Tracks of the StoneBear Odyssey ROF = Ring of Fire: BTW 25 Rocky Mtn NP Drive to the peak

BTW # 25 Back to the West Journey

Sunday July 15, 2012

Rocky Mtn Nat Pk , Colorado

Timber Creek camp ... Drive to the peak

From Timber Creek camp on the west side of RMNP, head east on hwy 34 -- the ONLY road through the RMNP. West to East... the best way/ drive.

You never drink twice from the same stream. 

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coffee and oat gruel. a walk down to the headwaters of the Colorado River.... it starts here!!! Wetlands meadows. The Colorado river is 6" to 1' here ; no trout fishing here.... maybe downstream.

Leave out from Timber Creek camp... we're at 9,000' elev now. a couple of miles of great scenic drive of pristine forest. and the ascent starts. Up.... and I mean up. 6% grade up. 15mph at times. Switchback curves in places. Amazing rock strata in some of the road cuts.

Stop at scenic overlook.... the Timber Creek camp and Colorado river headwaters valley below... really scenic. A great view.

On, up, up , up... mountain road... up , climbing.... scenic forest. Cool, thin air. Come to the 2 mile mark. a marker stating that we're at 10, 480'.... = 2 miles above sea level.

On another couple of miles of switchback / hairpin curves in places and come to Pass -- THE Continental Divide. 12,000 ' to the east is a meadow and small lake. The meadow to the west has 4 huge elk grazing. 2 have huge antler racks.

On, up mountains to the west have snowpack. A few miles and come to a clearing. Coming from sub - alpine forest now.... there is "Tuckamore" = pine trees that are growing bent... leaning over... branches leaning how the wind blows. "Tuckamore" was the term the rangers --Ranger Hank-- in Newfoundland used to describe these wind leaning trees.

we're at treeline now. The northern edge of sub- alpine forest has given way to alpine tundra = NO trees above "Treeline". Trees won't grow / survive above this 11,000' level. It's just Alpine meadow / tundra grass now.

We are touching the heavens now; my god this is beautiful beyond description. Thank you for allowing me to see this today.

You never drink twice from the same stream.

Saturday, December 15, 2012

BTW 52 Saratoga, WY 4

BTW 52

Saratoga, Wyoming

Saratoga 2

Saratoga, WY is some kinda place !

BTW 52

Saratoga, Wyoming

You never drink twice from the same stream. 

StoneBearTracks Copyright MMXV ALL blog posts and photographs  ALL Rights reserved

Saratoga 2

Saratoga, WY is some kinda place !

A wake up on Saratoga lake at sunrise is something else. Sun coming up over the mountains... red and yellow colors reflecting on the lake... fantastic! you know this is going to be a good day.

And let me tell you... the black western sky and the stars last night... will do a separate post for that... it's something to behold. This is the last of the real west. Raw,.. untamed... this is just a small town in a magnificent place. ... and I haven't even talked about the Hot Springs in town.

Down into Saratoga,... a unique western town. Down off of the high chapparell; the high plains. The town museum of western history -- really good.

Then stop at the local supermarket for some staples/ supplies before heading out to the Snowy Mountain Range -- Scenic byway-- I recommend it highly!

The supermarket has trophy game mounts on all the walls. This is the culture of Saratoga; this town is the edge/ heart of the west... or what's left of it.

The trophy mounts line the walls of the supermarket. Really neat trophy's of the indigenous game of... Bears, elk, deer, fish -- trout out of Lake Saratoga where we camped last night. Bighorn sheep, Moose,... and Bison... and buffalo. This is local game.

You look at the meat cases... deer / antelope/ elk above... and you wonder if that is the meat in the butchers case?

These are hearty folk here. They go back several thousand years before they made the town of Saratoga.

We;ll talk about the Hot Springs in another post.

Saratoga is some kinda place!!! More posts to follow.

You never drink twice from the same stream!