Tag: greeley

Day 4 Rocky Mountain National Park

 

Rocky Mountain National Park

On Tuesday I went to the Rocky Mountain National Park.  It was absolutely amazing!  The mountains and scenario were stunning.  I took a lot of pictures, but you had to be there to experience it.  The smells, sounds, air, creatures, and winding roads made it an unforgettable experience.

My relative, Jack, made a very good suggestion.  He said, “You should go up on Trail Ridge Road.”  This is the road that leads way up to the top of the mountain in the Park.  On the top there are deep drops and no barriers which makes the drive exhilarating.  I saw many RV's and Motorcycles going up the road.  I was just fine in my Honda Accord which was easily maneuverable on the winding road up the mountain.  The immense power of the mountains did draw power from my engine though.  I definitely felt it going up.

The best part of going to the park is just pulling over at one of the many little parking areas and exploring on foot.  There are lots of amazing places you can walk around in the Rocky Mountain National Park.  See the pictures below!

Coming back down was exciting as well.  You need to pay attention to your driving.  You can not and should not simply coast down the mountain or you could overheat your brakes.  The great thing about Hondas is their automatic drive selection.  Most automatic cars only have “D” or “L” for selecting your gearing.  Hondas have “D4” “D3” “2” “1” which seems unnecessary.  However I found going down Trail Ridge Road it was very useful to have these options.  I mostly stayed in D3 but switched sometimes between D3 and 2 when I was getting to close to cars or going to fast.  Having the option to keep the cars gears below 3 or 2 gears was useful.  Great idea Honda!

Even the drive from Greeley to Estes Park was nice.  The road leading into Estes Park was basically made right through a mountain it seems.  So when you are driving up you are just getting a small taste of what is to come.  The drive was only about 1 hour from Greeley where I was staying.  I listened to “Cover Her Face” on the way up to the Park and somewhat back down.   For some reason listening to the narrator made me very sleepy.   Don't know why that well spoken British narrator was making me tired, but he did.  It was probably the Shakespearean training.

My only wish is that I had more time to look around the Rocky Mountain National Park.   It was $20 and the pass was good for a week.  It was well worth it for the day.  I would recommend planning out more time to explore if you go up there.

I think Colorado is my new favorite state.  I hope to come back soon!

Day 3 Through the Rockies

Colorado

Yesterday I got started off better due to a proper night's sleep in a Comfort Inn in Green River, Utah.  The room though was a little overpriced I thought.  Usually they are better than what I experienced.  A quick look on TripAdvisor confirmed my feelings even more.

I drove along I-70 East through the Rocky Mountains into Colorado.  Forget Utah… this was incredible.  All the mountains were really beautiful.  Driving was a little nerve racking.  Most people don't know how to downshift, since I saw most cars excessively using their brakes.   All you need to do is put your car into a lower gear if it's manual or “L” if it's an automatic.  I could feel the cars power diminishing in Utah when elevation was at 5000 feet but at 9000 feet going alone I-70 the 4-cylinder was truly being tested.  I was pushing down the accelerator pedal, “What is something broken?  Oh yeah my car has lost power from the elevation!”  Cars will lose about 3% of power for every 1000 feet.  For a little Accord, that makes a difference.   I did not mind going slow since I got to see the scenery more.

For music and to keep myself alert I hooked up my iPod and listened to CarTalk, The Rolling Stones, and the comedian Dane Cook.  Rolling Stones is great for a road trip and so is CarTalk.  Yeah I know I said NPR was bad and will make you fall asleep, but CarTalk is great for road trips.  It's so funnty and entertaining to listen to people's relationships with their cars.  CarTalk is the only NPR program I listen to.  What other shows are on NPR?  Who knows?

Driving by yourself is nice because you stop and get on the road quickly again.  I tend to stop for a few minutes giving myself and the car a break.  Cars are working hard too!  I seem to be able to make good time and distance on my own.  Having the cooler helps with nice cold Gatorades too.

When I got into Denver I walked around the 16th Street Pavilion.  It's basically an open mall with all sorts of shops.  Shuttles run up and down the street so you can get to shops easily.  I stopped in at Pinkberry for the first time and got a chocolate Yogurt with a waffle piece.  The Yogurt was really good comparable to YogurtLand.  They had some interesting things in the Pavillion like decorated upright pianos for anyone to play.  You heard music all up and down the street.   I thought, “If they had pianos on the streets in Baltimore they would all have graffitti on them.”  To my surprise I did not see any pianos that had been vandalized in the Pavilion.  Most seemed to be out-of-tune though.

After that I made my way up to Greeley to stay with a relative.   Colorado is a great state.