Colorado without the Grand Canyon (1)

In the 37 days of the western United States, in addition to the favorite Utah, the longest stop is this state. A week of travel is considered a luxury during the epidemic. Growing up, Dad couldn't help complaining: When did you arrive at the Grand Canyon? (Yes, there are still people who don’t know that the Grand Canyon is in Arizona, please be stunned and speechless at that time, the baby’s heart is bitter!) For Mommy, 7 days are not enough to see the flowers, and they have not been able to sit in the Royal Canyon. No. 1 train and George Town Loop, Mountain Evans Landscape Highway, Mountaineering Museum, Coors Brewery, Children's Museum are temporarily closed, leaving many reasons to return (although I don't know the year of the monkey).

7.5 Grand sand dune national park--George town Camp Rocky Mountain National Park

After getting up, Bao and the neighbors played in the children's play area until they couldn't bear to separate. The family is going for a hike around the neighborhood today, and we're going to the Great Sand Dunes National Park. It took ten years of cultivation to be able to cross the boat, how many years of fate in the past life, will we meet here in this life? Guobao gave them paper-cuts as a souvenir, and the two sides bid farewell.

The psychological shadow left by Mammoth Cave National Park has not yet dissipated, and Guoma secretly prayed that the big sand dunes must be given some strength. After more than an hour's drive, the desert scenery on both sides is similar to that of New Mexico, but there are more rolling mountains. Before reaching the entrance of the scenic spot, I saw the beautiful curves of the desert unfolding in front of me like an oil painting from a distance, and I couldn't help but stop and rest. Dad Guo Guobao excitedly ran to the sea buckthorn field by the roadside. There were clusters of spherical cacti, and the little yellow flowers were so beautiful. The two of them could not wait to find a rattlesnake. It's just joy that gives birth to sadness, and Guo Bao accidentally stepped on a cactus and immediately cried out in pain. Dad Guo had to carry his little lover to the side of the road. Mom Guo opened her eyes and picked out the thorns on the soles of her shoes, but there were still a few short ones that slipped through the net. This pair of Crocs bought by Marshal worked hard. Except going to Orlando to play, she wore them almost every day. The soles were so thin that she was reluctant to throw them away before returning to China.

It didn't take long before I arrived at the entrance of the scenic spot, and used Guobao's fourth grade annual card for the second time. The service center is closed, but there are staff at the door to answer questions. There is only a simple toilet at the door, and the odor can be imagined. Without doing my homework in advance, I don’t know that I can drive directly to the foot of the desert, and there are campsites in the national park that are not closed, and there are showers and toilets. If I knew earlier that I should brush more in advance, just imagine that after the evening, the desert is sparsely populated, and the stars twinkle after the night, which is like a dream. The park also organizes stargazing activities on foot at night, which has not been interrupted due to the epidemic, but needs to apply for PERMIT in advance. We took the path from the back of the service center and headed for the desert in the distance. Sea buckthorn was overgrown with yellow flowers all the way. Guobao's sneakers were still uncomfortable, and the road was unobstructed, so he surrendered after walking for a while. Dad Guo took her back to the door, and Mom Guo walked alone. It looked so far away, but it didn't take long. Many tourists trek all the way to the mountainside with sandboards, and then enjoy the sourness of galloping down for a few seconds. Mother Guo didn't even have the desire to walk to the sand-skiing area. The key is that her legs and feet are not strong enough. I comforted myself in my heart. It was almost the same style at Mui Ne White Beach before. Even if I rented a sandboard, Guobao never wanted to climb up and down to enjoy the scorching sun. Rao is so, the scenery of the desert is still very good, pure natural without commercial pollution, 270 degrees without dead ends, especially when the clouds keep drifting and creating natural light and shadow on different ridges, Guo Ma can't help but be as excited as a Erha. Take a selfie by spinning around in circles. Seeing that there is a parking lot nearby, I felt regretful and wanted to call Dad Guo to tell him to come and play in the sand, but there was no signal at all. So I returned to the service center the same way, but there was still no signal all the way, and there was no sign of the car in the parking lot. It is estimated that Dad Guo has taken Guo Bao to the foot of the mountain. I asked the staff for help and called Dad Guo, but there was no signal there. It's time to get separated, so I'll take another TRAIL to the foot of the mountain to "seek relatives", but I didn't take a few steps to see signs warning bears and coyotes along the way. Although the probability is small, but I am afraid that it is not! When I walked to the main road, I wanted to hitch a ride, but I was too timid to reach out and make the classic hitchhiking gesture. Angrily returned, in a dilemma, and simply waited in place. Fortunately, the familiar car came back not long after, the father and daughter also went to the foot of the mountain, and the little guy was playing in the sand.

Leaving the big sand dunes, we did not go back to the same road and go to the Rocky Mountain National Park on the right through Kequan, but walked half a circle on the left, just past GORGE TOWN, which can be regarded as two scenic spots in one day. The vegetation is getting richer and richer on the way, some viewing platforms can be stopped for a while, and there are signs explaining the history of the construction of roads and railways. Parking at a certain roadside for a rest, walking down the path to the creek, finally there are mountains and waters, which is very different from the New Mexico style. After playing in the water for a long time, Guobao can play until it is dark without saying anything about rushing. Dad Guo was very worried and had a sad face. It turned out that when he was passing through the tunnel, he had already noticed an abnormal noise from the right rear wheel of the car. Finally drove to George Town, I wanted to find a garage, but found it was wishful thinking. First of all, this day is a weekend, and it is already evening when we arrive, and the old beauty is not happy with 996. Asked a man who turned out to be a tourist too, but he could only suggest AAA roadside assistance. Dad Guo checked repeatedly, listened to the sound, and went to the destination first, let’s talk about it! Although there is a lump in my heart, it still does not prevent us from punching in this town full of Victorian-style buildings. Small bridges and flowing water, literary shops, a little Lijiang feeling. It's a pity that the little train has already got off work, so I can only look at the high wooden bridge rails in the mountains and get an ophthalmologist, and imagine the scene of the retro little train spitting out white smoke in the forest.

After leaving George Town, it was getting dark, but it was still a long way from the campsite. Passing through a boulder town, stopped to go to the supermarket to buy some ingredients. I was hungry all the way and only ate some snacks, and the fast food restaurants were closed. I didn't enter the national park until more than 10 o'clock. In the dark night, it took a lot of effort to find the campsite. Fortunately, the number of the national park campsite was already given when booking. By the way, during the epidemic, in addition to the ticket, you need to buy an entry permit for $2 in advance to enter the Rocky Mountain National Park. Mother Guo thought very unkindly, it is too easy to escape the ticket here, the staff will just drive in after get off work at night. It’s just that the United States is a credit society, and the annual card is only $80, and it’s really impossible to take care of the whole car. As for domestic, tickets + shuttle bus are often more than 300, and a family will cost thousands to play a scenic spot. Compared with the two, only hehe. Pull away. At this time, Guobao had already fallen asleep, and while Guoma was puffing up, she secretly apologized to the neighbors left and right. The moon was quite round that day, Dad Guo still cooked dinner (more precisely, a late night snack), Mommy Guo ate instant noodles, put all the food in the special bear-proof box, and fell asleep very sleepily. God bless, the car is banging bang dang dang, the Buddha blesses us to arrive safely. There is a shuttle bus in the park. At least tomorrow, you can put everything down and concentrate on enjoying the beauty of nature.

7.6 Rocky Mountain National Park Hike, Campground

After a night of repairs, I got out of the tent and found that the camp was surrounded by mountains, and the highest hills were still covered with snow, which was a great surprise. Although it is not as famous as Banff in Canada, it is after all the Rocky Mountain that has appeared in movies and novels countless times! Finally close at hand! The camp is like a small village, the morning mist is shrouded in the morning, walking the dog, biking, cooking, and it is peaceful. We are very close to the bathroom and there is a sink to wash the dishes. Nearby bear-proof signs can be seen everywhere. There is a roof tent next to it, and I miss the roof of my own. The neighbor on the left was cleaning up (Guo’s father was gossipy and pointed out that her man was motionless in the car, and she was busy with all the luggage, which meant hehe), and chatted with her a few times. She had a good personality. I very enthusiastically recommended the hiking route, which is the four lakes we are going to today.

Because the national park camp is so popular, Momma spent a long time brushing, and finally brushed it for two consecutive nights, but today's location is elsewhere, fortunately, it is just a few steps away, and the air cushion does not need to be cleaned up. The father and daughter directly put the tent together. carried over. After breakfast, I packed up the road food, went to the camp service center to get a map, and was told that the parking lot near the scenic spot was full, so I had to take the shuttle bus. While waiting for the bus, I saw that there was an open-air cinema nearby, but unfortunately it was closed during the epidemic, so I couldn’t experience the feeling of watching a movie in the camp. From the camp, you can't go directly to the first stop, Bear Lake, but go to a parking lot to transfer the ferry. There will be several stops along the way, all of which are different hiking routes, which can be long or short, suitable for all ages. We didn't get off until the last stop, Bear Lake.

Today's itinerary is very simple, that is, the four lakes are punched in sequence. It is rare to have such a leisurely time, and the car can just rest for a day. These four lakes are bear lake-nymph lake--dream lake--emerald lake in turn. They are called Bear Lake, Fairy Lake, Dream Lake and Emerald Lake in Chinese. The distances are 0.5, 1.1, and 1.8 miles respectively. It is far, but it is still a little tired because of the constant climbing. Bear Lake has a 360° circular trail, and if you don’t stop, you can circle the lake in ten minutes. There is a road on the right that leads to the top of the mountain. If Mom has a thief and no confidence, she still gives up. Looking back now, each of the four lakes has its own merits. Comparatively speaking, Bear Lake is the most common, but because it was the first one to check in, I enjoyed it at the time, and I couldn’t help but go to the dead trees and boulders by the lake to play for a while. , and here I saw colorful clouds drifting across the sky. There are big cows carrying mountaineering equipment in the woods. We don't know, and we wonder why the mattresses are so big and heavy :)

The characteristic of Fairy Lake is that there are large swaths of lotus leaves, duckweed, small flowers floating on the lake, as well as the reflection of mountains in the distance. A mother duck and a group of ducklings slid across the ripples from time to time, and then basked in the sun on the dead wood, allowing tourists to take pictures, and swim whenever they wanted to sleep. Guobao squatted and quietly admired this harmonious parent-child picture. Until the family walks freely. There was a BLUE JAY and a chipmunk who actually played hide-and-seek. You chased me for an unknown number of rounds. We didn't want to give up the beautiful scenery, so we simply found a secluded place on the shore to eat our own lunch box. It was so beautiful!

Climbing all the way from Fairy Lake to Dream Lake, the trails are not built into the neat and beautiful plank roads in China, but try to maintain natural steps. The sound of the water is getting louder and louder as you go in, and there are several snowdrifts to play with. I never thought that in summer, you can get so close to the snow, so don't be too cool to catch the snow in short sleeves! Along the way, there are many chipmunks wearing it, and the appearance of bulging cheeks makes people laugh. There are signs everywhere in the park reminding tourists not to feed them food, but we always see tourists feeding them all kinds of nut snacks along the way. Getting close, it took a lot of effort to restrain the urge to feed. I also saw fishermen in Dream Lake. Is it still allowed to fish here? Dream Lake is really dreamy. It is very beautiful to take pictures of lake water, snow-capped mountains and dead trees on big rocks.

Emerald Lake is the end point, but it is still very laborious. Fortunately, there are beautiful scenery along the way. The Emerald Lake is well-deserved of its name. There is a deep pool at the foot of the snow-capped mountain, deep blue and pine branches. The fallen tree trunks form a natural single-plank bridge. The snowdrifts on the stone walls seem to be close at hand. There are also large tracts of gravel nearby. Guobao is eager to find treasures and finds a lot of beautiful ores. Of course, he left them before leaving. In China, it is often felt that it is meaningless for children to remember and bring them out, but we have seen several couples who put several children in special backpacks along the way. "Shabu" fished it out and laughed. For them, no matter how young children can travel, we took the initiative to take pictures for the family. Although there are quite a few tourists here, the tourists are very friendly to each other. While maintaining social distance, we sincerely say to each other have a good day! Enjoy your hike and so on. . When we wanted to take a selfie, a tourist next to us immediately offered to take a photo for us. Here, you will naturally feel that competing for photo spots is too low to affect your personality.

I have to say that the natural protection of the United States is in place, and the trails are all part of the restoration area. Just at the end of a waterfall on the way up, I saw a deer, jumping and jumping into the rushing stream. On the return trip, I saw another elk, eating grass on its own, and all the tourists kept quiet and took pictures, lest it disturb it to enjoy the delicious food. Pets are not allowed in the park, but guard dogs are allowed in, which is very humane.

There is a fork on the way from Dream Lake back to Fairy Lake, leading to another less popular alpine lake, lake Haiyaha, 2.2 miles from Bear Lake. There are significantly fewer tourists on this niche route. The trail is narrow and more natural. It is not often smoothed. The stones and soil are mixed together, and the feet are painful when walking without sneakers. Dad Guo Guobao walked up a short distance and then turned back. Mommy Guo always adhered to the concept of "everything comes, you have to take a look at it." Return to Bear Lake within 2 hours, catch the last shuttle bus at 7 o'clock, so continue to bite the bullet and go up. The more you go up, the more boulders there are. Fortunately, the child didn't come here, or else wearing the pair of sneakers that can be scrapped, accidentally sprained the foot and fell off. But at the same time, it's a bit of a pity, after all, "infinite scenery is on the dangerous peak", the more inaccessible, the scenery naturally has a unique charm. Walking on the ridge, the naked eye can see the Fairy Lake at the foot of the mountain and the mountains in the distance. At the beginning, I met two girls who were descending, and later I met a man who was walking alone. I specially reminded me that I must climb the boulder. The first lake I saw was not HAIYAHA. After saying goodbye, I will never see a single figure and hear no human voice. I can only hear my own wheezing, squeaking footsteps, and the faint murmur of running water, which becomes clearer and clearer in this silent mountain and forest. I was a little scared secretly, if a bear suddenly appeared, Mother Guo would have to resign. The more I go inside, the more I feel like Aden, jungle, creek, wooden bridge, grass, boulders, snow-capped mountains, so intimate and unfamiliar. This HAIYAHA lake is clearly a sea of five-color sea milk. Fortunately, there is no altitude sickness here. Apart from worrying about bears, my eyes have been in heaven just like in Aden, and I couldn't help but shoot wildly. Fortunately, someone reminded me, otherwise I would really think that the lake I encountered at the beginning was haiyaha. The lake surface is very small and there are many small stones in it, which is not amazing. Continue to look for the traces of others passing by, climb a small slope, there is a unique cave, and another deep pool appears. It is a bit similar to Emerald Lake, but it is more remote and more mysterious. The fly in the ointment is that there is a rumbling sound from time to time in the mountains, and it looks like it may rain at any time. The weather changes from sunny to overcast, and the lake is naturally not as layered as the five-color sea, nor as milky blue as the milk sea. But as a human being, you need to be content, and on foot, you need to be happy. While you feel unfulfilled, you can't help but take pictures of the shutdown. As a result, you can only sigh and sigh when you encounter a huge elk leisurely grazing on the shuttle bus going down the mountain. The more anxious I became, the more I lost the chain. After walking for a while, I realized that the trekking pole had been forgotten by the lake, and I went back to retrieve it.

There was nothing to say on the way down the mountain, but luckily it only took a few minutes to remind Mommy to speed up. When they arrived at Bear Lake, there were still people walking in with their equipment on their backs, probably staying in the cattle who were going to climb the mountain tomorrow morning. After waiting for a while at the station, I asked a Chinese girl for the time. It was estimated that it was an ABC. She and her American boyfriend spoke fluent American English. When I got to the terminal, I asked the staff that the shuttle bus back to the camp didn't know when it would arrive. I simply carried out the self-abuse to the end. I walked back to the camp according to her guidance and the remaining memories, and it took about ten minutes to arrive. It is rare to set up camp before dark and make a meal, and also wander around the "village", if there is a movie, it will be perfect.