They're Back!!!

 Before I get to WHO is back and where... let's frame the day.

Sue and I have officially made a deposit on a Tanzanian adventure in October. Our itinerary has us trekking Kilimanjaro for 8 days then switching gears to rest and recover while on a luxurious safari at 3 National Parks for the rest of the trip. 

2025 training has recommenced! This past weekend we killed two birds with one stone by re-upping National Park Annual Passes AND absorbing some Rocky Mountain energy.

Here is what I loved in the first minute of entering Rocky Mountain National Park:

The ranger who sold us the annual pass was gushing with enthusiasm and gratitude. She proclaimed that she has never seen a year where so many visitors were as eager to "throw money at us" as this year. That's right folks, the upside of uncertainty about our National Parks' welfare and that of the park rangers and their fellow workers is that the community (and by community, I mean park visitors, from near and far) is rallying to show support in whatever large or small way they can, and it is being FELT.

In the following minutes before we arrived at our trailhead, we glimpsed bighorn sheep, deer, mating hawks and a couple of wild turkeys. It was going to be a good day!

The trail of choice was Ypsilon Lake, high above the Alluvial Fan area. It was a 4.5-mile trek uphill, and the lake was the intended picnic destination. 

Near the bottom, 4 youngsters passed us. They had snowshoes tied on to their packs and munched on Cliff Bars. It is true that we laughed about how far they would have to climb to put to use the snowshoes - after all, the trail was dusty dry at this time. They were going to have the last laugh though!

The day was gorgeous, the birds sang, the squirrels and chipmunks scurried by. We crossed the cascade of water and kept climbing. At first the snow was patchy and not deep. With every 100' though, it got deeper, less firm and more like quicksand either side of an 8" wide packed trail. At just shy of 3.75 miles in and at an elevation of 10,200 feet (having climbed 2000') we called it. Better to live to fight another day!

It was meant to be. The universe was about to provide exciting times with wildlife!!

Check this out:

We (Sue!) named this superb find, a Rocky Mountain Forest Chicken. I believe it is also known as a sage grouse. Almost invisible in the woods if you don't catch the movement as it puffs up its neck. Without two super nice young men on the trail to point it out, we would have passed right by without seeing. (I wonder how many animals have quietly watched us go by?!)

As we moved to exit the park we found the bighorn sheep in plain sight high on the steep hill above us and for the first time, I got my elusive bighorn sheep pics!

Just 15' before we left RMNP, there were the first elk of the season. In velvet! Their beautiful nubby antlers catching the early evening light, their shaggy winter hair sloughing off. And they looked super relaxed. 

Further out of town, more elk.... A LOT more. They are migrating back into park right now. It's time for babies to be born and families to move into the high country for summer. 

If you are contemplating a visit to RMNP, go soon! Timed Entry reservations are required starting May 22nd. But right now, you can wing it, and I'll guarantee both stunning vistas and wildlife are the treat you didn't know you needed... until it's bestowed upon you.

T-1 week!

 After almost 13 months of counting down, we are just a week from our great big polar bear adventure. By my own assertation, one of the most ambitious items I have ever put on my Bucket List and to some friends, a trip that is quite unnecessary with all its "guaranteed discomfort" and "danger of being eaten by a hungry bear"! LOL

The last year has seen preparations for this trip in ways that were similar to Antarctica though. YouTube vid's of white-on-white photography, countless testimonies from past travelers, polar bear behavior and conservation classes, packing lists, a new much longer lens (600mm) and so many little photography escapades to get used to the shear weight of the camera and lens. Natural Habitat gave us all manner of info too, from a photography guide to a pre-departure briefing long enough to take up most of the 13 months! :-)

I plan on taking 2 camera bodies - just in case - but with no reason to assume camera 1 will fail (EOS 6D Mark II) the second is packed out of an abundance of caution and it would be a shame not to put it to better use than as insurance in my camera bag. Mark is stepping up! With one super crappy lesson taught by yours truly under his belt, he volunteered to accompany me to RMNP to practice a little before being faced to face with a priceless polar bear subject and tasked with recording memories too.

The highlight of this post is obviously not my words; it's always the photos:

First, the "getting there" pics. Beauty before we even enter the park at Lake Estes. 

Inside Rocky Mountain National Park:

On the way out of town we happened upon a herd that stopped traffic; complete with bugling, dueling males, moms and their babies and ... tourists getting WAY too close for a vital selfie!

Not to be outdone by elk... this young deer staying above the fray, like me!

Coyote Friend

 The short story is I entered RMNP around 9am and proceeded to drive up Old Fall River Rd in little Audi. Nope... I don't have good clearance. Nope... the road is not nicely graded any more.  

But driving 10 mph and avoiding most of the large holes and deep ruts, I was able to use little Audi's stellar AWD capability to pull myself slowly around hairpin bends, driving only on the high parts of the dirt road. It helps to be kinda small.

It made keeping an eye out for wildlife damn near impossible but staying in the present, eyes forward, was vital for also staying on the road and not bottoming out!

Just before the final push up to the Trail Ridge visitors center, I stopped for a what looked like a steep hike up a ridge. (Audi was telling me that I had been driving 2 hours and needed to take a decent break. She's good like that.)

It was BREATHTAKING - in too many ways!

All of a sudden, there he was. A fluffy coyote, taking a break on the tundra. Admiring the view and the nice weather, just like me!

At one point he saw something yummy scurrying by and make a half-effort to catch it. But otherwise he was super-chilled. 

Animal sightings were slim. If it wasn't for the next guy, the coyote and a chipmunk would have been it for the day.

The adult males have chased off their juvenile male competition and are waiting for their harems to reunite at this time. I didn't see a herd all day and definitely heard no bugling. 

You betcha I'll be back in a week or two. This place is magical!