The options are unlimited today for highlights. Mountains. Real snow-capped rocky spires reaching 14000 feet into the sky. Driving the cool Jeep Commando, which handled beautifully, for hours over plains, foothills, rivers, and most especially up and down winding mountain roads all the while listening to Dead Can Dance and Delerium. Seeing loads of wildlife along the drive-prairie dogs, chipmunks, marmets, mountain squirrels (which have funny tufted ears), elk and coyote! How cool to see a coyote?! Chatting pleasurably on the drive about anime, music, friends, family, movies, tv shows-anything and everything! Coming around a bend in the road to a parting between the foothills to see looming ahead of us the bright white peaks of the largest mountains I have ever seen. Finding in the Rocky Mountain National Park gift shop these postcards with some of the most lovely poems I ever read on them and buying one of each one they had. Driving up steep grades and tight u-turns, through snow and almost past the timberline until we reached the highest point that we were allowed to go-2 miles above sea level or 10,560 feet-because directly in front of us a gate blocked the road with a big sign saying road closed. We could go no further because the road wasn't plowed yet. Realizing that the snow bank I was driving beside was taller than the Jeep, and witnessing some adventurous soul snow-shoeing up the side of the mountain with his snowboard strapped to his back so that he could come back down the exciting way. Not getting altitude sickness at 2 miles up after hearing all the warnings from everyone about headaches, nausea, puking, etc. that almost made me nervous sick just in anticipation of being that high and maybe getting sick! I still lost my breath after a slow lap around the parking lot and almost froze my fingers off though! It was worth it for one of the most breath-taking views in my life. Seriously, this one ranks up there with the volcanoes in Hawaii. I could have stayed up there all day. After squeezing out every precious moment would could spare in the park, finding a great rock shop just outside of the entrance with gorgeous crystals and gemstones. I could have spent all my money in there! As it was I bought a lovely crescent moon pendent with a larimar gemstone that I am just in love with. Seeing a town blanketed with elk, they were every where! Lawns, parking lots, shopping centers, driveways, fields. Can you imagine? Elk where ever they damn well felt like being. Finally, after another great drive in the Jeep around curves and down mountains, back home and meeting up with friends to go out to dinner at an excellent asian cafe that served alot of food for not much money! Can you pick one thing from that? I don't think I can!
Thursday