Phaedra here from Estes Park, Colorado. We arrived here on Wednesday, the 23rd of July. It was a long trip from Moab but beautiful through the canyons heading towards Denver. Dad found a shortcut from the interstate north to Estes Park. It might have been shorter but it took forever. It was worth it when he saw a black bear as we entered the city limits. WOW!!!!! As you can see here, I'm teaching Zoe to kick back and relax. I can get her to do almost anything I want - she's such a wuss!
The campground is nice with open spaces. It borders the national park and is only 2 miles from the town. The folks have traveled into the park every day and have seen lots of wildlife. This picture of a herd of more than 70 elk was taken up near the top of Trail Ridge Road which is the highest continuously paved road in the United States. It is open from late May until November of Early December. Sometimes in the winter the wind blows at more than 200 miles an hour. I'm sure glad I won't be there this winter!One day we got to travel up the Trail Ridge Road with them. The views of the mountains were fantastic. Everywhere we
looked, there were the most beautiful views. They saw snow fields, but we were not allowed to play in them. One day they went up to the top alone - 12, 080 feet above sea level where the air is really thin and went on a Tundra Hike with a ranger. They were looking for 
ptarmigan but didn't see any. What they did see were lots of wildflowers. Can you imagine, spending 2 hours in the thin air looking at little trees and different flowers that all look the same to me? They both seemed to enjoy it, though, and took lots of pictures of them. Walking up hill, however, seemed to be difficult. I don't think I would have had any trouble doing the hike. I am really such an athlete - you wouldn't believe it. Mom thinks I'm amazing and Dad just rolls his eyes. Zoe and I really like to wrestle and run, and the thin air is just fine for us!
Would you go out at 7AM and look for birds? Maybe I would if I could chase them. Dad was able to get Mom out of bed early enough to meet a ranger at 7AM at Upper Beaver Meadows. They were so excited when they came back after the 3 hour hike. It was only supposed to be an hour and a half, but everyone was enjoying it so much that the ranger just kept on going. There was a professional wildlife photographer along to learn about the different birds in the area so mom was in awe. He didn't have a camera with him. That was funny. Anyway, they learned lots of other things to go and see where it's good to take pictures and that was good, I guess. They thought so, anyway. They saw Red
Crossbills, Red Nape Sapsuckers, Mountain Bluebirds, Violet-Green Swallows, Barn Swallows and their babies, a Red Tailed Hawk, and other birds that I can't remember and really don't know why they care about them. Mom lists all of the birds she sees on this website and gets so excited about them that sometimes I think she's losing it. Now, I could understand it if she were seeing dogs...but birds???The only bad thing so far is that they have been going out to restaurants and not taking us. It doesn't seem fair, does it? We have to stay home and they go out but come back with NO doggie bags. Something has got to change. One place that they went to, The Baldpate Inn, had hummingbird feeders hanging outside their tableside window. They said that at one time there were 8 Hummingbirds taking turns feeding at the window. They, also, talked about the photography and key collections there at the inn. There were pictures of FDR and Teddy Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, and tons of other people who had been there. One key collection was donated by the kids of a couple who collected a room key from every hotel and resort they visited over the course of their 50 year marriage. The keys came from places like Europe, the Carribean, Hawaii, the South Pacific, and around the US. Mom said that if the hotel clerk was a man when they were checking out, the wife went up and asked to keep the key and if it was a woman clerk, the husband went up to work the magic. She also said there were over a hundred keys just from them. There must have been millions of keys to hear them talk about it. Ho-hum!
Speaking of dining out, one day right next to the Beaver Meadows Visitor Center, a herd of 30 elk decided to dine on the Aspen Trees right next to the center. It looked so funny seeing 7 elk rumps invading a cordoned off section of the visitor center eating the trees. There were babies and moms and they stopped traffic for at least a half hour. Mom has thousands of pictures of elk now. You all are in trouble when they get home and you have to sit through borrrrring pictures of her wildlife endeavors. Not me!!!
Mom says I need to stop so I don't bore you. Zoe has to write next week and I am sure she can't do as good a job as I have done. She is getting better, though. I kind of like having her for my new sister.
So long from your gal pal, Phaedra. Happy wags!
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