Rocky Mountain National Park

It's been at least 10 years since Brian and I have been to Rocky Mountain NP, one of the places we visited frequently when we lived in Colorado. It's as beautiful as ever and was truly delightful to visit again. It's definitely in the top 10 of our favorite parks. One of my most treasured views is of Estes Park when first coming over the hill.
As we entered the park we encountered a large group of elk, a common sight in the area, and a group of Rocky Mountain sheep grazing alongside them. Quite a sight to see.

In spite of some fairly tall snowdrifts Trail Ridge Road was open. We tried to take it all in as we drove up but the majesty of the mountain ranges is overwhelming. I've always said that the sky in Colorado is the most unique shade of blue I've ever seen and it didn't disappoint.

We stopped several times along the way just to let it all sink in, if that's possible. In the picture below I'm holding Tilly back from trying to catch a chipmunk. Not that she'd know what to do with it if she caught one.

We had a truly marvelous day in one of our favorite spots. To cap it off, we found a Rocky Mountain Columbine, the state flower of Colorado.