More Photos at Rocky Mountain National Park
July 23, 2011 - Colorado
At Rocky Mountain National Park I remembered a documentary I saw about Lewis & Clark. They were expeditioners sent by then President Jefferson in 1804 to find a river passage to the Pacific. (Our son said they crossed the Rockies farther north.) When they encountered Rocky Mountain they forced their way up only to find that it was not a single mountain wall but a whole slew of mountains. They (and their team of about 45) had to work their way through every single mountain dragging their canoes which they would need once on the other side. When I saw Rocky Mountain was when I got a real sense of Lewis & Clark’s determination.

At Rocky Mountain we just drove through Trail Ridge Road -- the “beaten path”. According to the Rocky Mountain National Park website, it is open Memorial Day weekend in May through Columbus Day in October. There are many other roads and hiking trails but Trail Ridge Road was the one recommended at the Visitor Center when I asked for the best way to see Rocky Mountain.

The first shot I took (just past the gate after paying $20 admission per car good for one week) was at 3:35pm. We were near the highest elevation at Lava Cliffs, over 12,000 feet, at 8:07pm before turning back. We spent nearly five hours driving with not a dull moment.

At Lava Cliffs, we turned around and went down the way we came because, to be honest, we were unnerved by the drive up the top of Rocky Mountain. We were not used to driving in single lane, curved roads at high speeds with ravines on either side. We didn’t want to continue on and possibly encounter roads that looked even more treacherous.

On the way down I had a headache. (Vi and the kids were fine, though.) We were advised by the woman we met on the plane, Wanda, to drink plenty of water or coffee to minimize headaches at high altitudes. Aleve, which Vi brought, helped in my case.

I think Trail Ridge Road is a scenic highway done right. I don’t think it disturbs nature. Rather, I think the highway complements the mountainscape. Nature’s majesty may have something to do with inducing good-behavior on the visitor’s part but I think the man-made structures and overlooks with the visitor’s comfort in mind also elicit reciprocity. I may have just been overly excited and overly appreciative but at the time while driving along Trail Ridge Road I can’t help but wonder that if America had the permission to build highways everywhere, the most beautiful spots on earth would probably be made easily accessible to everyone -- including those on wheelchairs at Mount Everest.

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Vi took this photo.
Vi took this photo.
Vi took this photo.
Vi took this photo.
Vi took this photo.
Vi took this photo.
Vi took this photo.
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