Rocky Mountains and more rain

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Trip Start Jun 12, 2009 Previous
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  Denver, Colorado, United States
Monday, June 15, 2009

I am thinking I should sell my services as a rain god. Rain seems to have a way of following me, it started on golf courses and now has progressed through this trip.  Started the day looking good, cruising I70 with the top down and partly cloudy skies.  Weather report said all rain should be on the east side of the Rockies, so figured I was good for a while. Got about an hour into the day and it started raining.  Oh well. 

Drive through the mountain canyons was really pretty.  Engineers and architects did a great job running I70 through Glenwood canyon.  This is a rather narrow canyon that the Colorado runs down, and the interstate doesn't appear to have a big impact on the surroundings.  Continued along I70 and crossed  under the continental divide through the Eisenhower tunnel, which I am guessing was between 1 and 2 miles long.  Left I70 to go to Rocky Mountain National park, and to get to the west entrance I again crossed the Continental Divide, this time going over it on a 2 lane state highway

Glenwood Canyon

.  After traveling through several small ski resort towns, I got to the park.

Traveling through the park was a bit annoying at first.   Road construction for the first 10 miles into the park where a lane was shut down and had to alternate directions on the other lane.  After getting through that everything became much nicer.  Saw some elk grazing on the side of the road.  Began the drive up the trail ridge road, were as can be expected for me it rained off and on. This was a light drizzle so it wasn’t to bad.  Just as I got to the top at the Alpine Summit Visitor Center this turned into a light snow.  As I was looking around the visitor center the light snow turned into a little mini blizzard with high winds, and heavy snow and inside the cloud.  Waited this out for about an hour (because I am in a Miata) in the café drinking hot chocolate and then the sun came back out.  I wasn’t as bad off as the group of motorcyclist that were also making the drive though.  Continued to the top at an elevation of 11,796 feet, where I crossed the divide for the 3rd time today.  When getting out to walk around I realize how out of shape I am.  Lungs definitely are not use to the thin air.  Continued through the park (with more rain) and saw a heard of deer grazing.  These looked to be all bucks which was interesting. 

After leaving the park drove into the Denver area and meet up with Heidi at her place where she is letting me stay.  Tomorrow Heidi and I are going to go sightseeing in Denver.

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Elk	Continental Divide	Snowing at Summit	Above the treeline
Deer

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