08.19.17 Rocky Mountain National Park in Northern Colorado

Saturday, August 19, 2017 – We had not planned to go to the Rocky Mountains until our friend Teddy Forrest mentioned what a great drive the Old Fall River Road was.  That started me trying to find a place around Rocky Mountain National Park for us to stay for a few days.  That search went no where, so we decided that when we left Colorado Heights RV Resort on Tuesday, the 15th, we’d find the nearest Walmart to the Rocky Mountain.  We found one in Longmont, Colorado, went there,  unhitched our truck, went to see the Rockies and spent the night at Walmart.  That worked so perfectly.  The temperature at night was in the 50s and we both slept very well after a day of exploring the Rockies.  I’d never heard of Old Fall River Road so I looked up some information and here is a little bit of it before we go to showing photos!!

Opened in 1920, Old Fall River Road earned the distinction of being the first auto route in Rocky Mountain National Park offering access to the park’s high country.

Primarily gravel, one-way uphill and punctuated by switchbacks, slower-paced, 11-mile-long. The posted speed limit is 15 miles per hour, a clear indication that a journey up Old Fall River Road is not for the impatient. There are no guard rails along this road. Old Fall River Road is ideal for visitors seeking to become intimate with nature.

The graphic on the left shows some of the aspects of this road that make it very unique, definitely not for someone like our Dora to try to climb.  Boots had some rough times but the Explorers (that’s us, Roy and Rosalyn) enjoyed every unusual moment of the drive!!  In case you’re new to our blog, Dora is our motor home and Boots is our truck we tow behind Dora.

This is where the dirt road of Old Falls River Road began.We got really intimate with nature at our first stop.  We heard water falling as we were driving up and so we stopped.  We climbed all around along the creek where the water was falling, it sounded so pretty.  I don’t climb or even walk very well which Roy thinks is funny so he takes pictures of me like this one! 

These next photos are of the beauty we got to see going up the Old Falls River Road.  Yes, it does feel like you’re going to drive out into the clouds! When you reach the top, you are at 11,796 feet above sea level.  The Alpine Visitor Center and the Trail Ridge Gift Shop await you at the top.  We enjoyed coffee and hot chocolate with whipped cream while enjoying the warmth of being indoors! From there you go down on Trail Ridge Road which is a paved road, much less “natural” than Old Fall River Road.

Panoramic shot of the views from the top.

This is the ride down on Trail Ridge Road in the rain.  We were in and above the clouds as the drive went on!

Crazy people that we are, we went grocery shopping after spending a day going up and down the Rocky Mountains.  We were quite a sight being deliriously tired, trying to stay standing up and awake while deciding what we needed to buy.  Mostly junk food came home with us! When we went to check out we realized that we mostly bought junk food, cookies, chips, etc. Being in Colorado (where marijuana is legal) I thought they must think we’re doing a marijuana hunger shopping.  It was the biggest Walmart I’ve ever been in and am sorry we couldn’t stand up any longer than in the grocery section to check the rest of it out. I barely got the groceries mostly put away before climbing in bed at 6:30 and woke up this morning at 10:30 am.

Thank you very much Teddy Forrest for sharing this little tidbit of your time in the Rockies with us.  It is such a totally different experience than going up Pike’s Peak was and I’m so thankful we got to do both of them this time!

When we left there we went to the coolest RV Park for just a one night stay.  Terry Bison RV Park in Cheyenne, Wyoming would be a great place to stay for a week or more but we only had one night there.  Exhaustion from Tuesday’s Rocky Mountain trip carried over to the one night in Wyoming so we did none of the things they have there. They have a restaurant that serves lunch and dinner. Another one that serves breakfast, a child’s play land that is bigger and better than any we’ve seen. A wonderful gift shop, train rides to see the bison, horseback riding and so much more. And they have a bunch of camels!!! They accept Passport America so the nightly charge is very reasonable. We will definitely stay here again and longer next time!

I am writing this on Friday, the day we went to experience Mount Rushmore.  Believe me I do realize how blessed we are are that we can see the Rocky Mountains and Mount Rushmore in the same week.  What a week this was!

Ya’ll come back now, ya’ hear!