The last couple of nights it has been quite cold. Well down into the lower 30’s. So cold last night that I dug out a flannel sleeping bag and used it as a comforter. As hot as I sleep, that is an unusual occurrence.
Rained more on than off yesterday, so I wandered through Grand Lake and had a look at the shops and restaurants of which there is an ample supply. All of the western home decorating stuff as you can imagine, loads of knotty pine, black bears of every shape and size, as well as all of the accouterments to outfit your favorite cowboy. I’ll bet this place is hopping in winter time.
Speaking of cold and rain, when they get together it turns into snow, and above 9,000 feet that is exactly what they got. Started late Wednesday afternoon and closed up Trail Ridge Road which is the route I took to get here Wednesday morning. Had I waited, I would have either had to go around the long way, or more likely follow a different itinerary. It was still closed as of about 5p today.
I mentioned how crazy the tourists were on the other side of the park in a previous post. Folks are much nicer on this side. More pleasant to be around and much more helpful. Of course, there is not nearly as much traffic. Not even close. Still, both sides of the park have definite scenic advantages. Nothing over here can compare to Bear Lake and Sprague Lake for scenery.
Kawuneeche Valley will definitely give Moraine Valley a run for it’s money. The river, formerly known as the ‘Grand River’ runs right through it. Lot’s of Elk, Moose, and Mule Deer. I could see why the settlers chose this area to homestead. Very picturesque. Just not very productive as far as raising cattle and crops are concerned. Kawuneeche means Coyote. And the Grand River, you may know by it’s more common name, the Colorado, whose headwaters are just 10 short miles from the top of the valley. 10 miles down, 1390 more miles to go . . .
While in town, I was able to street walk the Continental Divide Trail (CDT) which passes right through beautiful downtown Grand Lake. It was raining quite hard but fortunately a lot of it is under cover of the overhangs on the store fronts, so I only got half wet. Followed it for a good 3/4 mile or more.
This afternoon, I wandered back up into Rocky Mountain NP and picked up another section of the CDT. Walked that in about a 1-1/4 miles. Met up with a very nice gentleman on the trail and started a conversation. Turned out he was ‘commuting’ home on the CDT. Turns out he is a park ranger, and was on his way down from Flattop Mountain where he had been checking back-country campsites today. Most of them were still snow covered. I was the most ‘traffic’ he’d hit all week.
I now know what I want to be when I grow up . . . .
Okay kids, time for another interactive round of Wutsthis?!? Should be a little easier this time. My first guess was darn close. I basically had an either or, and the either was right, the or was a bit more off. Select comments below and place your bets. Don’t forget to sign your name if you are using the generic login.