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  3. TRAVEL 2013
  4. AUGUST, 2013: STATESIDE

AUGUST, 2013C: COLORADO II

ROCKY MOUNTAIN HIGH!
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Marmots are actually considered to be large ground squirrels (I didn't know that until just now).
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Marmots are actually considered to be large ground squirrels (I didn't know that until just now).

caqtopmarmot

  • Whatever your computer screen is sitting on right now must be pretty cheap: I mean, it's under a buck.
  • Entering into Rocky Mountain National Park.
  • For the previous shot, I was standing down there by one of those signs. Of course, after taking the shot I looked around and saw that Bri had climbed up here -- so I had to show that Pappy could still climb a few rocks, too!
  • Deer, deer!
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  • In 1903 a group of farmers thought it would be a good idea to build a dam upstream from here for irrigation. The dam increased the surface area of Lawn Lake from 16.4 acres to 48 acres. Problem is, as the years went by the remote dam was pretty much eventually forgotten. 1982 rolled around with the earthen dam suffering from a leaking water gate, which was allowing hidden erosion within the earthen dam. At 6 AM on July 15, the sudden failure of the dam instantly released 30 million cubic feet of water in a deluge which killed 3 people and caused $31 million in damage to the Estes Park area. We are standing on the alluvial fan created as the water rolled rocks down the valley to where the river opened up into this wide meadow.
  • An artist paints the Roaring River waterfall just above the alluvial fan from the Lawn Lake flood.
  • I would say that waterfall is indeed worthy of an artist's brush.
  • We were on the alluvial fan / Roaring River waterfall in the evening. Now it's the next morning and we are climbing Trail Ridge Road. The alluvial fan from the previous photos is visible to your left in the valley. Still looks relatively barren more than 30 years after the flood.
  • 16-panel panorama from a little further up Trail Ridge Road, looking east. Keep in mind that the railing you see on each side really makes a nearly straight line in front of me, so the lady on your left is not really taking a photo of Bev and Bri. Such is the nature of panoramas.<br /> <br /> If you bring it up to original size and look around a bit, you will see considerable detail herein. To do that, hover your cursor over the photo and click "Original" on the pop-out menu. Then use the scroll bar to your left and bottom of your screen to navigate around. You'll notice some distortions -- for instance, Bev's back appears to be cut off by an interpretive sign. Again, such is the nature of panoramas.
  • "Camp robber," or gray jay.
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  • Getting higher up on Trail Ridge Road: The highest continuous paved road in the United States.
  • Seems to become more spectacular with every mile.
  • Marmot
  • Marmots are actually considered to be large ground squirrels (I didn't know that until just now).
  • 41-panel, greater-than 360-degree panorama from near the summit of Trail Ridge Road. Again, lots of detail, if you decide to bring it up to original size. Notice that Bev shows her unusual talent.
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  • We saw several elk, but most were in places where they were way off in the distance or places where we could not stop the car. This is the only one I got a photo of.
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