Thursday, June 14, 2012

Bear Lake

We left Sunday morning for Estes Park, Colorado.  We wanted to see Rocky Mountain National Park together.  We didn't go on the motorcycle; at our ages, we are lucky to get there in a car.  
First of all, let me tell you that if you are sixty-two years old or older, you can get a Golden Age Senior Pass that will get you in any national park free... not only you, but anyone in the car with you.  
There is road construction on the way to Bear Lake, so you can get a free tram ride from Estes park.  
It's lovely at Bear lake.

I absolutely HAD to put my feet in that cold water.  A trout swam right over my feet as I sat there.  Unfortunately, I scooted to the right of the rock I was sitting on and ended up sitting in mud.  Thank goodness for the dry climate in Colorado, because the seat of my pants was dry within a half-hour.



Isn't it beautiful?


 See the snow behind me?


 Little alpine wildflowers


 Snow again.


 Little boys playing in the snow.


















This is one of the trams we rode on.

 There is a beetle absolutely devastating the forests in Colorado.  The park workers cut the dead trees and stack them as you see in the picture.  They wait until snow falls and burn the dead trees; unfortunately, there hasn't been sufficient snowfall in recent years, so the piles of dead wood remain, waiting.  Also, temperatures haven't gotten cold enough to kill the beetle population.  Very sad.
  
Here's one of the spots where they are making the road to Bear lake wider.
Now let me tell you the worst part about our Monday.  We waited for the first tram to pick us up and when ours finally showed up, the driver opened the door and said, "Are you sure you want to do this?"  
He explained that long lines of people were up at Bear Lake waiting for a tram to pick them up and bring them back down.  
I figured we are pretty tough, and we climbed aboard.  Unfortunately, the tram was loaded, so that left us standing.  I was fortunate that a gentleman got up and gave me his seat (he was a biker, a Harley rider... go figure), but Cliff stood for the long trip.  The reason it was a long trip?  We had to stop where they were doing road work in various locations for twenty to thirty minutes at a time.  
When we finally got to Bear Lake, it was lovely, and we hiked around it.  But when we were done, we had a forty-five minute wait for the next tram to take us back to where we started.  
If we had known what we were in for, we would have skipped the whole trip, returning in three years after the road work was done.

8 comments:

  1. You are taking a trip I have done many times -- and always loved. My father's family built and owned a cabin in Green Mt. Falls, CO from 1907. I spent every summer of my youth in the Rocky Mountains around Pike's Peak and Colorado Springs -- but we always traveled throughout the state. Some of my happiest memories are in Colorado. Hubby and I traveled to Estes while Mother was still alive -- then went across the continental divide and across Colorado into Utah -- and finally back to visit, just briefly with Mother in Green Mt. where she had moved in the 1970's. She and Dad renovated the summer cabin into a year-round residence and both lived their until their deaths. Have a wonderful trip -- build beautiful memories. MGW

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  2. I'm glad you are enjoying your trip! I don't think I've been to that park before. I've been to Yellowstone and Glacier and Grand Teton.

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  3. That's beautiful!I would have hated the wait though; I'm impatient and don't like to stand for long periods of time. (hard on my teacher legs!)

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  4. Glad you got to go. The views there are beautiful. Road work is everywhere this time of year it seems.

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  5. Great pictures. I just saw on the news this morning about the beetles.

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  6. That is a beautiful place. I'm glad you uys had a wonderful time.

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  7. Donna you did the right thing taking that tram. You have to LIVE in the MOMENT. three years is a long time anything can happen. LOOK at all the beauty you would have missed because of a little inconvenience. If I was Cliff I would have sat right down in the middle of the floor.

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