Part Two.. The Adventure continues...9/29/20

Rocky Mountain Big Horn Sheep

We got an early start today. It was going home time for Harry and Amanda. Their flight from Jackson Hole back to Atlanta was scheduled to leave at 7:30 AM. I dropped them at the airport and returned to our condo to pack the SUV and check out of the condo. Linda and I began out drive to Estes Park, CO. We have rented a one bedroom apartment in downtown Estes Park for two nights. We will be spending the next two days in the Rocky Mountain National Park searching for more elk before we turn towards Alabama.

We left at 7:00AM right before sunrise. Coming down through the mountains, the sun was right in our eyes. Sunglasses and car visors did very little to dim the bright lights of the sun. The brightness of the sun was horrendous. It seemed to be at eye level. I drove very slowly and was happy when there was a mountain between us and the sun. Things eased up as the sun got higher in the sky. While in the Yellowstone we bought gas several times, paying anywhere from $2.69 to $2.79 per gallon. We had enough fuel to get out of the mountains to a lower elevation. The price of gas dropped like magic. I was very excited to buy gas at $2.35 per gallon. Then I drove about 10 miles and saw another service station that sold their gas at $2.13 per gallon. I went from happy to sad in the time it takes to write this sentence.

We stopped in Dubois, WY. The National Bighorn Sheep Center is located here. They are dedicated to public education of the Bighorn Sheep. Their specific focus is on the largest herd of Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep located in the conterminous United States. Unfortunately it was closed when we passed through here.... something to do with Covid 19.

We had a nice drive. There was very little traffic. Wind was blowing in excess of 40+ mph. We stopped outside of Laramie and had a picnic lunch in a sheltered building designed for winds such as these. Other than that we would have had to eat in the car.

We got into Estes Park, checked in, and went to the local grocery store. There were a number of elk in town. It was like they owned it. When we came out of the store and got on the street, one elk was stopped in front of us. We had to wait for him to walk off before we could proceed.

Linda and I went to Smokin' Dave's BBQ for dinner. Buffalo ribs were on the menu. So that is what we decided to have. I feel bad for the buffalo that made the supreme sacrifice so we could eat a buffalo rib. They don't stand a chance against pork ribs. Tomorrow we will go into the park. We have an 8:00 AM reservation to enter. More tomorrow...