Rocky Mountain National Park was part of our first Monopoly Traveler adventure and the park I was most anticipating. I really couldn’t imagine such a vast landscape and all of the wildlife it contained. We had arrived on the Fourth of July and enjoyed fireworks from our hotel in Estes Park waiting until the next day to venture in to this beautiful place. Obtaining a park map along with a newspaper listing activities taking place we studied both of these to make a game plan for our few days here. At some point during the day my goal was to drive to the Alpine Visitor Center, the highest point that can be driven to in the park.
Meandering through the east side of RMNP, enjoying the magnificent views and wildlife, for much of the morning it was time to make our way up the mountains. There are numerous stopping points along the way with grand vistas to enjoy however it would take nearly all day it seemed to do so. We would stop every now and again when there was a new view we hadn’t seen before to get out of the car and breath in the glorious mountain air. Eventually we made our way higher and higher and decided on one more stop before going to the visitor center for lunch. There were many other people also enjoying the overlook and even a bus had stopped. The first thing we noticed was the chill in the air along with a cool summer breeze up in the mountains. Slipping on our jackets made for a more comfortable visit as we made our way over the path leading to the beautiful man made lookout. Just the simple motion of walking we could feel a slight shortness of breath. Lower oxygen levels where letting us know we were at a higher altitude and not accustom to such air.
As I looked out from the end of the trail, the view almost seemed unreal. How could we be standing in this place seeing what almost seemed like a movie set? The miles and miles of mountain scenery was difficult to comprehend. It appeared just a short distance away but the lengthy roads and trails said otherwise. There were Elk off in the distance. Some were grazing while others laying in the warm summer sun. I decided to climb some of the rocks nearby. Standing there by myself I felt as though I was becoming a part of this incredible landscape. It still didn’t seem real to me but was more breathtaking than I could have imagined. Not wanting to leave this spot, I decided to descend back towards the trail so others may take my place and enjoy their own experience. Re-joining my family I realized I didn’t have the camera. My wife was carrying it and had captured a few pictures while I was up on the rocks.
Returning home I looked over our photos from the trip and saw a few of me. There aren’t a lot of pictures including me as I’m usually the one with the camera. Setting up a website and social media I needed a profile photo. It wasn’t difficult to choose one as the photos of me looking out over the Rocky Mountains quickly came to mind and chose the picture at the top of this article because I like the background and have such incredible memories attached with it. Every time I see my profile I smile making it extremely difficult to want to change it even after a decade. We’ve returned to Rocky Mountain National Park since this trip and it always holds a special place in my mind as being a favorite of mine.
