Higher and Higher

We took an extended tour through and around Rockey Mountain National Park. The weather for the day was shakey, and as we started out on the NE side if the park, visiability was poor. As we continued up, on and westward, we broke out of the clouds and into the highest parts of Rt. 34. Peak altitude on the road is 12,200'. The views became terrific, and we made two or three stops and took walks at points of interest. There is still a good deal of snow up here and the tundra landscape of low growing shrubs, flowers etc is breaking out into bloom. Tundra means "land without trees" in Russian. We had some close encounters with elk, and saw some marmins, which are western ground hogs. We headed south down the western edge and began to see the devastation wreaked by the pine beetles. They are wiping out just about everything in their path above a certain altitude and it looks loke these areas will be barren in a couple of years. Trees grow very slowly up in the mountains and will take generations to reestablish a forest. This beetle is just beginning to make its way over the Continental Divide and onto the eastern slopes.
Stopped for lunch in Winter Park and continued south. No roads cross east to west through the park until we hit I-70. We went east and then back north up to Center City and Blackhawk in the heart of the old gold mining region. There still appears to be some active mines up there, but the towns were allowed to use gambling to try to resurect the area economy. Doesn't appear to have worked, and the casinos look third rate. Once again on the eastern slope, visiability declined. We completed the loop by heading up through Boulder which has a reputation as a hippy enclave even today. We didn't spend much time looking around, but the U of Co. is located in town and probably contributes to the reputation. Took Rts 72 and 7 north back up into Estes Park which completed the loop.