Day Twentyfive

Rocky Mountain National Park, CO to Rocky Mountain National Park, CO
June 19th, 2009

High Point of the Day....
Low Point of the Day......
Stumbling across a good friend on the road
We really can't think of a single one
Miles Traveled Today
Total Miles Traveled
The Bus Playlist
Weather
125
5569
Neil Young, NPR
Sunny all day long
Price of Gas 
(average per gallon)
Wildlife
Night's Lodging
Where this Page was Uploaded
2.95
Deer, elk, cows, horses
Glacier Basin Campground, Rocky Mountain National Park
Boulder, CO

Daily Didactic
We had only managed to secure a campsite for one night at Moraine Campground, as the weekend was completely reserved throughout the park. We learned that this was because it was "Free Weekend", meaning that the typical 25 dollar entrance fee was waived and most of Denver was here or coming. We got up at the ridiculous hour of 7:00, broke down our tent, and drove to the only "first come first served" campground in the park. We were able to secure a campsite at the sadly recently denuded Glacier Basin Campground. The campground is partially closed as they clear cut the trees due to beetle infestation. Aesthetically challenged or not, we were happy to have a place to sleep in the park.

We had texted a good friend on the drive yesterday asking for advice on hikes and such while we were here. She spent four years in Ft. Collins at CSU just outside the park and had great things to say about it. We had a long shopping list and Brian's foot was still a little gimpy, so we decided to make it a day of urban exploration and shopping. Ft. Collins turns out to be a thoroughly enjoyable college town (and we are big fans of college towns) . We kicked around the old town section for a while, hit the library for a little internet, and then retreated to the long row of box stores and the ilk for some shopping. Whole Foods, REI, and Target, you can just feel Theresa smiling can't you?

Our good friend had also surprised us with the news that another good buddy, her husband who we teach with, had apparently followed us to Ft. Collins and was staying with family nearby. After a phone call or two we found ourselves having an entertaining and tasty dinner with our buddy Scott, his brother Brent, Lisa, and extraordinarily cool young people Ty and Bailey in a restaurant in Loveland. We made a quick stop at Brent's house for some trail and driving advice and then climbed the hill back up to our campsite for the night.


Daily Pictures (Slide Show)

thumb_P1020974.jpg nonethumb_P1020971.jpg
An awesome walk-in site at Moraine Campground, site 117 Our morning neighbors
thumb_P1020977.jpg nonethumb_P1020983.jpg
Pretty view from Moraine campground Pretty view from Glacier Basin campground
thumb_P1020989.jpg nonethumb_P1020991.jpg
A budding pine cone star Just a nice shot
thumb_P1020993.jpg nonethumb_P1020997.jpg
Wild irises Local elk, there are a ton of them around here
thumb_P1030002.jpg nonethumb_P1030003.jpg
The park is also full of beautiful meadows The architecturally impressive visitors center, which is a national historical building
thumb_P1030004.jpg nonethumb_P1030007.jpg
The entrance to the very touristy Estes Park Following the river down toward Loveland
thumb_P1030011.jpg nonethumb_P1030015.jpg
The very fun Route 34 Looking up from our table at the Crown Pub in Ft. Collins
thumb_P1030022.jpg nonethumb_P1030028.jpg
If you have never seen someone ride a tiny bike on a skateboard you need to visit this place Exactly
thumb_P1030029.jpg nonethumb_P1030030.jpg
One entrance to old town Ft Collins Where there is...
thumb_P1030033.jpg nonethumb_P1030035.jpg
...a lot of... ...very cool...
thumb_P1030037.jpg nonethumb_P1030039.jpg
...art Theresa doing the storage puzzle after a great, great stop at Whole Foods
thumb_P1030040.jpg nonethumb_P1030043.jpg
The bus after a much needed hour of cleansing and purging We're really not sure how this sort of thing happens
thumb_P1030044.jpg
Awesome surprise hosts and all around good guys, Scott and Brent


Road Trip YesterdaynoneRoad Trip HomeRoad Trip Tomorrow