Month: May 2022

Wyoming, Jackson Hole, and Grand Tetons National Park Images

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Just as I crossed the border from Colorado into Wyoming, a nice horse posed for me. My travel buddy, Benjamin Bear and I drove to the eastern side of the park to capture our favorite GTNP sign selfie image. I was hoping for a nice sunset picture at the Schwabacher Landing pullout. The one little puffy cloud that was there when I arrived disappeared and I only got the peaks and reflection as it got dark, no beautiful colorful sky. When I filled my tank that evening before returning to my RV campground, the price was $4.49 per gallon in Jackson. The price jumped to $4.59 the next morning. On Wednesday, May 25th, I captured a personal selfie in front of the window at Tom Mangelson’s Nature Gallery like I do every time I visit Jackson, Wyoming. The bear picture I usually pose in front of was not in the front window. I do, however, love the wolf picture that is there now! The image with the lake was taken at Oxbow Bend. The next image I took was from the Jackson overlook on top of Signal Mountain where a park ranger had just opened the gate when I arrived. The panorama image of the Tetons mountain range was taken from the Teton Glacier Turnout.

Estes Park, Colorado and Rocky Mountain National Park

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The first few images were taken in Ouray before traveling to Estes Park. The Road Closed image was taken at the Many Curves area to indicate that Trail Ridge Road has not yet been plowed due to much snow in the highest elevations. Captured some of the snow scenes around the park after arriving on Saturday, May 21st. On Sunday, May 22nd, I woke up at the Estes Park KOA campground to clear blue skies and great views of the snow-covered peaks. Captured the peaks, including Longs Peak (Elevation 14,259 Feet). Took a couple of pictures in the Hidden Valley Ski area. Looked for the Big Horn rams in the Alluvial Fan area where the waterfall pictures were taken. They were not on the mountain side during my time there. Notice the knee pads I am wearing in case of a fall. I am being much more cautious this trip. It seemed appropriate to conclude this blog post with the panoramic view of the snow-covered peaks in the Rocky Mountain National Park.

Friday, May 20th (Ouray and Silverton)

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Since Friday night was to be my last night in Ouray before traveling to Estes Park to visit the Rocky Mountain National Park, I decided to drive the Million Dollar Highway again to visit Silverton and test my four-wheel driving skills on County Road 33. I picked up a breakfast wrap with bacon, eggs, and cheese at one of the few places open at 7 AM in Ouray. Then, I headed out to capture some Colorado landscape images. I took a dirt side road into Ironton Townsite, an old mining community. That was fun. I stopped by the Silverton Visitor Center and talked with a gentleman who had been living in Silverton for 18 years. Got a picture of the Durango to Silverton train at the station on 12th Street dropping off visitors and a couple other interesting images in town before driving to 14th Street to locate the Off Road 4×4 County Road 33. This would be my first adventure in the high country of Colorado. Stopped by Duckett’s Market in Ouray for some groceries on my return trip. Notice the snow flurries around my Tacoma truck. Took a picture of my neighbor’s motor home before settling in for the night. I woke up to a snowy environment and hit the highways traveling east and north. When I got to Estes Park I was told they had eight inches of snow overnight. The sun was already melting most of it. However, at the higher elevations inside the park I was able to capture some snow scenes. More images from RMNP to see in my next post.

Ouray, Colorado

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I am camping at the KOA. Spending three nights here. I had planned to camp in Palo Duro Canyon State Park. However, there were no campsites available. So, I decided to move forward and camped at an RV Campground in Amarillo. Did not have to drive through any fires in New Mexico. Did encounter high winds with much dust and possibly smoke. The gasoline prices were highest so far in Durango, Colorado. I know I can expect the prices to increase as I travel further north. Some of my images were taken on the Million Dollar Highway. The Molas Pass is above 12,000 feet in elevation. There are also some images of Silverton, Colorado. These are some images I have captured from the beginning of my 2022 Road Trip to Alaska from Texas.

New Road Trip to Alaska Starting Soon

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I took my grandchildren to swim lessons and to gymnastics class for the last time before leaving on another road trip from Texas to Alaska. As you remember, my last trip to Alaska was in the summer of 2019 before the pandemic halted things for all of us. I am so looking forward to this trip and sharing new posts with family and friends.