Colorado

I drove into Colorado on I-25, arrived at Dave Graf's house in CO Springs by lunchtime, and stayed in "the Springs" for the night. The next day we drove out to his family's summer camp, Blue Mountain Ranch, just west of Pike's Peak. On the way I stopped at the Garden of the Gods in western CO Springs:

I also tried to drive the road up Pike's Peak, but the top portion of the road was closed due to snow:

After arriving at Dave's family's summer camp, Blue Mountain Ranch near Florissant, we hiked the property, looking for signs of Native Americans or wildlife. We had to keep a close eye on the dogs because coyotes visit regularly, and one coyote have tried several times to lure dogs into the tree line, where the remainder of the pack waited to attack. Dave and his family have had to rescue dogs before. Needless to say, I kept Percy on a leash almost the entire time. Here is an aspen grove at the camp:

I wish I had taken more pictures. Graf took me to some of the most beautiful and unique spots at the camp. I collected some rocks at a huge quartz exposure, and we visited the meadows, a picturesque area of the camp that Old Mose once roamed. 

After staying at the camp for a night, I drove to the Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument, a collection of 34 million year old fossils. Of most interest are the petrified redwoods, which flourished in this area ages ago when the climate resembled San Francisco's today: 

Here scientists have also found fossils of tse-tse flies, which exist only in equatorial Africa today. Cool.

As I left the Fossil Beds, I tried to visit the Wolf Education Center, but they require reservations for tours. Bummer. I then decided to head north, paralleling the S. Platte River on National Forest roads. This drive is beautiful. I think these are the Collegiates to the west: 

Eventually, I made my way to Denver, where I stayed with Allison and her friends for a night. Denver was much warmer than the mountains, and it resembled Houston in its urban sprawl. Uggh. But, tt was actually warm enough that we went to the pool for a while. 

Spending three consecutive nights away from camping let me catch up on much-needed rest. The next morning I drove to Red Rocks Amphitheater in Morrison, CO, a famous and gorgeous live music venue. I'm not sure what happened to the pictures of Red Rocks. 

From there, I drove northwest to Rocky Mountains National Park. This drive took me through Winter Park and some amazing mountain passes. I saw a nice bull elk as soon as I entered the park: 

Some of the high elevation roads in this park terrified me. I think it was hailing on me a couple minutes before I took this picture of the No Summer Mountains. 

Eventually, I made my way to Fort Collins, CO, where I planned my trip through Wyoming.