May 17 to May 19

On Sunday we left the Riverview RV Campground and drove through the town of Estes Park to Rocky Mountain National Park. We followed the Big Thompson River most of the way and saw many more fly fisherman. There were a lot of homes and summer cottages on the other side of the river with driveway bridges. We went through the Roosevelt National Forest and the Big Thompson River Canyon. The canyon was spectacular. All we could see was rock wall on both sides of the road (and river). Most of the time we couldn't see the sky because of the overhang on the RV cab. We went to the park's Visitor Center and learned that the roads to the higher elevations are still closed due to snow, and that only one RV campground is open. So, we went to the campground and got our space for the night. We walked all around the campground to find the best spot and got a great view and privacy. We didn't know it then, but it was also a good place to see elk down in the meadow behind our site. We went to Bear Lake where we hiked a short snow covered trail from the parking lot. There were lots of people trying to stay out of one another's way, and one person fell. I wished I had my walking stick, but we managed not to fall down. Bear Lake was surrounded with snow, rocky mountains, and pine trees. The lake is at 9,475 feet, and was mostly covered with ice. It was so big it was impossible to get all of the lake and the mountains in one picture. From there we drove back toward our campground even though it was still early. We were looking forward to spending time relaxing and it was such a pretty spot we wanted to enjoy it. There were a few cars stopped in the road ahead of us and so I got our camera ready. We kept moving through there and I was looking frantically to see what there was to see. At the last second we saw a bear on the side of a hill far back from the road. I did manage to get a picture, and Charlie worked a little magic to make it bigger and closer...see the pics. We decided to stop at the Moraine Visitor's Center next to our campground. We looked at some exhibits and I got a magnet. We told the rangers there we had seen a bear, and showed off our picture. While we were still there, they got a message that there was a bear jam and they needed to send rangers to clear the traffic. Ha! Looky Loos are Charlie's greatest aggravation in National Parks. He won't stop for wildlife unless there is a turnout. So I have to grab the camera and snap away while we are moving down the road. This time we got lucky! When we got back to camp Charlie pulled out the popcorn popper that Lisa gave us for Christmas a couple of years ago. Lisa also gave us a couple of blankets, one of which has come in handy on this trip. The popper worked great and we gobbled that popcorn all up. We spotted some elk below our campsite so Charlie climbed down the hill to get a better look. He immediately came back and got Toby and me. We saw some elk in the meadow but looking further out we could see what could be a couple of hundred elk. Charlie enjoyed climbing around on the hill and taking lots of pictures. The campground was not crowded and at least one of the 'loops' was closed. But it seemed like everyone was on the move and it was not fun walking our little spinning dog. Toby wanted to chase all the cars. Dogs are not allowed on the trails in National Parks, so we took him on the loop road that was closed. That was a lot more pleasant, and we had a good long walk. We went to bed when it got dark because, for the first time this trip, we were dry camping and had no electricity. Our battery was running low even though we weren't burning lights or anything extra. Charlie thinks he should replace the battery before we try dry camping again. Monday morning the elk paid us a visit in the campground. They just strolled on down the road in front of our RV. Toby was inside and didn't see them. I wonder if he would have caused a stampede? We broke camp early and headed back to Estes Park for shopping. They have a lot of neat little shops, and we had noticed that there was a special parking lot set aside for RVs. Charlie wanted to get there early to make sure he got a parking space. So we did, and got a spot backed up to green grass, a picnic table with a shade tree, a pretty little stream, and a big rock wall beyond the stream. If I hadn't been shopping I would have sat by the stream with Toby all morning. Instead, Charlie sat inside the RV and talked to Becky and to Ruthann all the time I was gone. Oh well, he was comfortable. Before I went shopping we walked a little way into town and had a nice breakfast. I shopped for a few hours, and I bought a throw pillow which was something I had been looking for. Also I got some T-shirts for Charlie, and of course another magnet. An elk this time! Charlie asked me to look for shirts for $5 or less. I was surprised to find them. Afterward we headed back through the Big Thompson Canyon and back to the Riverview RV Park. We liked staying there because we could park right next to the river. There is also a large dog yard where Toby and I could hang out. This time we all took a long walk after dinner, and Toby got all muddy, so we had to wash his feet. He is a good dog. He just stood there while we ran cold water on him and scrubbed his little toes and legs. On Tuesday morning we left early and drove 250 miles to a KOA in Goodland Kansas. On the way we were in Nebraska for about a half hour. It was a tough drive for Charlie as it was windy most of the way. I slept some, as the landscape was the same most of the way. It was very green with rolling hills as far as we could see. We passed a number of cattle ranches, with cattle penned up almost as far as we could see. Charlie didn't like that. We crossed the Republican River. Charlie liked that, he said 'Wow'. We saw tumblin tumbleweed, something I like to see. When we stopped for lunch Charlie discovered that the pipe had disconnected from the black water tank. This morning he had filled it all the way with fresh water to flush it real good, and there was a slight drip where he had caulked it. But at lunchtime he discovered that it all had spilled on the pavement. There were chemicals, no odor, and it was rapidly drying, so we didn't really leave a mess in front of Subway! Now we are back to the porta potty. Here in Kansas, it was 92 degrees at 5pm and the humidity is 19 percent. The winds have been gusting up to about 40 mph so the breeze through the RV windows feels good. More later....