Week 8, June 22-28
Rocky Mountain High
My original itinerary didn’t even include Colorado until October, and that was to see the Aspen trees change. I wasn’t even going to see Rocky Mountain National Park on this trip.
But a few fortuitous hiccups changed my route and now I’ve spent a month in the Rocky Mountain state, and a whole week in the National Park!
I’d been through here briefly 5 years ago on the way to Moab, UT. Just passing through for a day (however, that day it snowed 18” in early September! It was magical).
One brief drive-by, where most of the roads were closed due to snow, was not any way to really experience this park. Even with a whole week I feel there’s still more to explore - but not now, I’m also eager to move on to the next thing!
In addition to spending a week in the park, I had a new friend join me for a bit. A friend of a friend got a camper van and a case of wanderlust, but without my devil-may-care attitude and the innate sense of security that comes with being a tall white dude. So she is joining me for a bit to get more comfortable and familiar with vanlife and putting yourself out there into the wild. It’s crazy to me that I could be anyone’s guide, or have any experience to share in this area. But I suppose I have been at this for almost 2 months, and sometimes you just need someone there who can catch you, even if they never actually have to.
Sunday, June 22. Day 49
Beauty around every curve
Lyons, CO -> RMNP
At an outdoors shop in Lyons last night a guy gave me a tip for a place I could park overnight and not get hassled. Bonus points that it was halfway to Rocky Mountain National Park, my destination for the week.
Earlier in the morning than I cared for, traffic from the nearby road woke me up.
With nowhere else to be today, I headed into the park to get there before 9.
Rocky Mountain National Park has a timed entry reservation process. I knew that, but forgot to follow up and reserve entry times. Hell, I didn’t even know I was going to be at the park before Wednesday, so not like I even could have planned for this.
However, entry is open before 9a and after 2p!
Expecting a long line to get in, I made a bee-line for the park; don’t pass go, don’t stop to collect coffee.
Inside the park I didn’t have any kind of agenda. Just drive the Trail Ridge Road through the park and see what I see.
I saw a lot.
It took me 4.5 hours to go only 22 miles up to the Alpine Visitor’s Center at the “top” of the park. I stopped frequently, to take pictures, to do short walks or hikes out to observation points - to take more pictures.
From the Alpine Visitors Center - the unofficial ‘top’ of the park - I continued down the other side. I didn’t get too far when I realized it was getting late and I was tired and hungry!
Turned around and came back. But didn’t get very far before stopping for more hiking and photos! Around this time I also realized the van was down to 1/4 tank - no more pissing around, I had to head out of the park. On the way back down I rode the brakes too hard and overheated them, I had to stop for an hour to let them cool down. I used the time to process some photos and have a snack. Even without a working fridge, I still have lots of goodies to munch on!
With the brakes cooled down, I headed out of the park around 6:30. I had entered at 8am, so I spent 10+ hours just tooling around, constantly distracted by the overwhelming beauty! Understanding that I barely scratched the surface of what there is to see here.
For dinner I searched out a BBQ place that turned out to be a food truck. But I’d passed another BBQ joint on the way and turned around to head there. The place was a find, amazing food and huge portions for a great price.
Not done for the day, after dinner I headed back into the park! I wanted to photograph sunset over Bear Lake. But I miscalculated two things; how long it would take to drive to the lake (30+ minutes) and that the sun sets behind the mountains earlier than expected. By the time I got to the lake the sky was mostly dim. But the mosquitos were still out in droves, so I had that going for me.
Fortunately I wasn’t there solely for sunset. I also planned to do night skies photos over the lake and wanted to scope it out while there was still a little light out. I found the spot I wanted to shoot from and headed back to the van for a nap.
At 10p I headed back out to the lake. I set up at the spot I’d scoped out, but another photographer poked his head out further down (to check if I was a Ranger), and invited me to join him. His spot was better.
I also always enjoy company while doing night skies shoots. We talk gear, process, composition, and share tips. The Milky Way poked out over the mountains around 10:45.
I shot for about an hour and then packed it in.
But wait, there’s more!
We are approaching a new moon and I had researched when the moon was going to rise - at 3:24am - to the Northeast. All I had to do was find an overlook that faced Northeast (in a giant mountain bowl that almost entirely faced west.)
I found one spot, but discovered that the moon was going to be obscured by a big mountain close up. I drove further up and found an absolutely perfect spot. Facing NE, big open space with mountains in the distance.
As I pulled up around 1:30am, just as dense fog started to roll in!
I parked the van and went to sleep for 90 minutes. Getting up at 3a I poked my head out to see the conditions. Above me was crystal clear skies. But all along the horizon was dense fog. There would be no moonrise photo today.
Somehow though, I’d found a magical parking lot in the park where nobody seemed to care that I was there overnight!
Monday night/Tuesday morning is the actual new moon, a 0.5% sliver of a moon. I’m going back to the same overlook spot and praying* for clear skies!
*No prayers were actually administered.
Also I discovered that the cupholders in the van make great lens holders!
I'm constantly juggling where to put lenses when I swap them out.
Good: The sheer, overwhelming joy I felt all day being out in nature, exploring, taking pictures, and discovering new vistas.
Bad: Cut my leg on a hatch in the van. Not deep, but 4” long. Good thing I have a well stocked 1st aid kit.
Unexpected: Spending almost the entire day in the park, when I only planned a quick scouting visit. In fact the only reason I left the park at all was to get gas and dinner.
Monday, June 23. Day 50
Opposite Day
RMNP/Estes Park
Woke up in RMNP, then spent the day in Estes Park, in the evening went back to the park for the night.
The inverse of what I think most people do.
The parking lot I was in was bustling at 6:30am and I couldn’t fall back to sleep. Tired and a little aimless, I bounced around a few lookout spots higher up. I was going to head out of the park soon to get breakfast. But like the day before, things kept grabbing my attention! Huge elk bulls hanging out on the perfect light. Photo opportunities I couldn’t ignore, short hikes I hadn’t noticed the day before. Next thing I realize it’s after noon and I desperately need to eat something!
I head into Estes Park the ‘gateway town’ for RMNP. Very touristy and everything is 25% more expensive than normal.
It’s a perfect day, just the right weather. It seems like everyone is eating ice cream.
The main drag is all T-shirt shops, candy, and souvenirs. But to their credit, the only franchise in ten blocks is a Dairy Queen.
The town is clean, well maintained, and there are planters of wildflowers blooming everywhere. As far as touristy towns go, this one’s pretty tolerable.
Good: It was a perfect day out. Cool, sunny, a few clouds. Crisp mountain air. [breathes deep; ahhhhhh]
Bad: I got a quote from an RV repair service to replace my busted refrigerator: $3500! After my initial shock, I realized they were being very literal about replacing it with the exact same model, which is 8 years old and probably discontinued. I’m currently scouting newer options at a fraction of the price.
Unexpected: Hung out in the Estes Park public library. The library is kinda awesome. I used the wifi to post last week’s blog, process last night’s sky photos, and generally just chilled. I was too tired from lack of sleep to do much else.
Wildlife below: The gray rodent is called a Pica, it's a little bigger than a mouse and mostly lives in the rocks above the treelike (~10,000'). The other is Elk, with velvet still on their antlers. They'll shed the velvet in late summer, around September.
Tuesday, June 24. Day 51
Doesn’t feel like 51 days
RMNP/estes Park
Slept overnight in the park again, and again didn’t get harassed or run off. I’m going to press my luck for a three-peat tonight.
For most of yesterday and when I went to sleep there was thick cloud cover. But I was hoping that would change by morning. I wanted to photograph the rising 0.5% moon! (at 4:15a, no less)
It’s no surprise if you’ve never seen a 0.5% moon. Not only does it only rise around 4am, it’s barely perceptible, and it’s gone in 30 minutes, drowned out by the sun chasing it into the sky.
Well, I’m up so I might as well stick around for sunrise. sigh/yawn.
Sunrise was nice, and it was finishing up around 6am. I climbed back into the van, put earplugs in (people were starting to roll into the parking lot) and went back to sleep for 2 hours.
I woke up to a bustling scene of people moving about and taking their scenic pictures.
I’m enjoying waking up in the park.
Like yesterday, I head up, instead of out.
At the first stop I walk out to an overlook and everyone is spotting two cute (too cute) marmots. I take some photos too, and then move on. At the next stop there are more marmots, and again at the next 3 stops.
Yesterday I didn’t even know there were marmots here, now the place is littered with them!
Once again I intend to head down around 10 or 11 for breakfast, and once again don’t leave the park until noon!
Went to a different breakfast place - there are almost as many of them as there are t-shirt shops - and got an amazingly delicious croissant French toast dish. (Does that make it doubly French?) It was delicious, but also pricy. Good thing my procrastination has me down to 2 meals a day.
Found a laundromat that also had pay showers and took a long hot rinse. A step up from the washcloth cleanse in the van.
Then did some laundry.
When people think of the carefree wanderlust lifestyle, nobody thinks about spending 2 hours in a laundromat every week. I kind of enjoy the down time, though. I also went back to the library! Found a quiet ‘study room’ and proceeded the tons of photos from the last 3 days. Also printed some postcards for a few birthdays. I’ve been sending photos taken on peoples’ bdays.
I’m kind of enjoying the inversion of waking up in the park and doing some sightseeing early, then going into town in the afternoon, and heading back to the park in the evening.
Tonight I fired up the generator and ate one of the camping meals in my pantry. Without a fridge to store some essentials, I’ve been eating out more, and it’s adding up.
At the park store I bought a book to identify wildflowers. Going to try to do a wildflower macro photography series.
FYI about National Park stores... most parks these days have 2 stores: One run by the National Park Service (NPS), and one run by a for-profit outside operator.
Proceeds from the NPS store go right back into the park.
Proceeds from the outside operator stores goes to some corporation. They pay a flat fee to operate the store, but the park doesn't benefit from the sales. If you're going to buy a t-shirt, a magnet, or a postcard, consider buying it from the NPS store.
You can tell the difference because the NPS store will have actual Park Rangers there to answer questions, recommend hikes, and generally be helpful.
Daily listen: Live music in the park by cowboy Brad in the evening. I rolled up in time for the last two songs and heard him close out with Happy Trails from the Roy Rogers show. The nostalgia among the older folks in the crowd was palpable and joyful.3 days. It’s a lot!
Good: The sky was clear when I woke up and I got my 0.5% moonset shot! Just barely!
Bad: Something’s up with the furnace in my van. It kicks in then stops. And it gets cold overnight at 11,000’!
Unexpected: So many marmots!
Wednesday, June 25. Day 52
New friends and old adventures
RMNP/estes Park
Spent the night again at Rainbow Curve parking lot, 11,000’ elevation.
I did poke my head out at midnight to see if the sky was clear for photos. Looking straight up was crystal clear, but all along the horizon it was cloudy. Photos weren’t happening and I went to sleep. Got a good, full night’s rest and felt pretty good in the morning. Opted to make coffee for the first time in a while. This time I wasn’t surprised when the generator struggled to start. Not only was it 50º out, but the air was thin too. (The generator struggles to start in the cold.) It took 10 tries, but it finally started and stayed on. After that it only took 3 minutes to make the coffee. Then I got to enjoy it while sitting along the ridge and looking out over the mountains.
I’d been wanting to drive down to the other side of the park, to the town of Grand Lake, and decided today was the day! It was mostly uneventful. Turns out a lot of shops in GL are closed on Wednesdays. I got lunch and hung out. It was similar to Estes Park but much smaller, lots of tourist shops and t-shirt places.
On the drive back I passed by a large mass of cars parked along the road and people excitedly looking out towards the meadows; that always means one thing - big interesting animal!
I pulled over, grabbed my camera, and went to see what the excitement was about.
There were two male Moose taking a stroll along a river. I took a few photos and realized I needed go home and get my longer lens. So I went back to the van and dug that out. Good call, I got some great photos before they wandered off deeper into the woods and away from the paparazzi.
In the evening I met it with someone from Florida, friend of a friend that wanted to join up with me for a little bit. She bought her own van and wants to get more comfortable touring. We’ve been planning this for months, and it was great to finally meet in person!
It was early evening and we went into town for dinner, then I took her into the park to a great spot for sunset. We come from very different backgrounds - to end up in the same place (van adventures).
We’ll be spending close to 2 weeks traveling together! So far we’re off to a good start.
(She asked that I not post pics of her on my website, so you'll just have to take my word that I have a non-imaginary friend.)
Daily Listen: ‘Project Hail Mary’ audiobook.
I’ve been listening to this for a few days, and put it on while I was driving through the park. But then turned it off. I found myself imagining along with the book, but at the expense of paying attention to the beautiful nature around me. Apparently I’m only capable of paying attention to one or the other.
Good: Met up with new friend Tracie! We’ve been planning this rendezvous and travel for months and it’s great to finally meet.
Bad: The spot in the RV Park I was at was very uneven. When I’d move around the van it felt like being in a funhouse where the floors and walls aren’t level.
Unexpected: For a few days I’d wanted to drive through the park to Grand Lake on the other side. I decided today was the day! But I forgot to account for the timed entry restriction 9a-2p. Because I’ve been waking up in the park the last several days and then not going back until the evening, it hasn’t been a factor I had to consider.
So when I drove out of the park on the other side at 11am, I was effectively stuck there for a few hours. Not terrible, but not what I’d planned for.
Ps, Last night was the last night that I had search for a place to camp for a while. I have all my campsites and places to stay set for the next 8 or 9 weeks. It’s an interesting thing, not knowing where I’m going to sleep each night. Yeah, I have a bed and place to lay my head, but it’s stressful searching for a new place to camp every night, wondering if I’m going to get run off by a surly sheriff or rent-a-cop.
I’m not trying to make any comparisons or suggest I understand what it feels like to be unhoused. I know my privilege. But I have a little more understanding for the complexity of the situation.
Thursday, June 26. Day 53
Road to the Stars
RMNP/estes Park
My new friend Tracie* and I woke up early to get into Rocky Mountain National Park before the 9am timed entry requirement. The RV Park we’re at is literally at the entrance to RMNP. We made coffee and then got going. Even so, there was already a line of cars waiting to get in before 9. I kept looking at the clock, then at traffic, then back at the clock!
As we got closer, a ranger came over to ask if we needed to buy a day pass, I flashed my annual pass and he waved me into a third lane. I drove right on in… at 8:58am! (I’m pretty sure they had a few minutes grace period for people already in line, so it wasn’t as close as it seemed.)
*For those who have known me for a long time, this is a completely different Tracie.
Having been in the park for several days already, I was looking forward to showing my new travel buddy around. The goal was this; there was no goal. Drive up Trail Ridge Road, stop as often as we wanted and enjoy the views. There were a few spots specifically that I thought were special, and we got to those in due time. One in particular was Rock Cut, but by the time we meandered up there the parking area was full (well, there were one or two spots, but not anything my van would fit in.) We went on to the Alpine Visitors Center at the ‘top’ of the park and took in the views. Driving down the other side we stopped at Lake Irene and took a short hike. I’ve had all week to acclimate to the elevation, plus several weeks in Colorado on top of that. Tracie was just getting here and the elevation was challenging, but she kept at it with determination.
At the lake we got to see a young mule deer grazing on wildflowers, and on the way back we saw a chipmunk that was utterly unperturbed by our presence. We kept inching closer and he just stood there posing like it was his time to shine! Tracie could barely contain her excitement at getting to see the wildlife up close! (I made sure “close” was a respectfully safe distance. There were too many examples of tourists not respecting the “wild” part of wildlife and getting way too close.)
On the drive back we were able to stop at Rock Cut and we walked out to a rocky overlook with an expansive view of the valley and the snowcapped peaks off in the distance. Also at this spot were colorful algae rocks with vibrant greens and oranges - I described it as god’s graffiti.
I had my macro (ultra-closeup) lens on the camera and decided to try that with the bright algae and I think the results are strangely beautiful.
At the end of our day we finished up at a BBQ place I’d gone to earlier in the week. I got the brisket and it didn’t disappoint.
That night I had a plan to go photograph the setting moon. It was a 1% moon, setting at 10p. But I mis-timed how long it would take to get up to the spot I wanted to shoot from and I barely caught it before it dipped behind the mountains. My shot was not good, but I’ll share it below anyway.
Tracie came with me to see the moonset, but also to see the spectacular and rare night sky afforded to us in a dark sky park two and a half miles above sea level!
I was also there for a specific night sky photo that I had scoped out a couple days earlier. The question was if the heavy clouds from the evening would persist or clear up.
Spoiler: they cleared up and I got the shot I wanted - looking down a dark road that leads to the mountains, with the Milky Way rising behind them. If that description doesn’t do it justice, just take a look at the final pic below!
Good: Got to show a new friend around the park that I’ve spent days exploring. Showing some of my favorite spots and getting to see her ‘oh wow!’ reactions, just as I’d hoped!
Bad: I’ve been asking a lot of my van this week, going in and out of the park twice a day for days on end. I feel that I’m overtaxing the engine and especially the brakes.
Unexpected: If you don’t like the weather in RMNP, wait 2 hours. I literally don’t know what to expect of the cloud cover for night skies photos. Even when it was overcast at sunset the clouds could change quickly. I got lucky tonight and the weather accommodated my photo plans.
Friday, June 27. Day 54
Redrum
Estes Park
Having stayed out late last night for astrophotography, we decided not to wake up early and rush to get into the park. Instead we’d take a day to see the local sights.
I learned that the Stanley Hotel in Estes Park was the inspiration for Stephen King’s ‘The Shining.’ We opted for lunch at the hotel to check it out. The place leans heavily into its inspiration for the novel (and especially the movie). No, the movie was not filmed there. But there was a tv miniseries in the 90’s that did have portions filmed there.
However, even though I’ve read a lot of King over the years, I haven’t read The Shining or even seen the movie! I’ll have to make a point to watch it now.
After lunch we took a gondola ride up to a small local peak, 8700’ above sea level. Being an avid skier and having traveled extensively, I’ve been in my share of gondolas, funiculars, sky trams, cablecars, etc. This was new for Tracie though and she wanted to check it out. I likely would have skipped it, but I’m glad we went. It was a different perspective of the city and the rocky mountains. Plus it was a nice chill afternoon.
I had a little time to myself in the afternoon to process the night sky pics from last night and am pretty happy with how they came out. (You got to see them in yesterday’s post.)
We had dinner in a nice place downtown, I had the Elk Medallions, medium. When I was in Norway last year I tried Reindeer and it was delicious. Thought Elk might be similar and it was - just as excellent. I don’t eat all that much red meat lately (ok, I do eat a fair amount of burgers) but a good steak is a rare treat these days, especially on a budget. Though this was surprisingly reasonable.
Daily Listen Watch: Just realized that season 4 of The Bear is out! I hopped onto the library wifi long enough to d/l the season (also IronHeart on Disney+) and watched the first two episodes of The Bear. It was always going to be tough to match the quality of season 1, but I’m still enjoying it enough to look forward to new episodes.
Good: Elk steak.
Bad: It’s a clear night and perfect astrophotography conditions, but I just don’t have the energy to drive back up into the park - and particularly back down in the pitch dark. Tonight I'm being a lazy photographer, and squandering good conditions.
Unexpected: It was a chill day doing touristy things and I enjoyed it.
Saturday, June 28. Day 55
The Perks of Being a Wildflower
RMNP
Today we drove all the way through the park to Grand Lake on the other side.
We woke up early enough to beat the 9am timed entry restriction. My van was taking a much needed break to rest the brakes, and we took Tracie’s van. She was excited to drive through the park.
Five minutes after we left the rv site, I realized I’d forgotten my wallet, which contained my annual national park pass. Rather than turn around and drive back, all we’d done was circle around the outside of the campground. I hopped out of the van and ran over to the park, hopping a fence and jogging back to my van. I was there and back in 3 minutes, not bad. Though I was huffing pretty hard thanks to the elevation!
Similar to other visits, we took our time going through the park - stopping to check things out and for me to take pictures. Though I am giving Tracie photography lessons and she’s picking things up quickly!
On the way back from Grand Lake we were hoping to see moose, that’s where I saw it a few days ago. But today wasn’t our lucky day. Also on the way back we stopped at Cut Rock near the top of the park to trek up to the rocks and the overlook. I’m glad I went back there, the view was worth another visit!
We also stopped frequently for me to photograph wildflowers. At different elevations and different areas of the park there were different flowers. Anywhere we stopped we were likely to see something new. (I'm trying to put up a gallery of wildflowers, in the meantime enjoy the sampling below)
After we’d been driving through the park all day, in the evening we went back to the Stanley Hotel for a night tour. Kind of history tour, kind of a ghost tour.
It would have helped to read the fine print, or at least the reviews; it was The Night Tour at the Stanley Hotel, “at” being the key word. Not The Night Tour of the Stanley Hotel.
We started off in a different building, a separate theater building. Then we saw the Green Room (where performers hang out before a show) and a few other ancillary places that were not part of the hotel. It was cool to see, but I thought it’d be a tour of the hotel, or at least some of the curated grounds. My friend really wanted to do this tour, and she had a good time. So I was glad to tag along for company. Not everything has to be a big adventure.
Daily Listen: the Junk Yard Dawgs, classic rick cover band at the RV Park! They were really good, but the sound system and the sound guy didn’t do them justice.
Good: Tracie kept me on track for photographing wildflowers! She was more determined to get them all that I ever would have been! Resulting in hundreds of photos, and the potential for a real photo series.
Bad: Filled my fresh water tank, and after a couple minutes water started pouring out the bottom of my van! I had a heart attack that I ruptured the tank or the plumbing. It seems to be an overflow valve, fingers crossed I didn’t break anything.
This is another thing not working in the van - the tank fill sensors. Another thing that Campers Inn RV of Willow Grove supposedly checked and certified as part of their inspection, but which never worked.
Unexpected: Speaking of things in the van that broke, I ordered a replacement refrigerator from amazon and they actually delivered it to the RV Park I’m at, to my spot in the RV park! I’m going to attempt to install it myself. Look for that in the GBU next week, we’ll see which spot it end up in!
wrap up;
Spending a whole week in the park was a treat. I thought back to my time in Denver feeling directionless and trapped - realizing how much I thrive in nature. I’m also appreciating how fortunate I am to be on this trip and get to experience things like Rocky Mountain National Park in such detail. To sleep and wake up in the park, and have such a rich canvas for photography.
I’m also aware how I’m coming up on two months for this trip and reflecting back on all I’ve done and learned. Perhaps I’ll do a 2 month retrospective. If I can find the time to write it up.
On the trip so far I’ve had surprisingly less time to write and share than I expected. But I’m making it work.
Thanks for reading!
