Friday, March 10, 2017

Across America Part II

Last week's installment featured our intrepid travelers making their way from New Jersey to Kansas, and more photos of them swimming than you may have wanted. Today we get to some of the good stuff we had driven more than 1,800 miles to see.


This view of the Rocky Mountains as we approached Denver excited all of us. I enjoy this same scene when I visit Ryan now, and I still get the same thrill whenever I see those snow-capped peaks.



We arrived at Spruce Lake RV Park in Estes Park, Colorado, and all of us were glad to spend the next few days doing things instead of sitting, driving, and spending seemingly endless days in the RV. Ryan and Justin leaped out of the RV, grabbed their bicycles we had strapped on the back, and headed off for a ride. We all fished, played miniature golf, and some of us shopped for groceries, prepared food, and drank Coors. 



We were beginners at this RV thing, so we we weren't confident enough in our driving ability to tow a car behind. That meant that every day we drove the RV to whatever sights we were going to see, but that worked well for a real jewel in our trip itinerary, Rocky Mountain National Park. We drove Trail Ridge Road, which traverses 48 miles between the Park's east and west sides, and provides incredible sweeping views as it gains more than 4,000 feet in elevation.

There are plenty of places to pull over, get out and hike to better appreciate the rapidly increasing elevation and changing terrain. We stopped at all of them.

Rainbow Curve:



Tundra Communities Trailhead:



and played in snow along Lava Cliffs.





Things got a bit worrisome around halfway when we reached the Visitors Center at 11,796 feet elevation. 



Ryan really did feel as bad as he looked. (Yes, I was that awful mother that took a photo of my child before I understood how much he was suffering and that it was a potentially serious situation.) A ranger told us he had altitude sickness and advised us to head back down to a lower elevation immediately, with plenty of stops for water along the way. 



The doctors at Timberline Medical told us the same thing. Altitude sickness happens when people don't acclimate to elevation and ascend too quickly. Even though Ryan now lives only 60 miles away from the park at an elevation of 5,000 feet, he still suffers from altitude sickness above 12,000 feet, as he found out when he tried to climb Grays and Torreys Peak a few years agoBecause we were really concerned about Ryan's headache, shortness of breath, dehydration, and confusion (approaching delirium!) we stayed at a lower elevation for the rest of our time in the park. There is so much to see that this was easy to do. 

Rocky Mountain National Park is one of my favorite National Parks, and Bear Lake is one of my favorite places in the park.





Ryan and Justin were trying to fool me into thinking that there was a bear behind me (there was not). Rangers do tell visitors to be aware of their surroundings and watch for bears, so it was nice to see that my kids had listened.



We spent three days in the park, which really isn't enough. I've been back at least a dozen times since then and never tire of the beauty. 



Last week I mentioned that one of the reasons I was hesitant about the trip was that I didn't want to do the same things I do at home, but have those things be harder to accomplish. I did still have to do laundry in the laundromat at the RV park before we left, but I had the excitement of seeing elk while I did it. That never happens at home!



Next week: on the road to Wyoming





14 comments:

  1. This is such a fun travelogue! I love seeing the photos and hearing the stories that go along with them.

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  2. Another fun installment (in spite of the altitude sickness ;-) - love the stories and of course the photos. Looking forward to Wyoming (I haven't been back since we moved away in 1976).

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  3. This adventure log is so great! Thank-you for the views of some of my favorite places too! (I love Bear Lake too.) Looking forward to Wyoming next week! When Dan did NOLS he had some altitude stories. Pretty scary stuff!

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  4. who knew you all were so adventurous!! I've never heard of altitude sickness, being I'm in my house on my couch knitting, it doesn't seem like much fun...

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  5. I'm loving this series too -- great fun! Isn't CO spectacular? My little brother ended up going to the Univ of CO and never moved home - has lived in Boulder ever since. I've been fortunate to never experience altitude sickness, but it is nasty stuff.

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  6. Okay, you win - Elk and Laundry might be the winning-est combination ever! Fantastic memories and photos! (Although, that altitude sickness is scary! I did not know about this!)

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  7. Thanks for sharing! I get altitude sickness--it is truly no fun. But amazing how coming down a few 1000 feet helps.

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    1. I was completely unaware of altitude sickness until I saw it in my son. Growing up in PA and NJ at 180' elevation didn't do much to prepare any of us for 12,000'!

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  8. Thank you for sharing your trip and adventures. I warn all my low altitude friends about coming to SLCs elevation. Carole can tell you how I harangue her before her trips. We need to visit RMSP. It's been on our must do list for many years.

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  9. This is a wonderful travelogue, Bonny. I am enjoying it very much.

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    1. Thank you! I'm glad you're enjoying it; I'm also having fun when I scan photos and see how much I've forgotten about the trip!

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  10. Love reading and seeing your family adventures...reminds me of the trips my parents took us on when we were young...some of the best stories come from all the accidents/stuff that goes wrong...has us all laughing decades later! And we got to see so much!

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    1. Thanks, Julia! I think you're right; not every family member loved everything about our trip, but those mishaps make the best memories and stories years later!

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