We pulled out of our relatively new Fairfield in Gillette, filled up on the only cheap gas I have seen up here, 3.79 (most has been 3.99-4.05) and went south on Hwy 59. As expected, the terrain was vast and mostly grasslands. Between Gillette and Douglas is 100 miles with nothing really in between. I did see a lot more antelope but what really surprised me was the coal mining. You couldn’t tell by looking at the grasslands and the ranches but I did see several turn-offs that had mining signs. And about halfway, I saw the first of at least a half dozen mile or more long trains with full coal cars.
Between Douglas and Cheyenne was unremarkable. But once you are south of Cheyenne, you can first see the snow capped peaks of Rocky Mountian NP. Loveland was crowded and it was no different than passing down County Line or Lakeland but after 10 miles or so you are in the mountains.
We had a thunderstorm when we got to RMNP but we set the tent up in a break in the weather and took a drive up to Bear Lake. The weather cleared and we strolled the lake and then walked by a roaring stream. Iced snow was all over. We walked upon a rabbit and saw mule deer that we could have reached out and touched from the car. But the best was the resident elk right out in the middle of the field at the campground. He was munching through the storm and was only alarmed when some dogs barked. When we got back from our jaunt he was still there only resting. We bougth some firewood and made a fire. We cooked the last of the sausage, fettucine alfredo and some baked beans. Crayton had the beans, I had the sausage,and we shared the fettucine. Crayton had fun cooking but was occupied by the fire and the milk/butter/water boiled over and blew the lid off the pot. Pretty exciting.
We went to the 9:00 interprative lecture by the ranger on elk but it started raining before it was over so we bolted from the ampitheater to get back to our site. This park is pretty and is everything you would expect a rocky mountain national park to be like.
UPDATE
Though we went to sleep while it was raining, the morning was clear blue sky. We had a good breakfast of pancakes and headed west over the divide and through the Rocky Mountains. It is another land. We saw more wildlife: elk, moose, mule tail deer, and a marmot. Independence Pass was spectacular. We have made it down to Aspen to visit Sheila and Joe and understand that we may see a bear tonight. Could be fun!
