Go go go, all the time!

Phew! Glad that's over!

I'm mixed right now about being finished with living on the west side of the park in Grand Lake. It's colder, quieter, less people, and NOT where I really pay rent... but I really liked the people, the laid back attitude, and I'm going to miss it. I was getting exhausted and stressed out from having to eat out EVERY night (too much of a hassle to bring all my cooking stuff from my apartment in Estes) and having to share one truck between three people, but now that I'm back in Estes - along with the swarms of vacationers that are going to be saturating town from now until October - I am a little bit sad. I was even getting to know the restaurant and bar owners in Grand Lake, and our trivia team was making progress - still terrible, but improving! I'll have to go over there to say hi every once in a while.

BUT I am finally catching up on sleep, errands, and everything else that I neglected while I was over there! It's taken me all weekend to adjust to NOT being busy - my life has been GO GO GO GO! And suddenly STOP!

I was praised for my hard work over the radio after I ran around with 6 pesticide contractors, covering picnic tables, cars, and RVs with plastic and alerting everybody when we would be spraying around their homes, pets, campgrounds, visitor center... Maybe it doesn't sound that bad, but there was only one me (Cisco had the day off) with two spray rigs and 6 people that weren't always on the same page as me. Plus, I really don't like pesticides... But I busted my butt and got it done. My boss here on the East side also thanked me. It feels good to be appreciated! :)

The roads crews were diligently clearing the road and had it open to administrative travel - employees could go "over the top" on Trail Ridge Road from Grand Lake to Estes, a trip that is just over an hour or so, instead of having to go all the way around 3-4 hrs like I've had to do the past four weeks. On Monday, they led a media crew over the top, which was an absolute circus. A marmot had knawed his way into the middle of the road and kept popping his head out - which led to about 15 photographers, newscasters, and videographers lying on the ground, trying to find the perfect angle, snapping photos of the little guy. In the meantime, we just sat back and laughed at how ridiculous they looked! I took a few photos of how stupid they looked and will post them in the album. Eventually they let us go around... otherwise Idon't think we would have ever made it to Grand Lake!

Being on Trail Ridge Road before it is open to the public is surreal. There is less snow this year than in 2003 when I was up there last, but to know that I was the ONLY ONE on the top of that road, 11, 900-something ft. high, surrounded by barren tundra and sometimes wicked looking storm clouds... It was just breathtaking. It also made me a bit of a celebrity. On my way back on Thursday, I made it to the closed gate at Rainbow Curve, hopped out of the truck and unlocked the key. I had tourists taking my photo, in awe that somebody was coming down from that forbidden place above the gate! "Is the road opening? Are you opening it now? When will it be open?" I made a few people happy when I suggested that maybe, JUST MAYBE, the road would open this weekend.

Whadda ya know, the road opened Saturday morning! Joe came up to get the inaugural trip over the top of the Rockies, so once again I went from Estes to Grand Lake. He was happy just to drive my sweet little Toyota! On our way back, right by the continental divide where there was still plenty of snow and ice, we pulled up behind a few stopped cars, puzzled by what exactly we were looking at. Apparently there had just been a mini rock slide/avalanche, with a pile of rocks, a downed log and rushing water obstructing the road! We popped my truck into 4x4 and eased through the mess, but the cars were stuck. I'm not really sure where that water was coming from, it will be interesting to hear from my West side friends what happened. It was like a little river cutting through the snow and ice, straight down the hill and over the road. I did stop and report it so hopefully those people weren't stuck for too long... But it was pretty cool to see!

Trail Log Time: Bridal Veil Falls, 6.4 miles round trip. This was one of the first hikes I ever did in the park, while I was training for plant ID. I figured it would be a good one for Joe and I to do today - we hiked to a lake last time, a waterfall this time, and hope to do a peak next time. The hike itself is pretty but not very spectacular for a while, until you get deeper into the mountains and get into a more forested rocky area. Climb a few rock stairs and you reach the base of the falls, which is beautiful in itself... but I think it's much more rewarding to scramble up the steep slick rock to the top of the falls, where the water washes over the rock in a shallow ribbon - hence the name, "Bridal Veil". From there, we wanted to keep climbing higher so we climbed up to the top of a rock outcropping and realized we hadn't told anybody where we were, or when we left... a big no no! So from now on, I will always let somebody know where we are going. When I go solo, I usually leave either a note in my car or in my apartment saying where I was hiking, and what time I left. If I ever go missing, you'll know where to start looking!! :)

I've got a lot of random photos and some of the falls. Now, it's time for me to look for cabins or apartments that are affordable and MAYBE allow dogs. Yep, I feel ready to get a pupper if I can find the right housing! I am supposed to get a roommate - yes, a ROOM mate in a dinky apartment with twin beds in a small room, YUCK - and I just don't wanna do that anymore!

Enjoy the photos, and I'll try to call everybody back that I've been too busy to talk to!