Day 59 - Red Rocks to Hanging Lake

I don't linger around a place much. My plan today was to drive to Red Rocks Amplitheatre in Denver then to Telluride then to Vail then to Hanging Lake then to Aspen for dinner with a friend.

Red Rocks is used for athletic training when there isn't a concert. The famous outdoor theatre, set among red-colored high rocks, similar to those from Garden of the Gods, was filled with army rotc candidates running the rows up and down and climbing the outer walls. See pic. I wanted to see a concert here but the last few days were rainy and I didn't care for the performers.

Next was Telluride. The ski resort town was quaint and the surrounding moutains still snow clad, but without the ski slopes open, this wasn't much of an attraction. Vail was even more empty. Then came Hanging Lake. Wow. The stretch of highway through the Glenwood Canyon was the prettiest stretch of highway I've driven on-- the roads engineered in such a way that they melted seamlessly into the canyon. The final piece of environmental mastery demonstrated by this interstate road construction was the fact that the road went through a tunnel instead of curving an easier-stretch that would've ruined the special hanging lake.

Now, Hanging Lake is one of the most popular hikes in Colorado! After a 1000 foot elevation gain rocky one mile hike up, I came to the beautiful lake-- with a large waterfall and crystal teal-blue waters, all set high up on the side of the canyon, hanging. I hiked under the falls and spent some joyful time on a log near their fall, before having my picture taken facing the falls. A quick hike up further revealed a second higher but less scenic falls but one with a special feature: water thrusting from the middle of the cliff, having tunneled there from above. Cool.

Once back on the highway I received a text from my friend; he wasn't feeling well and the weather in Aspen was terrible. He suggested I divert to Black Canyon of the Gunnison instead, so I did. I arrived at Black Canyon Park's remote north rim just before sunset, having spent the last twenty minutes driving along dirt roads to the park. Ohh the views. The mountains nearby perfect in symmetry. The black canyon a terrifying-haunting beauty.

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Days 89 and 90 - Waterton

I started my journey north to Canada today. My plan was to head to Waterton Lakes, just north of Glacier, then to Calgary, then the Canadian Rockies parks of Banff, Jasper, Yoho, Glacier and a few others, then to Vancouver and finally to Seattle, all over the next several weeks. But first I needed the Internet! I drove south out of Many Glacier to a place I remembered having cell reception. I did some emailing and calling back home, did some research for my Canada trip and watched the final three episodes of Game of Thrones--wow, the final two episodes were sensational. This rainy, dreary day was perfect for such activities. I then drove into Canada late in the evening and to a campground set in the cloudy mountains at Waterton. The weather cleared a bit the next day and I was able to do some hiking around this scenic alpine lakes district. Waterton Lakes district from a high hill called Bear's Hump: The chipmunks at Bear's Bump were very interested in the conten...

Day 106 - Seattle

My July 4th started with a drive from Vancover to Seattle, arriving at the Museum of Flight by 11. The museum tour began with a display of the 27 U.S. Flags, made interesting by announcing the history of the states entry into the union. This B-17 is similar to the bomber my grandfather flew in WW2. A former Air Force One plane that Kennedy road on was another highlight. I stayed all day at the museum enjoying the history of aviation exhibits and finally space! I drove into downtown Seattle to checkout the city parks reserved for fireworks watching. These neighborhoods were crawling with people and would make horrible stealth street camping sites. I called several hostels and all were full... but then I found one with one bed left. I reserved the spot and drove to the hostel to find it in walking distance to the fireworks. I joined a group waking down to see the fireworks. We were joined by a few others. Two skydivers with fire flaming behind their path were followed by...

Day 93 - Calgary to Banff

After a very pleasant morning at Dave's house spent photocopying trail and scramble guide routes, enjoying a great breakfast and coffee, meeting some of Dave's extremely kind family members and chatting more about adventures, I set out for downtown Calgary. I thought a walk around a museum would be a nice change of pace, so I toured the Glenbow Museum. Two highlights were a Blackfoot Indian describing the meaning of their Tipi decorations and the Gun Scupture. The history of Alberta section was also quite interesting: fur trappers then cowboys then railroad builders then oil drillers. I then walked down to a nearby waterfront park, along a pedestrian only shopping street where a Christian pride rally was taking place, and then down quiet side streets to the park. Seeing people out jogging and playing on this Sunday afternoon reminded me of the real life I must one day return to. But not yet! Hungry and ready for mountains, I walked back to my van and left Calgary heading wes...

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