You know the saying, 'picture postcard'? Yes, the Rocky Mountains in Colorado are truly picture postcard perfect. What a visually stunning place. I can't imagine what it must be like to live there and look at a view like this every day! I took a walk every day I was there just to soak in the beauty! It is certainly turning very fall-ish. We had mostly very good weather and only one rainy day.
Even on a cloudy, rainy day, however, it was cool to see the mist hanging over the top of the mountains.
There are lots and lots of gorgeous wildflowers and if I knew more about flowers I might be able to tell you what these are. (Coneflowers maybe?). I just liked this photo, with the light coming down and hitting the camera lens--it was taken near the cabins where we stayed.
This (as well as the top photo) was taken inside the Rocky Mountain National Park. This is one of the viewing areas where you can watch a herd of elk from a safe distance. I believe this is called a harem? There are one or two really massive fellows out there (with huge antlers). Apparently the larger the rack of antlers the older the elk.
This is Bear Lake and I think that peak is Hallett Peak (maybe a Colorado aficianado could correct me if I've mixed it up). It is about a half mile walk around the lake and a lovely, scenic walk. The lake is absolutely pristine. I think this is one of the most popular and busiests places inside the park and from here there are many trails that branch off and you can walk to other lakes and waterfalls.
Walking around the lake there are a number of vantage points where you can stop and rest and enjoy the view. I shared this one with a little blue bird--do you see him sitting on the rock?
I'm not sure it is possible to take a bad photo in the park! Even without the peak in the distance it is very picturesque. And peaceful!
The trees were just beginning to change color, and already leaves were falling from the trees by our cabin.
I only managed one walk in the park from Bear Lake. I decided to go and see Alberta Falls. Just slightly around the bend you can see a gorgeous waterfall--barely peaking out here. On my walk I passed many little chipmunks (none of them sang, alas, but they sure are fast movers). There were also lots of birds. Contrary to the name of the lake, however, not a single bear was spotted. (I didn't mind a bit . . .). Bear Lake is the highest I was able to go, which is at about 9,450 ft above sea level.
And a slightly different kind of scenery . . . I did buy a very few books. There is a very, very cool bookstore in Estes Park called Macdonald Bookshop which has been in business since 1928. I could have spent hours there browsing. I managed to go back a second day as they have a really excellent local history section.
I could have come home with a huge pile of books, but I managed to resist pretty well. I opted to just buy a few books of local interest. The top two booklets I bought at one of the park visitor's center, one is a guide to Bear Lake Country and the other a Guide to Trail Ridge Road (which unfortunately we didn't manage to drive).
You may be familiar with the Stanley Hotel? I think part of film, The Shining, was filmed there, and it served as inspiration for Stephen King when writing the book, so I thought A Concise History of the Stanley Hotel might be an interesting read. Spooky Colorado Tales of Hauntings, Strange Happenings, and Other Local Lore retold by S.E. Schlosser caught my eye as a good potential RIP read (plus it has the coolest illustrations by Paul G. Hoffman).
Okay, I did buy one 'splurge' book. Ann Hood's An Italian Wife was already on my wishlist and I was thrilled to see it there. It is a collection of interlinked stories, and had I not already been in the middle of several other books I would have cracked it open and started to read right away! Yay, more short stories.
For some reason I didn't take any photos of downtown Estes Park (I guess that means I really do have to go back sometime soon?!), but I do have a few more photos to share with you. They are of an entirely different sort of scenery! Not mountains however. How is that for a little teaser? I will share them a little later in the week, but maybe tomorrow it's time for a little bookishness? I've got a few short stories to tell you about and then will have to fill you in on how my class is going. Lots of catching up to do! It's good to get back into a routine, and maybe someday soon I might even finish reading one of my books.