I am going to Estes Park. Not to see the town, but because it is the east entrance to Rocky Mountain National Park.
So leaving my camp in the morning , it was on to RMNP. The road was all above 9,000 all morning. Up and down, up and down. I knew there was a long downhill somewhere since Estes Park is “only” 7500 ft ASL. I just wasn’t sure where it was.
Above 9,000 the views are fantastic. You can see Long’s Peak and RMNP from a long way away.
But first was Estes Park. The long downhill came from right above town so it was a screaming descent dropping a couple thousand feet very quickly.
Of course lunch was on my mind. It seems it always is. I found it st the Estes Park Brewery. Estes Park is a tourist town and it was BUSY with all of the tourists. Very busy. Unlike the tourists, I did not loiter after lunch except I had to go into the rock shop to see the cool rocks and fossils there. But only for a minute or so.
Then it was on to the Park only 3 miles away.
I was lucky to get a campsite. Most parks have a hiker- biker designated area but not Rocky Mountain. The campgrounds were all full but luck would have it that someone had double-booked two sites. So I got the other one. Like I said, lucky.
So with camp set up and dinner made, I headed off to sleep. I would fall asleep thinking of the BIG day planned for tomorrow.