Estes Park

 View from outside our Motel

















View from Safeway, near our Motel on the second day, when snow had fallen on the higher peaks.

Golf course in the evening


















 What we saw at the golf course. We were asked by the Park Ranger volunteer to keep away from the Elk. She described how they can jump fences from a standing start and charge much faster than we might think:

 






the stream side walk behind the main street where we saw the chipmunk

Chipmunk

Chipmunk

A rabbit in the middle of town. This one was surprisingly bold and didn't seem at all bothered by our presence.

Rocky mountian national park

Snow covered mountains, the highest of which was around 14,000 feet

Rainbow in the Rocky Mountain National Park

view from Rainbow Curve which was the highest point we reached at 9,600 feet.  The Trail Ridge Road was closed past this point because of ice.  This was the downside of arriving just after the first snow had dusted the mountain tops.

view from Rainbow Curve














nut cracker which is in the jay family. (at Rainbow Curve)



One of the many amazing mountains we saw. This was taken just after sunrise.

Wild turkey

   

a mule deer

View on one of the roads into Estes Park

Elk in the Rocky Mountain National Park. There was a little bit of a show, with various males surrounding this group, hoping the dominant bull would wander off and they could get to the females. None of them succeeded.

elk in Estes Park













elk in Estes Park

more elk in Estes Park

Aspen

 Aspen near a stream






















 leaving the park near dusk

Young Elk

Beavers. These were shot near dusk. The beavers come out from "hiding" between 1830 and 1850 every day, regardless of the time of year.

 Beavers

























on our last morning in Estes Park. The town itself is at 7,500 feet or so.