Road Trip - Day 4

Our plan was to drive from Eagle, Colorado through the Arapaho National Forest (Vail is here), and then drive through the Rocky Mountain National Park from the southern entrance to Estes Park on the east. This gave us the opportunity to see the whole park and to hike both at low and high elevations.There seemed to be a lot more to do here then at the other parks, so we had to make a quick decision of what we wanted to do for the day. We decided on a short hike following the Colorado River for lunch, and then after we weren't so hungry we would make more decisions.Zion and Arches were beautiful, but I find myself loving the scenery at Rocky Mountain. I love the tall trees, flowing rivers, and the greenery that is everywhere. Watching a guy fishing made me want to go with Charles and Sal when they go fishing this summer.
We continued our drive through the park and quickly gained elevation. We came to some snow/ice on the ground and Emily wanted a picture with it as she hasn't been to snow very often. It was quite the comparison to the desert of yesterday. We finally stopped for a hike in the Tundra at the tallest area (12,200 feet) and it was cold, windy, and tough, but we made it to the top!It was amazing to be above the tree line and to look down into the valley. We continued the drive through the park and as we were coming down we decided that we had enough time to do an easy 4-mile hike in the valley. It was wonderful to end the trip with a nice walk at the end of the day.