The Rockies... A concerto with nature in three movements!

Our "base camp" for our two day concerto in Rocky Mountain National Park started in Loveland Colorado.  And... as the picture above indicates - we LOVE the LAND!  After journeying through extensive ranch country south from Rapid City, we decided to declare a day of rest around Lake Loveland with panoramic views of the Rockies in the distance, followed up with locally crafted bbq n' beer. The red city heart above is covered in declarations of love via padlocks, and we added one of our own as well; now our hearts are forever memorialized in Loveland!

We got our first clue of the vibe we were stepping into from the boot brush installed next to the front door of our hotel (which was utilized!).  This is rugged country. The following day, our drive up to the Rockies, through Estes Park was definitely an Allegro movement - in slow motion - as the extreme curves along the road required us to sometimes slow down to 10 mph. The upside is that the slow pace gave us a chance to take in the splendor unfolding with each mile.

After entering the Park at our reserved time , we drove the Bear Lake Road Corridor up to the Lake with a gradual rise up to 9,500 feet (note: if you plan on visiting RMNP - you will need to reserve a timed-entry pass - or you won't be let in the park) . Our drive that day was accompanied by rain all the way up to the parking lot - and then it serendipitously stopped as we exited the car - allowing us to walk the trail around the lake, accompanied by the rain drops slowing dripping off the pine trees.  

This marked the beginning of the Adagio movement in our Rockies concerto - and it was the most serene and peaceful couple of hours we had experienced in quite a long time,  accented by the birds chirping in the trees and the gentle bubbling of the waters making their way down from the surrounding mountain sides. Winter's legacy was still evident as we encountered snow blocking the trail at several points around the Lake. 

The second movement was concluded by a reflective stop at Sprague Lake on our way back down to Loveland for the evening. Sprague Lake reminded Jer of the old Hamm's Beer commercial as this clearly was "The Land of Sky Blue Waters!"  

The next morning we made the round trip trek back to the park with a new reservation and began the third  movement along Trail Ridge Road, which is "the highest continuous paved road in the United States (43 miles of mountain hugging curves and switchbacks!). Known appropriately as the “Highway to the Sky,” it crosses the Continental Divide at a whopping 12,183 feet."

And... we got a booming Allegro notice that we were about to cross into the Alpine zone (above 11,400 feet trees no longer can sustain themselves-the classic 'tree line') when one of our sealed bags of chips exploded open from the change in altitude! The noise was huge - sounded like we'd blown a tire - which would not have been a good thing at this altitude and no road shoulders.

One of the many fascinating elements about our time in the park was the diversity of landscape features which truly did match the changing movements of a classic concerto...

And, we look forward to the next lookout around the bend...  Andiamo!