[Composed 7/24/2023]
We finished our traverse of Trail Ridge Road by hiking Adams Falls located just outside of the cute town, Grand Lake. Shira and I had explored the falls last year, and we continue to be impressed with them and the surrounding area. We followed the Pro Tip offered by Ash of Dirt In My Shoes to hike past the falls to the nearby alpine meadow. The picture perfect view did not disappoint.
After hiking Adams Falls, we hit up Grand Lake for ice cream and some souvenier shopping. We then got back on Trail Ridge Road with the intention of making our way through the park and ultimatly to our Airbnb. As we approached the park entrance P shouted the magic word: Moose! Shira deftly turned the car around, we found parking and we bolted out to see if we could catch sight of the the park's largest and most dangerous resident.
As luck would have it, we were in time to catch quite the show. The moose in question started by munching on some greenery at the far end of a pond, and then went to the middle of the pond to ostensibly freshen up. There was much splashing as the moose dipped his head underwater and did a supermodel hair flip for maximum effect. Along with a crowd of folks, we must have been 50~75 yards away from the moose. I certainly woudln't have wanted to have been any closer.
After our moose encouter we made our way back along Trail Ridge Road to the park's exit. We stopped at various overlooks we'd skipped on the way, continuing to be blown away by the views. I inisted we stop at the Ute Trail, hoping that we'd see marmots there like we did last year. Sure enough, I managed to get some relatively close up photos of these critters.
On the way out of the park we stopped at Sheep Lake, hoping to catch site of some bighorn sheep that call the park home, but it wasn't meant to be. After a day filled with elk, marmots, a deer and a moose, it was hard to complain about not seeing wildlife.
We arrived at our Airbnb suitably exhausted. After dinner, we all piled in the hot tub to enjoy a hot soak. We'd had a day that offered more to see and experience than I could have ever hoped for. Trail Ridge Road, you're amazing.
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