To California and Back

July 28, 2011

Hi Everyone,

Well we are on our way home. Tonight we are in Omaha, tomorrow Laporte Indiana, then Cleveland for a day to visit my sister Eva, and home on Monday. So this will be my last blog entry for the trip. We left the mountains of Colorado this morning and watched them recede in our rearview mirror. Both Phyllis and I felt sad that our journey was coming to an end. I kept saying I could spend another month on the road. As we drove through Nebraska, we passed some of the places we visited on our way out, and it seemed like we were just there last week rather than nearly a month ago.

One of our top impressions of our journey, was that there is so much to see in this country. Every day seemed to bring something new to see or do, and as a result we never got tired of the travel. We always had something to look forward to. What we have learned is that this is a very beautiful country and a wonderful place to see and explore. We would take this kind of trip again in a heartbeat. Finally, we were very happy to be able to share our experiences with you, and hopefully have given at least some of you the urge to get out on the road.

Phyllis and Tom Ray

Hi Everyone,

Hope you are doing well. Our road trip is winding down fast. Tomorrow we begin our journey home in earnest. Today we took our last real hike on this trip, Deer Mountain in Rocky Mountain National Park. Since this was our last hike, we wanted to see some good views of the mountains, but this usually requires to one to walk uphill. Although we were still a bit stiff from yesterday's efforts, we decided that since this was our last hike, we would grind it out. And uphill it was, 1,000 ft in 3 miles. The trail was empty relative to our hike yesterday. Occasionally we would come across other hikers either going up or down. The sun was out and there were only some scattered clouds in a very blue sky. The views of the surrounding mountains were everything we had hoped for our last hike in the Rockies.

The last half mile of the trail was really steep. We had to climb a series of steps carved into the side of the mountain. Normally this wouldn't present too bad a problem, but the steps stretched on for ever, or so it seemed. Also, they were very high, so you had to almost pull yourself up each one. Phyllis, who has short legs, had to work really hard to climb up. Eventually with a lot huffing and puffing (we were hiking at 10,000 ft), we made it to the top. Of course the views from the top were great. We were standing about 1000 ft above the valley floor and had excellent views of Longs Peak and the snow covered mountains of the front range.

We ate our lunch sitting on the rocks, but as we did so, we noticed the clouds were gathering in a threatening fashion. We, along with other hikers on the peak, decided it was time to start down. We still had fresh memories of our adventure on Harney's Peak in the Black Hills of South Dakota. This time however, we were smart enough to carry our rain gear. So down we went. The rain held off until after we got to the car, and then it was only a quick passing shower. So this ends our great adventure. Tomorrow we start for home. We'll finish up this blog tomorrow with a final chapter of our impressions of this journey.

Hi Everyone,

Well today we began to explore Rocky Mountain National Park. We set off this morning to hike to some alpine lakes. The day was overcast, one of the very few we have experienced on this trip. As I mentioned in my previous post this park is very busy, and in order to accommodate the large number of visitors, the Park Service, has instituted a bus system to ferry people around to and from the different trailheads. The buses run about every 10-15 min. so you don't have wait too long for a ride. We drove into a large Park and Ride lot inside the park and much to our dismay we found a very long line of people waiting to board the bus. We put on our hiking shoes, gather up our gear, and trudged over to the end of the line. We managed to board the third bus that came and even got seats, but the bus was crammed full with people standing in every available spot. At this point were not feeling optimistic that the hike would be very enjoyable. We got off at our trailhead and surprisingly only a few others got off with us. Most people, it turned out, were going on to see the Bear Lake area, which were told to avoid because of the crowds. We started out on the trail to Mills Lake. At first it was quite busy, but once we got past a very popular waterfall, the number of people on the trail dwindled rapidly. Soon we were nearly by ourselves with only a few other groups on the trail. We moved up a narrow canyon alongside a rushing creek, passing several waterfalls. The volume of water in the creek was very high due the late snowmelt this year. It made for many picturesque views.

After hiking for nearly three miles we came to Mills lake. The lake was surrounded by very high mountains, including Longs Peak, which at 14,000 ft. is the highest in the park. By the time we got to the lake, a light rain had started, so we sat under a small tree on the lake shore and ate our lunches.

The lake was picturesque, but with the gray clouds rolling in over the mountains, it gave us a feeling that it was going to snow.

Soon the rain stopped and we then started to head back. On the way we took a trail to a second lake called The Loch. It was a bit of an uphill climb to get there, but we made it and found another lake surrounded by mountains.

We started to hike around this lake but our way was blocked by large snowfields. We turned around and headed back down the trail to the trailhead where we got the bus back to the car. Overall, compared to our inial impressions, or day turned out quite nice. We hiked a total of 7 miles, and got to see some pretty nice scenery

Hi Everyone,

Before recounting todays events, Phyllis and I want to wish Emily and Todd, and Rebecca and Mike a very happy anniversary and a happy birthday to David (Epstein). Today we drove from Eagle CO to Rocky Mountain National Park. The drive was not the most pleasant as the traffic built as we got closer. We started out on I-70 heading east to the town of Empire CO. The drive took us over the continental divide at Loveland Pass through the Eisenhower Tunnel which is over 11,000 ft above sea level. From there it was downhill to Empire Colorado where we got on U.S. 40 north and headed for Granby CO. In doing so we crossed back over the divide at the Berthoud Pass. This was not the first time we had been here. Forty years ago on our first cross-country trip we had intended to visit Rocky Mountain National Park. We got to Granby and then got caught in a snow storm, this was in August mind you, and the road to the park was closed. So we headed south on U.S. 40 to I-70 going over the same pass, but in a snow storm. We both remember stopping at the pass to take some pictures of our snow covered car. Today however the sun was shining and we stopped again at the pass to take a photo, but without the snow.

As I mentioned above the closer we got to the park, the worse the traffic got. The ride was slow and busy. We finally made it to the park and drove the Trail Ridge Rd. This road is quite remarkable. It is the highest paved road in the U.S. rising to over 12,000 ft in the park, and it took us back over the continental divide for the third time that day. We found the park to be extremely crowed. Keep in mind we had just left Great Basin National Park in Nevada which is the least visited and least crowded park in the US and now we were in one of the busiest. It was a bit frustrating for both of us. We plan to do some hiking over the next couple of days and leave the crowds behind.

Although crowded, the views from the highway were great. We stopped at a number of overlooks to snap some photos.

At the highest point on the road which is over 12,000 ft, there is a parking area and short trail across the alpine tundra. At this point we were well above the tree line. The tundra was carpeted with wildflowers and the air smelled sweet from all the flowers.

The environment is so harsh at that altitude, that the plants found there have only a 6-8 week growing season, July through August. Also interesting is that the plants species in this extreme alpine environment are also found in the arctic tundra. On our way down, we passed a herd of elk grazing right by the side of the road.

Eventually we drove out of the park to our lodging for the next two days, the Sonnehof Lodge. The lodge is a couple of miles outside of Estes Park CO, has a really nice view of the mountains and is very peaceful. We drove into Estes Park for dinner, and needless to say the town was very crowded and full of stores selling all kinds junk. The best way to describe Estes Park is Wildwood without the beach and boardwalk. The traffic around town was horrendous, and for a while I thought I was back in New Jersey. Well thats it for now. Tomorrow we'll go back into the park and do some hiking. Till then stay well.

Hi Everyone,

We are now beginning the last week of our epic journey. Today we drove from Baker Nevada to Eagle Colorado, a distance of 486 miles. We were a bit concerned before we started out that the drive would be a long grind, but it turned out to be a very interesting with lots of very compelling scenery and as a result, it was anything but boring.

At 7 a.m we said goodbye to Margaret Pense, the proprietor of the End of the Trail..er. For me staying at her place was a highlight of the trip. Anyway we drove the 6 miles to the Border Cafe, RV Park, and Casino for breakfast. This place literally sits on the border of Nevada and Utah. The gas station and motel is in Utah, while the restaurant and casino is in Nevada. After breakfast, Phyllis drove the car over to the gas pumps and I walked over and met her in Utah, an hour later. Oh yes, I forgot to mention Utah is on Mountain Time while Nevada is on Pacific Time. Here we go again. After filling up our stomachs and car, and setting our clocks an hour ahead, we took off eastward through the great salt desert of western Utah. As we drove the topography changed from that of the basin and range of Nevada to salt flats. We passed Sevier Dry Lake which is a large salt flat and is all the remains of a once very large lake. From a distance these large salt beds look like water. But when you get up close, you see they are completely dry. We continued on U.S. 50 across Utah eventually hooking up with I-70. Now normally we would try to avoid an interstate, but this one was the only road that would take us to Colorado without having to add on an extra of driving. It turned out that this road was one of the most scenic we have been on this whole trip. First this road took us through the Wasatch mountains in central Utah passing through some very dramatic mountains and canyons. It then passes over what is known as the San Rafael Rise, which is a large uplifted area. Erosion has since turned this area in a beautiful and very colorful landscape of mesas, buttes, and canyons, the type scenery one expects to see in Utah. We stopped several times at various overlooks and gawked at the scenery. Below are some pictures.

From there the highway passes into Colorado and closely follows the Colorado River. The highway climbs into the Rockies with the river right at its side. Due to the very large amount of snow in the mountains this year, the river was very high for this time of year and we passed many boiling rapids and falls. The road followed the river into very narrow twisting canyons passing through several tunnels in the canyon walls. At one point for about 5 miles, the canyon was so narrow that the road became a double decked highway, with the westbound lanes elevated over the eastbound. We never saw anything quite so unusual in higways and below is a picture Phyllis took from the car. On the right you can see the Colorado River right up against the eastbound lanes, while one the left you can see the elevated westbound lanes.

A little more driving took us to Eagle Colorado where we are spending the night. Tomorrow we turn north and drive to Rocky Mountain National Park, where we will spend the next couple of days. So what we thought was going to be a long day in the car, turned into a really nice drive. I-70 through Utah and Colorado is a real gem of a highway. The scenery was remarkable and it seemed there was always something to look at. In the end it was very enjoyable day.