National Park Centennial Draw Droves of Visitors!!

Where has June disappeared to?  With the droves of visitors touring America's Best Idea:  the National Parks, it's been busy at 12,000 feet!!  With a shortage of employees until the international students show up, we have all been working long hours.

Here's what's been going on in my section of Colorado the last couple of weeks:

• went to Grand Lake on the west side of RMNP, and checked out some new places:  Stillwater Pass, Willow Creek reservoir and Arapahoe National Forest,

  

  clouds amidst the mountains on my way up

  

  Shadow Mountain Lake near Grand Lake

  
  

  

  Willow Creek Reservoir

  
  

  

  Stillwater Pass

  
  

  

  Sprague Lake

  
  

  

  pine beetle devastation

  
  

  

  Poudre Lake @ Milner's Pass - the Continental Divide within RMNP

  
  

  

  rotary plow used to clear Trail Ridge Road

  
  

  

  Trail Ridge Road on June 6th
• attended a seminar on International Bird Migration Day at one of the visitor centers,
• hiked to the Wild Basin with Cal & Mary, venturing along the raging, snow-melt St. Vrain River, past Lower & Upper Copeland Falls, Calypso Cascades and Ouzel Falls; we found a Calypso Orchid (aka fairy slipper), also,
  
  

  

  Calypso Cascades

  
  

  

  raging St. Vrain River

  
  

  

  Calypso Orchid

  
  

  

  St. Vrain River

  
  

  

  Mary, Cal & I @ Wild Basin Area

  
  

  

  Ouzel Falls

  
  

  

  privy along the Wild Basin Trail

  
  

  

  close-up of Ouzel Falls

  
  

  

  rock climber along the trail with his "fall mat"

• attended another seminar entitled "Ends of the Earth," in which the presenter had gone to edges of all seven continents - Norway, Cuba, Capetown, Costa Rico, Barrow, Alaska, China, Antarctica and Iceland,
• witnessed about 2500 cyclists conquer Trail Ridge Road as part of their seven day tour of "Ride the Rockies,"
• saw moose (also my first bull moose of the year), marmots, bighorn sheep, pelicans, badgers, coyotes, birds, etc.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• was greeted by Sherm Gronlund, a retired colleague of mine at Amery Schools, and the voice of Amery Warriors athletics.  Sherm was in Colorado for his daughter's doctorate, and he and his son-in-law took a bus tour into RMNP,
  
  
  
• attended Rocky Mountain Church, and chuckled at the video they showed, "What You'll Never Hear Your Father Say,"
• braving the heat of the Front Range, I drove to Boulder's Flatirons and  Sweet Cow for ice cream with Anne, Lilly and Laura,
  
• sampled some refreshments at Wild Woods Brewery and Upslope Brewing Company,
  
• enjoyed a two-person musical entitled "The Psalms King," a story of Saul and David,
  
• traveled to Golden to tour Coors Brewery, the largest brewery in the U.S.,
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• visited Buffalo Bill's Museum and Grave on Lookout Mountain,
  
  
  
  
• walked through the downtown historic district of Golden and along the swift-moving Clear Creek's boardwalk, enjoying sculptures,
  
  
  
  
• visited "Panorama Point" in Golden Gate Canyon State Park,
  
• celebrated "The Strawberry Moon" with friends,
• admired the clouds effect on the mountains as I drive the shuttle up the mountain, and
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• enjoyed sunrises and sunsets of the Rockies.
  
  
  
  

I hope this note finds you dancing in joy during the "First Day of Summer,"  I miss seeing my family and friends!!  Know that you are in my thoughts and prayers!!

Amy