Heading over the summit, the rain, wind and lightning did not subside.
Heading east past the lava falls was this cut in the rock to allow passgae of vehicles.
The wild life came out even on the summit, as they were enjoying the food and the view on the alpine tundra.
Last edited by ricmoran; 07-17-2012 at 02:11 AM.
"it's iffy and no longer dialed in"
Looking South East from Trail Ridge road, which would put the compass looking at the Denver area.
Linda could not shoot enough images of this place that really show what the summit and the views are like, if your interested in looking at some really good shots, check this link out:
http://images.search.yahoo.com/searc...dt&fr2=piv-web
Riding down Trial Ridge into Estes, in 2012 has showed that the old road of 1977 thta was unselaed, gravel with many pot holes and uneven surfaces has changed dramatically. This change allows many people access to the summit area a sprevious th eonly access was 4 wheel drive or bike. THe ride today can be easily done, which in turn can allow more hours to be spent at the summit taking in the high altitude fresh air.
The descent into Estes which is on the east side of the range is quick. The best area to see the dramatic vies is th earea just straight ahead in this photo, drop offs that seem to fall 2 -3,000 feet which alos occur on the other side of the road not seen here. The valley to the north is the Poudre river head water which starts at a lake on the west sid eof th esummit. If your into hiking, you could spend weeks if not months exploring the Rockies.
With this, I can't wait to go back!
Last edited by ricmoran; 07-17-2012 at 02:24 AM.
"it's iffy and no longer dialed in"
The main reason for our travel to Colorado was for me to give away my daughter in marriage. One of the other reasons was this is the first time I have seen my son since his return from Afghanistan and yep, I was happy and in tears to be able to hold him again.
For you out there that have children yet, this shall pass rapidly, for those that have teenagers, your close to seeing them out the door and off on their own and for those who see their children in marriage, and are forunate to see this happen, is truley one of the best things a husband and wife can experience.
This event is the cumination of years of love and work and is what families are all about.
Now the new adventure begins, waiting for the extended family, grandkids and into the passing of time, seeing the future generation expeience what we have experience and hopefully more.
Last edited by ricmoran; 07-17-2012 at 02:44 AM.
"it's iffy and no longer dialed in"
Oh yea, c'mon grandkids!!! Son and daughter with their spouses, oh my gosh how fast time has gone by!
"it's iffy and no longer dialed in"
Great shots , and congratulations on a New SIL , and getting to see Your son, Thank him for his service from Us...
From 2002 till 2008, every year, I was fortunate enough to fly to a different part of the country, rent a bike, make the first nights reservations and then ride off into the sunset all on secondary roads, no interstates. I would always leave on the Thurs before Labor Day and take the next week off also. It seemed to be the best time and worked out that there was very little tourist traffic due to the kids having to go back to school. Got lucky and every trip, but one, was rain free for the most part. The memories, people I got to meet, and sights I got to see will be with me for a lifetime. Would put about 2000 miles on each trip. Never forget the time when riding through Colorado, in the middle of nowhere, and had a '19 Indian with sidecar pull out in front of me on the road outside Gunnison. Next thing I know there is an old bike at every turn. Turned out to be the National A.M.C.A. Road Run and hung out for an extra day in Gunnison. Had a wonderful time. Your pics and descriptions bring back some wonderful memories as I rode the same roads you were on. Hopefully my daughter will move back to Colorado from Atlanta in the future as she misses it tremendously. So do I. Give me an excuse to go back. She is a real outdoors type and hiked every 14,000 ft peak in the state when she was in school there.
HDpanman, doing trips like what you wrote of is therapy for people like me, a working stiff. I have not quite figured out when to retire, one thing is for certain retiring in Hawaii I think would drive me crazy because of boredom. One cna only go to the beach so many times or ride in a circle around which basically places you almost at all the beaches. To move, the expence would be that of a another classic bike purchase in cost, but what price is sanity? Did a little math, 40 - 60 K with sellng/buying real estate, packing stuff up, container and shipping fees, it is all emough to make the mind spin.
The thought of the move, versus the gain of the raod and off road trips, still weighing advantages versus disadvantages, then throwing the family equation in makes the mind think the favor is on the move. Time will tell.
"it's iffy and no longer dialed in"
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