We arrive in Colorado and begin to look for a campground. This would not seem to be a problem in Colorado but finding one not too far off the beaten path on the way to Rocky Mountain National Park turns out to be a challenge. We head up Rt 131 toward Topongas and a state park we have in our guide. Once we to the two small ruts heading down into a forest, it is already getting late. We decide to move on to Kremmling rather than risk getting stuck in a field. I call the campground from 5 miles away and they have one site left
and we take it. It was a long day but our extra drive puts us very close to the Rocky Mountain entrance. We get an early start the next morning to Trail Ridge Road. We have lucked onto an absolutely perfect day with bright clear blue skies and puffy clouds. At the top, the air is cold and thin and we warm up with some hot chocolate in the RV. We have our picture taken by another hiker at 12,000 feet then continue on the trail to follow the many streams and meadows. We finally find herds of elk and a very active bull courting his pick of the females right next to the road. We came out in Estes Park and headed to Boulder to stay at the home of Roger’s daughter. The following day we headed back through Kansas to northern Oklahoma. This painting is from the Rist Canyon area during my Colorado trip the previous year for the Richard Schmid auction.
