Into the Rockies!!!

OK folks, I have some explaining to do!!!  Remember how at the end of the last post we talked about kicking back and taking it easy while we were doing some laundry.  Well ... it didn't work quite that way.  We found that the weather - or bad luck - or something - had taken its toll on the brakes on our car.  It had given us fantastic transportation but something was now seriously wrong.  I managed to contact the rental company at the Denver airport and they promised to replace the car if I could bring it in that evening!!!  Fort Collins is nearly eighty miles from the Denver airport - but - we had little choice.  Soooo - I  headed out to replace the car while the rest of the crew took care of equipment maintenance.  Fortunately, we had our reliable (?) Magellan G.P.S. - nicknamed Maggie and, except for the fact that it was a long, tiring trip late at night, the replacement went smoothly and we were given a car almost identical to our previous one.  Consequently, the following morning we were rested, replenished and raring to go!!  We had a good breakfast and headed out for Estes Park, Colorado, the gateway to Rocky Mountain National Park.  Almost as soon as we got on the road we could see those majestic mountains in the distance and our excitement level kicked it up a notch. Curiously, one section we went through contained an ancient lava field!!!  It reminded us of our discussion about the caldera under Yellowstone and what it left behind in Idaho!!  But, very quickly the enormous peaks that arose before us erased those images and immediately reminded us why we love this breathtaking area so very much!!  Estes Park is a truly gorgeous town with some of the very best shops, restaurants and entertainment options you could find anywhere.  We spent some time checking out the shops and wound up buying a Zuni 'fetish' for Linda (she collects them) and having a long-distance negotiation session with my sister about buying a rare "Helping" Kachina doll she had been looking for.  (If you aren't familiar with Fetishes or Kachinas, take the time to look them up when you can.  Their history, artistry and symbolism are fascinating.)  Anyway ... after replenishing the local economy we entered Rocky Mountain National Park.  One route that we had hoped we might be able to take was closed due to snow.  US-34/36 has two alternatives and the more direct "east-west" section was buried under fifteen or twenty feet of snow so we had to take the "southerly" alternative.  But - it was still an unbelievably beautiful road and we couldn't get enough!!  Almost from the moment we entered the park we began to see wildlife everywhere.  Even stopping at a rest area we were entertained by some of the local squirrels!!!  The herds of Elk we encountered were just astonishing!!  They were everywhere.  And, although we have seen it in films and on T.V., to see a bull elk noisily and emphatically trumpeting to get the attention of his "ladies in waiting" as well as his potential challengers is just awesome!!  Rocky Mountain National Park covers nearly 300,000 acres and is home to peaks ranging from around 7,000 feet to over 14,000 feet.  The creatures that abound here include Elk, Moose, Bighorn Sheep and many, many others.  Established in 1915, this park simply symbolizes what our park system is all about.  We headed in a southwesterly direction through the park and encountered both totally wild areas - and little "community" areas around some of the more popular camping spots.  As we neared the southern 

Statue of Jesus - Church of St. Catherine

border of the park we were startled to see - above the tree line - an enormous statue of Jesus.  As we rounded a sharp bend in the road we saw the location of the statue - a beautiful chapel in the woods!!!  We stopped for a visit and learned that we were at the Chapel of St. Catherine of Siena.  The church 

The Chapel of St. Catherine of Sienna

has a long and storied history and is co-located with the St. Malo Retreat and Conference Center. 

Station of the Cross - St.  Catherine's

We also learned that St. Catherine, herself, was an incredibly interesting figure in the history of the Catholic Church and from the time of her birth in 1347 until her death in 1380 the force of her personality and character made a lasting imprint on the image of the church.  As we strolled about the grounds of this beautiful church we had the feeling that we were at a location high in the hills of Italy or somewhere in the Swiss Alps!!  Imagine our surprise when we walked to the edge of one of the balconies, looked below and saw a Bernese Mountain Dog - an amazing Swiss breed!!!!  Our journey through the park was just magical and we started having "mountain withdrawal" as we started to leave.  But - we had many miles to go so we pointed the car to the southwest and turned on the "casino location device!!!"  Yeah,  I hate to admit it but we had learned about the communities of Black Hawk and Cripple Creek from past trips and realized that we were obligated to stop by to pay our respects - and to leave a donation at the local casinos.  So ... while we pull the lever a bit, you folks rest up!!  See ya.