 259', is the northernmost so-called 'Fourteener' (peaks rising above 14,000') in the Rocky Mountain chain. Trail Ridge Road tops out at 12, 183', not far from the Alpine Visitor's Center. We tried to stop there on our way through, but could not find a parking spot.
As we continued through the west side of the park, we noticed that people-life had thinned out considerably. When we stopped at the Kawuneeche Visitor's Center (8,720'), we talked to a park ranger who confirmed that the east side received about 2 million visitors per year, while the west side (the wetter and better side, the locals say), receives about 1 million visitors. Most people drive from Estes Park and turn around at the Alpine Visitor's Center.
Estes Park receives about 40" per year snowfall, Grand Lake receives over 150" per year, and snowfall is in 8-12" at a time, several times per week. The west side of the park is able to keep the first 10 miles of road open all winter, even with all the snowfall.
We continued on about 2 miles to Grand Lake, a little mountain town at the western gateway - similar but much smaller than Estes Park. I spotted a fabric shop, and Rick helped me pick out fabric for a class I am taking at the end of the month - choosing fabrics which remind us of Colorado. We found a 'Dairy King' restaurant for a quick lunch - again outside. The temperature was perfect, but the whole area is very windy.
We made our way back through the park, spotting a moose and many more elk. We were able to get into the Alpine Visitor's Center this time, and I was able to see more on the way back, since I was on the upside of the mountain for the most part. We exited the park at Beaver Meadows Visitor Center (7,840'), which was only about 2 miles from our campground.
My grandmother's favorite Bible verse has been running continuously through my mind :Lift up your eyes to the hills. From where does your help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. Psalm 121:1
No comments:
Post a Comment