Rocky Mountain National Park

The Aspens at peak color

Frost this morning

On a Walk in the Valley

Colorado River Headwaters

We began our visit to Rocky Mountain National Park at its Western side bordering Grand Lake.  The scenery was stunning from the moment we began our drive Trail Ridge Road.  It became even more spectacular as we climbed this longest and highest paved highway in the United States.  We were literally clinging to the edge of the road that had no guardrails aside from the ten-foot poles to guide the snowplow drivers so they can stay on the road.

The Continental Divide

The Rockies

Imagine Biking to the 12,000' Summit

The Rocky Rockies

Snow Fields and Alpine Lake

The Tundra above the Tree Line

Mountain Splendor

We stopped often for short walks and views.  One of the best was at the Alpine Visitors’ Center that is 11.796 feet above sea level.  There we saw a herd of elk cows that were resting while their bull protected his harem from the young bulls that were trying to move in his place. His bugling came up from the valley below the Center.

Elk herd  resting

Autumn's Splendor

With over 7,000 miles on our car, we now begin our journey eastward toward home and family.  It will take a few days for us to add on the next 2,000 miles and reach Cape Cod.  We will continue our blog as we complete our wonderful adventure.

Visiting Colorado Springs

United States Air Force Academy Chapel

Cadets on their way to lunch

Chapel  interior

Garden of the Gods

Among the rocks

Our friends Roberta and Roger

Roberta and Roger and their four children were my neighbors at North Truro Air Force Station in 1970.  My daughter Jennifer at a year and a half began playing with their youngest son Andrew who was two and a half.  They became best friends and we adopted all the Grandpres as family. When Heather was an infant, Jennifer became Roberta’s fifth child at the beach while Heather and her Mom bonded. 

When we left the Air Force and the Grandpre family moved to Colorado Springs almost forty years ago, we remained friends. We have visited them in their winter Arizona home, and they always visit us when they come East. Finally, I made it to Colorado Springs with Fern.  It was wonderful being together again.  Andrew and his wife Shannon and sons Austin and Noah came to visit and have dinner with all of us. We are hoping they will visit us on Cape Cod soon. 

We visited The Garden of the Gods and the Air Force Academy both highlights of Colorado Springs that I had visited on my first cross country trip while I was in college. 

Then we headed North for to Rocky Mountain National Park. 

Balance Rock

Noah Grandpre- 5 years old

Austin Grandpre - 10 years old

Durango to Silverton Railroad

Engineer preparing for our trip

The Rails curves so we could see both ends at the same time

We had a perfect day for our planned trip on the narrow gauge railroad from Durango to Silverton Colorado.  The steam engine was complete with soot and cinders that I remember from childhood trips to the Poughkeepsie Station.  The train climbed it s way through the canyon with the Animas River far below.  We were really on the edge.

The round trip was about seven hours of clickety clack.  Silverton is an old mining town that is picturesque and depends on the passengers from this train for its economic survival.  We helped out by having lunch and later ice cream. 

On the ride back, the train stopped to let off two young hikers who were loaded down with their equipment for surviving the wilderness.  We also met a couple from Colorado who were taking the ride for the first time.  We enjoyed meeting these locals and getting their take on their state.  We were reassured that Rocky Mountain National Park would be definitely worth the trip before we head our car toward the East.  

We were so close to the Canyon's walls!

and so close to the edge of the cliffs and the Animas River

Photographers were everywhere

Rainbow over the River 

Animas River Beauty

More River Beauty

The Beautiful Aspen in full color

Canyon Beauty

Mesa Verde National Park

Fern in Four States at Four Corners
Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado

Mesa Verde National Park

Cliff Palace

Cliff Palace Tour with the Ranger

In 1964, I was lucky enough to be invited by Maggie Seymour, a Guilford College friend, to join her and two other girls on a cross-country trip.  My mother had spent time in the West in the summers and on a sabattical from her teaching position studying in Arizona.  All her tales had made an impression on me so off I went.  The trip was a wonderful introduction to our American West and left me with many wonderful memories. 

One of the places my Mom suggested we visit was Mesa Verde National Park in Colorado.  We did visit Colorado but the group decision was to skip Mesa Verde and go on to the Grand Canyon. I always kept in the back of my mind the dream of seeing Mesa Verde.  In 2000, I visited Bandelier National Monument in New Mexico.  It also has cliff dwellings left by the ancestors of today’s Indians.  But it was not Mesa Verde.

Mesa Verde was everything my Mom had promised.  She visited not long after the Civilian Conservation Corp had built steps and trails allowing access to the dwellings. The Museum was built in the twenties, and shows the years of wear and tear from visitors.  A new Museum and Visitors Center is being built now to open next year.  The dwellings have been maintained by the Park Rangers to keep them from further deterioration.  It is amazing to be able to stand where an ancient people had built a society and had survived in the area for 1300 years. The archeologists have done a wonderful job uncovering the past in the canyon and on the land above it.  We were able to join a ranger lead group to Cliff Palace where the only challenges were 130 steps down and a similar number up again that included three ladders, the altitude of 7,000 feet and the hot afternoon sun.

Fern and I have spent many days on this trip in our National Parks.  They are an enormous treasure for all of us to enjoy.  We can see the government cutbacks just by noticing how few Park Rangers were present.  As a nation, we must continue to support these areas and visit them as often as possible. 

Fern holding up an Ancient Ruin

Cliff Overhang

Cliff Palace 130 Steps Down and 130 Up to the Top

Four Story Construction

From Across the Canyon

On the Road Again to Canyon de Chelley

Utah Ranch Land

Approaching Glen Canyon

We had a long drive from Springdale, Utah to Chinle, Arizona on Thursday.  On the way we went through Glen Canyon and stopped to visit the Glen Canyon Dam and Lake Powell.  We opted not to go into the dam and kept driving.  

Lake Powell Glimpse

Glen Canyon Dam on the Colorado River

Pictograph on Canyon Wall 

Petroglyphs

At the Bottom of the Canyon

Antelope Dwellings

White House Dwellings

A View from the Top

Our destination Chinle, Arizona is in the middle of Navaho Land and is the site of Canyon de Chelley (pronounced Shay).  The contrast between this area and the Zion area we had come from is enormous.  The Navaho are still living on bleak land in an area that does not seem to be able to support anything other than poverty. 

Since the canyon is in the Navaho territory a tribal member escorts all visitors on jeep tours or hikes.  We chose the red jeep route with our guide Kalvin and bounced our way down the canyon and back through land that had recently received a flash flood.  Kalvin told us he had lived in the Canyon with his grandmother until he was 12 years old and had not attended school.  Naturally we took many photos.  We have tried to share a few that show some of the area’s beauty.

Guess who?

Swirls from Water Action