From Dinosaurs to Rocky Mountains and a Hike - July 24, 2014

The long way around

The problem we have had with the brakes, other than trying to come down a 9,000 foot mountain with only the van brakes, is that the electric brake control of the camper was not connected.  I decided to get it fixed in Estes Park, Colorado.  But we had two choices on how to get there, go directly over a 9,300 foot pass and through the mountains in Rocky Mountain national Park, or circle around though Wyoming again in the high plains (6,000 to 7,500 feet) and avoid mountain roads but add an extra 200 miles to the trip.  The cautious side of me (and the no-brakes experience off the Big Horn Mountain Range) opted for circling around the high plains. 

We were already at 4,500 feet at Dinosaur National Monument and the climb to 7,500 was so gradual that we did not feel it.  The road did take us through 150 miles of wonderful picturesque NOTHING!  No buffalo roaming, no “deer and antelope playing,” no mountain scenery, no waterfalls, no pristine forests, no amber waves of grain, Nothing!  Well almost nothing.  There were thousands of very stupid prairie dogs playing chicken with the cars and trucks going 65 miles per hour on a two lane mountain road.  These prairie dogs would hide and wait in the dry brush on the side of the roads and when the car was at a short distance they would run in the middle of the road and get in front of the car or truck – this has to be some genetic trigger for extinction.   

Prairie Dog with a build-in extinction gene

The Big nothing on the High Plain

Now, when a prairie dog that weighs maybe half pound, plays chicken with a 20 ton truck, guess who is going to win.  Even with a one ton car or a two ton van and camper rig, the odds are against these stupid little critters.  If you drive east from Dinosaur, CO on US-40 and north on Colorado State road 13, I can guarantee that you will see thousands of prairie dog “tortillas” all over the that 100-mile section of road.  You will also see many assorted bird “tortillas” who did not fly off fast enough while dining on a prairie dog “tortilla” delicacies.

Well, after a long no-event trip, we get to Estes park.  I had reserved a campsite at one of the county parks just outside the National Park (because they had full service and I like full service), and had received instruction on how to get to the site via e-mail.  Well, when we got there in the evening, the instruction took me to the wrong park!  Naturally, at 9:30 p.m., everything was closed and I had no choice but to leave the camper there and go stay in my friend’s house – the original plan anyway.  The next morning when I checked with them, without apology, regret, or offer to compensate my costs, the camp manager simply said “they always seem to get that wrong, we won’t charge you for that night in the wrong camp.”  WHAT?!?!  I was the one that was given the wrong directions, the one that paid for five nights already, the one that was left without a campsite for the night and YOU won’t charge me for the night that I have already paid and did not use?!?!?!  I was flabbergasted at the gall of these people!  We did manage to find the right park and they did manage to compensate me for one of the two extra days that I had paid.

Susan’s and Gene’s house is a beautiful Swiss style Chalet within fifty feet of the Rocky Mountain National Park and the most breathtaking vistas unmatched anywhere in the world –  a glacier topped  13,000 foot peak, several 12,000 foot peaks and ranges surrounding it and many other peaks at the 9,000 to 10,000 foot level.  It is a large family home and it is used by Susan and her siblings during the summer.  We accepted their hospitality for three days and had a wonderful time catching up on our lives, eating great food, drinking great wine and doing a little hiking.  A toast to the perfect hosts!

The Chalet

 View from the Front Deck

A Hike up a Mountain 

Adrian and I decide to tackle a 10,000 foot peak called Deer Mountain. We figured we could go up to the summit and down again in under six hours.  However, since I had to have the van refitted with an electric brake control circuit, we could not start our climb (hike) until about 10:30 a.m. – about three hours later than I wanted.

Now, a little background about the Estes Park area of Colorado – it is susceptible to monsoons!  Last year they had such devastating floods that people were trapped for weeks because the roads and a dam were washed out.  The only road that was not washed out was through the National Park, but because of Republican led sequestration of government funds, it was closed and people could not use it.  Emergency helicopter flights had to be made to bring supplies and take out the ill.  The other little background about that area is daily afternoon thunder storms and the various people that have been struck and killed by lightning when caught at high altitudes, and of course, there is also the people that have fallen to their death, and those who have not been in good enough physical shape and died of heart failure.

Some of the victims of the dam wash out last summer

We got our walking sticks, a supply of water and some snacks, and Adrian and I set out to conquer Deer Mountain!  Since the trail head started at about 8,000 feet, we only had to climb a couple of thousand to reach the summit.  Easy, right?  Well, as the Fonz would say:  “wrong-o-mundo!”  I did not realize just how bad a shape I was in.  I felt that pregnant women, elderly Chinese ladies hunched over and walking with canes, old men with a supply of oxygen and plastic tubes up their nose could have passed us as if we were standing still.  The air is thinner up there and a body that is used to functioning at 800 feet above sea level does not do too well at 9,500 feet.  Adrian got altitude sickness and we had to stop for a while since he turned so pale I thought he was going to faint.  I was doing a little better but my extra muscular body also required more oxygen also.  (OK, so it’s not all muscle, give me a break!!!)

At 9,700 feet of Deer Mountain

The view from 9,700 feet was spectacular and as I was taking some photographs of the views, I noticed the dark clouds sneaking in from the west.  In the distance I detected a couple of bolts of lightning and I told Adrian “time to pack up and head back.”  No complaints from Adrian, the last 300 feet left to climb (300 feet vertical distance translated into about 2,500 feet of hiking distance) did not seem important anymore and using the lighting excuse was as good as any for him to start back down.  We stated at a fast pace and walked down with two wonderful and interesting people (a lovely lady named Gail, a Psychologist, and her son-in-law) that kept the conversation lively for the next hour.  We got to the bottom just as the brunt of the thunderstorm hit, Gene got there to pick us up in his car, and except for a few drops of water we were in great shape.  Six hours after the beginning of the hike, we were back at their Chalet relaxing and having a drink – what a life!!!!

One thing I found while sitting at the Deck of the Chalet - Hummingbirds are territorial and very aggressive toward other hummingbirds.  This little critter below defended "his" possession (the feeder) and would drive away all other hummingbirds that came to feed making a big racket of hummingbird chatter and fantastic acrobatics that resembled dog fights on steroids but moving at least ten times faster.

The bully Hummingbird