COLORADO TRIP

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COLORADO TRIP

Some of our family members decided to explore the Rocky Mountain National Park and I was delighted.

We started out by visiting Denver. First, we went to the Museum of Nature and Science (started in 1900). You discover the Rocky Mountain Region with its plants, animals, gems, and minerals. The museum offers many more exhibitions about the Universe, prehistoric times and wildlife elsewhere in the world.




Next, we visited the Catholic Cathedral. The first parish church, St Mary’s, built in 1869, was replaced by the beautiful Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception, started in 1906 and dedicated in 1912. Seventy-five stained glass windows came from the Royal Bavarian Institute if Munich and adorn the walls. In August 1993, Pope John Paul 2 celebrated Mass as a part of World Youth Day.




Denver is also the site of the last two remaining mints in the US, mining coins. Unfortunately, it was closed.



Our destination was Estes Park, where we rented a cabin for the week. When we arrived at the “Valhalla Resort”, I had a very pleasant surprise… I thought it would resemble Abraham Lincoln’s cabin…. We found a very comfortable house, made of wood, like a Swiss chalet, with all the modern comfort…





There were trails to walk all around the house and numerous animals to meet: squirrels, deer, mountain goats, big horn sheep, elks… We did not encounter any mountain lions or bobcats… In the sky flew many birds, with an eagle here and there.



We drove along the Trail Ridge Road, which reaches around 12.000 feet and we stopped at the tourist’s lodge. We then followed many people climbing a steep slope for ½ mile to reach 12.000 feet. From there, you saw mountain peaks all around you and at your feet, the “Alpine Tundra”, with plants and animals like the ones found at the Arctic Circle. You are warned not to pick up any plant and to walk only on the path for not disturbing this fragile environment.





We had another exciting experience, as we were walking along a trail at the edge of Bear Lake. A large bull moose, coming down the slope, crossed the path in front of us. We stood motionless, but he was not interested in us, jumping into the water. We watched him swim and reach the other side of the lake.






In a very nice and friendly little museum, several Forest Rangers were available to answer questions from the children as well as to enroll them into the “Junior Rangers” program. With a booklet and new information, we became discoverers of nature and learned a lot.

This vacation had brought us closer to real nature, knowing more about plants and animals, as well as their habitat… Go to Colorado if you have a chance….

Location: Colorado, USA

Comments

  1. SnowwhiteDecember 10, 2021 at 3:06 PM

    I like especially the encounter with the moose. It must have been scary!
    Renting a cabin is not difficult. It allows such a nice trip.

    ReplyDelete

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