Rocky Mountain National Park & Boulder
Photos cannot capture the incredible size and vastness of Rocky Mountain National Park. It is truly an incredible place with lots of wildlife, stunning mountain and forest vistas, and plenty of lookout points to take in the tremendous views.
It was exciting to explore with my friends Chris and Erica. I’d done a ton of research about the park while working with Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, but I never got the chance to experience the park myself.
We were greeted by an enormous moose was hanging out at the side of the road as we drove into Estes. It was freezing cold out, fresh off the a snow and on the verge of another heavy snowfall. It’s quite a long drive up the mountain to the scenic viewpoints, but it’s well worth the wait.
The pass over the mountains into the other side of RMNP is closed past a certain date/snowfall point. I’m looking forward to going back in summer when it’s warmer for camping, hiking, and exploring the other half of the park.
Boulder, Colorado
Mountain biking in Boulder Colorado was a total blast. I was recommended a couple great trails by @whitwithgrit and ended up at Marshall Mesa, a backyard trail in Boulder. This landscape trail traversed some rocky ground back towards the mountain range. It was a fun, easy trail were I got in a good clip of miles and saw some awesome fall mountain scenery.
I ended up having my first mountain biking flat on the rocky trails. Super glad I had the repair tools and an extra inner-tube otherwise the real bummer would have been walking 10 miles back to the truck. It was a fun first time figuring that out, not the worst conditions, all things considered.
Downtown Boulder is definitely worth some time if you are in the area. There are tons of great restaurants, beer spots, and coffee shops to check out. Just beware of where you park…
