Short post here—I’ve got a touch of altitude sickness in the form of a dull, wraparound headache. Nothing to worry about as long as I rest. Today’s accomplishments, in bullet form:
- Arrived at Rocky Mountain early to catch a glimpse of wildlife. I was rewarded by a herd of elk crossing the road, a mischievous pika scurrying through an alpine rock garden, and a pair of moose who decided they liked the paved path better than the meadow. As the mother was the size of my car, I ceded right of way and let them pass.
- Spent some time in Estes Park, the eastern counterpart to Grand Lake. Not as picturesque, but with more commerce and the excellent Smoking’ Dave’s BBQ. Lunch was fried catfish, red beans and rice, jalapeño hush puppies, green beans, and cornbread, all for a very reasonable price.
- Drove by the Stanley Hotel, where Stephen King once stayed and dreamed up the bones of The Shining. It also served as the hotel in Dumb and Dumber. No tours or pictures—parking alone cost ten dollars, which was too rich for a photo op in my opinion.
- Drank plenty of water. The thin air up here causes you to take more breaths and therefore expel more moisture, so I’ve been hydrating by the quart.
Tomorrow’s plan is to hike to a couple of mountain lakes, if I feel well enough. Otherwise, I’ll head down to lower elevations and rest up.
“Ho Boy! Moose and Squirrel!
“Roskolnikov!” — Boris Badenov
I had to look up pika. Cute little thing. Sort of like a rabbit with small round ears, the description said. Sorry to learn you had a touch of altitude sickness. It didn’t prevent you from a full day of touring, though. Jeff visited Estes Park many years ago, before I knew him. He liked it. I’m sure it’s much changed since then. Glad you got to see the moose and the elk. When we first went to Yellowstone, as we entered the park Jeff said he sure hoped he would see a moose. Within minutes there it was, just off the side of the road, standing in a swamp. He was happy. Plenty of elk there, also. Love, Grandma