Colorado Aspens

Something about parking in a new and mysterious forest in the pitch black is a bit eerie.  At Kenosha Pass in Colorado, we pulled off onto a dirt road lined with a tunnel of dark trees and landed in a field where we parked for the night.  Upon pulling the curtains back in the morning, we saw that we where engulfed not in a bewitched forest but rather  in a sea of radiant yellow aspen trees.  A slow and steady stream of photographers also began engulfing the van.  Apparently, we were smack dab in the middle of prime aspen real-estate on their peak weekend of a brilliant display of color transition.

The area was so magical, we decided to stay for the day and another night.  On the following morning, yet another surprise awaited us the when we pulled the curtains back,...snow! It was so beautiful that the lack of warmth was no concern! We jumped right out into the snow to snap a few shots and walk along the powered trail with Clovey, who by the way, loves snow!

Coloradical!

DEVILS TOWER, WY

The good part about our alternative route is that it gave us the opportunity to see Devil's Tower National Monument in Wyoming.  It is a place we wanted to visit but felt was too far out of the way.  Like most destinations, I had never seen a picture of it before I had arrived.  I like not having any preconceived notions or expectations of what I will experience.
What was so striking and unusual about Devil's Tower which most people would never know from looking at a picture is the utter lack of any other formations around it.  It is just rolling praries and bang shooting straight out of the ground an enormous cylindrical rock tower.  We spent the day walking around the tower, absorbing its healing energy.  We camped near by that night and woke up to beautiful antelope in a neighboring field.  Witnessing so much beautiful wildlife I have never seen before has definitely been a highlight of my travels.

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COMANCHE, WY

After Glacier, our original plan was to explore Yellowstone and The Grand Tetons. Unfortunately, a huge week long storm was going to hit that area the day we were to arrive.  Rather than hanging around waiting for the storm to pass, we decided to check out Colorado instead.  While traveling through the endless state of Montana, which we discover was the fourth largest state in the US, we came upon an old grain silo train stop.  Amidst snapping a few shots of the delapidated building we saw a train coming. This completed the shot! Can you find Jadey in the picture too?

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Hikes of Glacier

Ok, ok after this we'll move on from Glacier.  There is just so much to share!
In our campground we made friends with two wildly adventurous couples, who like us, were open ended traveling.  We had so much fun crammed in a trailer while waiting out a storm, making dinner, watching a movie, having a campfire and trading stories.  I always say half of traveling is what you see and the other half is who you meet.  I am so grateful to have met these inspiring people. Now about hiking!

Hiking in Glacier is a physically challenging but an incredibly rewarding experience.  Once we reached the mountains by foot, I realized how little I had seen from the road.  It was out on the trails we encountered the real adventures of Glacier: witnessing wildlife, standing right next to glaciers and the water gushing from them into waterfalls and rivers, seeing every color in the rainbow in the surrounding rocks and truly feeling the grander of the mighty glacier carved mountains.  Glacier National Park is a place that will stay close to my heart forever.  We plan to return soon and often, to hike many more trails, witness more wildlife and become evermore strengthened by the wonder of this enchanting place.