Rocky Mountain NP Residency Day 16

Today was day 2 past the end of my official residency and my second day of tent camping.  It rained and stormed last night, and in the morning there was snow on Longs Peak. It was still cloudy and questionable, so I decided to hold off on the last big hike above treeline. Instead I spent the day on the west side of the park, driving Trail Ridge Road over to the Kawuneeche Valley where I finally visited the Holzwarth Historic Site, walked a bit along the Colorado River Trailhead near the source of the river, drive down to Grand Lake Village for a sandwich by the lake, then coming back north stopped to watch two separate moose. The highlight of the day was driving Trail Ridge when I realized that Longs was not the only mountain to receive snow. I was early enough to see a fresh coating on Mount Ida, areas of the tundra, and across the Never Summer Range. Low slung clouds between the peaks, occasional patches of sunlight, and the fresh snow made for some fascinating landscapes.

View of Longs Peak from my campsite

My tent and Longs

Fabulous clouds dominated the morning, across the park

Headed to town for real coffee before starting the day.
A rainbow over Hwy 36 showed the way back to the park.

Faint rainbow over Moraine Park

Mount Ida

Snow along Trail Ridge Road and on Mt. Chapin, Chiquita,
Ypsilon and the Mummy Range.

Fresh Snow and clouds around the Never Summer Range

More Never Summers

Along the Colorado River trail

Kawuneeche Valley near the Holzwarth site

I love grasses...

The Colorado River

Equipment along the walk out to Holzwarth site

One of the cabins at Holzwarth

Moose!

Longs Peak with Forest Canyon in foreground

Longs Peak and eroded rocks near Beaver Meadows