Tracey: Made our first foray into Rocky Mountain National Park and before we’d gone many miles we were greeted by an elk herd, a big bull and his harem who grazed and napped away, oblivious to all of the awestruck humans.
It was a beautiful day when we left the trailhead, low 70s and sunny, and we hiked a mile up to Alberta Falls, then another mile toward Bear Lake. But with another ½ mile to go the sleet began and after hunkering down under a rock ledge for a while, we conceded to Nature and headed back to the car. We were soaked by the time we got back, but definitely invigorated!
This evening we drove to the Baldpate Inn on the outskirts of town for the all-you-can eat soup-salad-and-homemade-bread that they’re famous for. It was great to stuff ourselves with fruit and vegetables, but the Inn itself was the real treat. The building is from the turn of the century, very rustic with great views, and has been used as a hotel (now bed and breakfast) ever since, hosting the likes of Mae West, Betty Grable, Jack Dempsey, and Gregory Peck. On the way back we swung through town and detoured around the Stanley Hotel (where The Shining was filmed) and then we were planning on heading back out to the Park to see if we could see more elk - September is prime elk-viewing season since they are mating, and we’d read that if we were lucky, we’d be able to hear the males bugling to their harem. As we left the Stanley to head through town, however, a herd crossed the road right in front of us and settled in - moms, babies, and big daddy himself, who bugled for us and posed for pictures.
On to the western side of the park tomorrow, Grand Lake.
