2009 Trail Vacation Edition 2009

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Footwear and Apparel

merrell.com Plum Creek Shoe Station 135 Moraine Ave. 970.586.4061

Estes Park Mountain Shop 2050 Big Thompson Ave. 970.586.5337

Rocky Mountain Connection 141 East Elkhorn Ave. 970.586.3361

Outdoor World 156 East Elkhorn Ave. 970.586.2114

Jax Outdoor Gear 950 E. Eisenhower 970.776.4540

Publisher Bill Ferguson

Vacation Edition Editor John Cordsen

Production Manager Tony J. Wedick

Contributing Writers and Photographers Janice Mason Walt Hester Mike Oatley Juley Harvey Madeline Framson Suzanne Silverthorn

Advertising Staff Mike O’Flaherty Karen Anderson

Graphic Designers Tom McTighe Julie Skelton

Bookkeeper Leslie Dawson

Circulation Manager Jennifer Wurgaft

Press Liaison Ron McFate

Single Copy Distribution Jerry Kartawidjaja The Vacation Edition is an annual publication of the Estes Park Trail-Gazette, a twice-weekly newspaper. The Vacation Edition is published in May. Offices: 251 Moraine Ave. Mailing address: P.O. Box 1707, Estes Park, CO 80517. Telephone: (970) 586-3356. Fax (970) 586-9532. Web site: www.eptrail.com. (c) 2009

On the cover: The Keyboard of the Winds as seen from Mills Lake. The Little Matterhorn stands over the entrance to Odessa Lake (Right). Cover by Walt Hester Inside by John Cordsen

In This Issue Visitors’ Center . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 RMNP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Shining Mountains Group . . . . . . . .6 Postcards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 Waterfall Hikes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10 Estes Park Observatory . . . . . . . . .11 Vacation Planning . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13 Estes Park Trails . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14 Performance Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16 Cultural Arts Council . . . . . . . . . . .18 Art Center . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19 Rooftop Rodeo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22 Ten Places to Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . .23 Lake Estes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26 Stanley Hotel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27 Wild Flowers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29 What To Do When It Rains . . . . . . .32 Climbing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33 Bird Watching . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39 Butterflies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .40

Hydroplant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42 Estes Park Museum . . . . . . . . . . . .45 Shopper Shuttle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .46 Grand Lake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .48 Highland Festival . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49 Music Festival . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .52 Golfing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .53 Fourth of July . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .56 Midsummer Festival . . . . . . . . . . . .57 Nature Association . . . . . . . . . . . . .58 Moose . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .59 Backcountry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .60 Day Trips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .63 Trail Ridge Road . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .65 Horse Shows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .67 Ptarmigan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .69 Kayaking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .70 Nature’s Beauty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .71 Advertising Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . .72

2008 Trail Vacation Edition — 1

2009 Trail Vacation Edition — 1

First Stop The Visitors Center

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he majestic scenery of Rocky Mountain National Park combined with the home town hospitality of Estes Park transforms a trip to the Colorado Rockies into a dream vacation in a corner of paradise. Whether coming for a day, a week, or more, visiting this eastern gateway community to Rocky Mountain National Park, Estes Park, at 7,522 feet above sea level is an experience you’ll remember forever. With world class hiking and climbing, fishing, golfing, sightseeing, wildlife watching, galleries, unique shopping, an array of dining choices, options in lodging to meet every taste and Rocky Mountain National Park out the back door, there’s something in Estes Park just for you. Special events at Estes Park and summer-long free outdoor entertainment are set amidst the backdrop of Rocky Mountain National Park. Hear folk musicians entertain, listen to a string quartet perform, or tap your toes to a big band playing favorites. Beginning with Jazz Fest held each May and continuing through the holiday season’s “Catch the Glow’ celebration, there are special events here in Estes Park that will keep you coming back for more. Here, you can be adventurous all on your own. But when you want advice or assistance,

the Estes Park Visitors Center, operated by the Estes Park Convention and Visitors Bureau, is a perfect place to stop. Located at the intersection of U.S. Highways 34 and 36, the Center provides information about every business in Estes Park and things to do in the area. When it comes to providing complete visitors services, the one component of excellence that sets Estes Park apart from other areas is the contingent of about 70 volunteers who donate their expertise and time to helping visitors have an outstanding vacation experience in this area. Individual Ambassadors work on a rotating basis at the information desk in the Visitors Center daily during the summer season and on weekends from October through mid-May. Ambassadors answer questions about where to hike, drive, shop, eat and stay in the Estes Park area. They provide answers to common questions like “where’s a good place for me to hike?” to more uncommon questions that deal with everything from human genealogy to botanical knowledge. The CVB staff provides additional expertise in planning group gatherings from weddings and reunions to business meetings. The Estes Park Visitors Center is open daily except New Years Day, Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Visitors Center Summer Hours * 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily *Location: 500 Big Thompson Highway at the intersection of U.S. Highways 34 and 36. *Telephone: 970-577-9900 or 800-44-ESTES *Website: www.EstesParkCVB.com

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The Jewel of the Rockies Rocky Mountain National Park achieved wildnerness status in 2009 River roads. Alpine Visitor Center is open depending on weather and Trail Ridge road conditions. It is closed in the winter.

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ocky Mountain National Park (RMNP) offers 415 square miles of dynamic landscape featuring lowland meadows, numerous lakes and rivers, aspen and subalpine forests, and towering mountain peaks. Over 250,000 acres of backcountry inthe park were granted wilderness area status early in 2009 with the passage of the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009. This culminated a process that began in 1974 when wilderness recommendations for the park were made by the National Park Service under President Nixon. All of these aspects of RMNP create an unparalleled outdoor playground where the possibilities are endless. Visitors hike its 360 miles of trails, watch massive herds of elk, fish for trout in its many streams and lakes, camp underneath its vast starry mountain skies, or climb its epic granite rock walls. Nearly three million people visit RMNP each year, making it one of the most popular National Parks in the country. Maps and brochures can be obtained at any of the RMNP visitor centers and for general information call

Beaver Meadows Visitor Center Located on U.S. Route 36, three miles from the town of Estes Park.

Fall River Visitor Center Located on U.S. Route 34, five miles west of the town of Estes Park, near the Fall River Entrance to the Park.

Kawuneeche Visitor Center Photo by Walt Hester

Longs Peak rises above the clouds as seen from Trail Ridge Road.

RMNP HQ at (970) 586-1206 or visit www.nps.gov/romo.

Visitor Centers RMNP has four visitor centers where guests can see nature exhibits, purchase RMNP books, buy gifts and snacks, use

Located one mile north of the town of Grand Lake on U.S. Route 34 at the entrance to the park

Fees and Passes

restrooms, view topographical maps of the park, and ask the park rangers questions.

Alpine Visitor Center Located at Fall River Pass at the junction of Trail Ridge and Old Fall

Automobile: $20 - Valid for seven consecutive days, including date of purchase. Pedestrians, bicycles, motorcycles and mopeds: $10 per person, not to

See Rocky: Page 4

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Bringing History to Life www.funcityofestes.com

Jewelry, Coins & Antiques

356 E. Elkhorn Ave., Estes Park 970-586-4367 ~ www.RareItemsGreatPrices.com

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Miniature Golf • GO Karts 2 Giant Slides • Bungee Tramp Bumper Cars & Boats Arcades & Games • Snacks

Diamonds & Colored Stones, Rare Coins, Historical Artifacts, Rare Signatures History Arranged by Era, Unique & Unusual Antiques, Repair & Appraisals

2009 Trail Vacation Edition — 3

Rocky

Service, Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Land Management and Bureau of Reclamation. The pass series, collectively known as the America the Beautiful – National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Pass.

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exceed $20 per vehicle. Valid for seven consecutive days including date of purchase. Available at all Rocky Mountain National Park entrance stations. Fishing Rocky Mountain National Fishing is allowed in desigPark Annual Pass--A $40 pass nated areas in the Park; howwhich provides unlimited entry ever, regulations vary from to this park for one year from place to place. It is required to the date of purchase. Available have a valid Colorado fishing at all Rocky Mountain National license at all times. Some areas Park entrance stations or at are exclusively catch-and970-586-1438. release. Observe postings careRocky Mountain National fully. Park/Arapaho National Recreation Area Annual Pass--A Hunting $50 pass which provides Photo by Walt Hester Not allowed in RMNP. unlimited entry to to both Fishing is allowed in many areas of the areas for one year from the date Hiking park. of purchase. Available at all Getting out of your car and Rocky Mountain National Park hiking the 360 miles of trails is the best way to and Arapaho National Recreation Area entrance staexplore RMNP. Popular trails range from the easy and tions. handicapped accessible paths around Bear Lake, Lily The National Park Service is an important particiLake, and Sprague Lake. More ambitious climbs up pant in the new Interagency Pass Program which was created by the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement the fabled Longs Peak are also available for hikers. For a comprehensive analysis of the many hikes and Act and authorized by Congress in December 2004. climbs that RMNP has to offer, Lisa Fosters, “Rocky Participating agencies include the National Park Mountain National Park, The Complete Hiking Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture - Forest

Photo by Tony Wedick

Moose are more commonly seen on the park’s west side, however, they are occasionally seen on the east side, as was this bull near Sprague Lake.

Guide,” is an excellent resource, as well as the various information pamphlets provided by RMNP.

Wildlife The animals that live in RMNP are wild. Park visitors could potentially pose a threat to their natural habitat, and in turn the animals could harm visitors. To avoid conflict, do not feed any wildlife in the park because they can become dependent on human food, lose the ability to hunt, and possibly die. Animals can also kick, bite, or gore you. They can also carry diseases such as rabies and bubonic plague, which can be transmitted to humans. Photograph all wildlife from the safety of your vehicle or from the roadside. Approaching the animals frightens them and a possible fine may be issued to those who unnecessarily disturb the wildlife.

Pets Pets are not allowed on Park trails, snowfields, or in the backcountry. A leashed pet may be walked in the campgrounds, picnic areas, and along roadsides. Never leave your pet unattended in a vehicle. Kennels are available in Estes Park and other surrounding communities.

Leave No Trace Photo by Walt Hester

A bull elk near the road is sure to garner a lot of attention from visitors. However, it is unwise to approach the animal, it is also against the law.

In order to preserve the pristine beauty of RMNP’s natural landscape it is important for visitors to adhere to the Leave No Trace outdoor mentality. For more information, contact www.lnt.org.

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970-586-3838 800-607-3838 457 East Wonderview

2009 Trail Vacation Edition — 5

Paths of adventure

The Shining Mountains Group of the Colorado Mountain Club offers hundreds of hikes and other outdoor adventures By Madeline Framson

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he Colorado Mountain Club offers a myriad of year-round opportunities for adventure. There are a multitude of ways to experience the wilderness inhabited by nature’s creatures in the ongoing quest to discover a sense of self. Thus, the Shining Mountains Group of the Colorado Mountain Club welcomes everyone to share in the beguiling mystique of the Rockies. The CMC is the largest and oldest mountaineer organization still existing in this part of the country. People in all walks of life and from all 50 states and countries abroad are members of the CMC. The members all believe in courtesy toward each other and nature - that’s the true mountain club spirit. Members are generally those who plan to visit and revisit the Rockies and want to participate in the mountaineering activities the club offers. It was natural that the lure of the Colorado Rockies would inspire 25 stalwart individuals, who shared a love of the mountains, to band together and charter the CMC in 1912. The group recognized the need to preserve a unique, pristine treasure. Its first goal was to see Rocky Mountain National Park established - a shining achievement in 1915. The club sponsors trips to all sorts of enchanting vistas. They range from leisurely nature walks in the Estes Valley and Rocky Mountain National Park, to expeditions climbing Mount Everest and the highest peaks of the world. The more than 3,000 recreational opportunities sponsored annually offer a kaleidoscope of outings. Each of the adventures is responsibly led along the sound principles of safety. The locations range from plains and foothills to high alpine lakes and peaks towering more than 14,000 feet. The outings scheduled offer opportunities for anyone’s interests and capabilities; from easy to moderate to much more challenging adventures. The dimensions of the CMC are manifold. In addition to hiking and backpacking, add bike touring and mountain biking, technical climbing, canoeing, wilderness trekking, horseback trips, birding and nature walks, llama trips, photography hikes, historic hikes, picnics and socials. In the winter there is Nordic and downhill skiing, snowshoeing, ice climbing, ice skating, technical climbing, winter hiking and more backpacking. Many of the activities include interpretations by experts on wildlife, biology, geology, history, flora and fauna and ecosystems. Family trips including children and adults of all ages are very popular. Several events even allow sociable dogs to tag along. Within the club’s emphasis upon safety, the CMC sponsors many schools to help members improve their outdoor skills while having a good time doing it. Socials and potlucks are scheduled throughout the year and the annual dinner in November is always a highlight. While CMC membership is not required to participate in many of the trips, free literature covering CMC membership, details of the outings, degrees of physical demand, conditioning and qualification information is available by calling 5866623.

Electrical • Plumbing Paint • Gardening RV Supplies Sporting Goods • Ammunition Camping Equipment Fishing Tackle & Licenses

Photo by John Cordsen

The “Narrows” on the trail to Longs Peak is traveled by thousands each year.

Complete Hardware Crafts & Variety Store Keys Made • UPS & FedEx Shipping Bedding • Clothing Bathing Suits • Housewares • Gifts Also Specializing in Electronics DVD RENTAL & SALES

OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK YEAR ROUND

More Than A Hardware Store… Much More!

Summer Hours (Memorial Day - Labor Day) Weekdays 8:00 a.m. - 9:00 p.m. Sunday 8:00 a.m. - 9:00 p.m.

Winter Hours

The More You Shop The More You Earn®

www.truevalue.com

Monday-Saturday 8:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. Sunday 9:00 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.

970-586-3496 Stanley Village Shopping Center 461 E. Wonderview Ave., Estes Park 6 — 2009 Trail Vacation Edition

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TOYS & GAMES

Wish You Were Here Postcard Messages Describe Beauty, Enjoyment of Rocky Mountain National Park through the Decades By Suzanne Silverthorn

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hey weren’t schooled as writers or poets or naturalists or scholars. Yet the words they leave behind are remarkable in their simplicity and wonder. Their messages can be found on thousands of postcards that have been used by travelers to share descriptions of their journeys through Rocky Mountain National Park. Whether they were touring on horseback a century ago or with all the modern conveniences of today, postmarks spanning nearly100 years tell the story of a timeless admiration of a special place. Take for example, the black and white image of Longs Peak dated August 6, 1905, in which the writer describes what he sees in a way that has been frequently retold. “Isn’t this beautiful? I can’t imagine a more delightful place.” Ten years later, the federal government was also convinced of its beauty and Rocky Mountain National Park was established as the country’s tenth national park, spanning 229,062 acres. Before the area became a national park, Colorado had already developed a reputation for its spectacular beauty, beckoning visitors from across the country. A postcard picturing Hanging Rock near Estes Park and mailed in 1909 to a friend in Chicago expresses the anticipated excitement of a pending visit. “Will spend the next six days here and am anxious to start as it is the finest trip they say in Colorado way up in the mountains. Am having a delightful time.” Fast-forward another 60 years and a colorful postcard showing Grand Lake Village, the Western gateway to Rocky Mountain National Park, is sent to a couple in Ohio. The sentiments remain the same, “Having a wonderful time. There are no words to describe the beauty of these mountains.” Others tried their best to find words to describe the sights, including the often repeated “God’s country.” In 1914, a writer attending one of the early YMCA Conferences near Estes Park selected a postcard of Bear Lake to share his spiritual inspiration with a brother living in Washington state, “Of course this scenery is ordinary to you, but it is to me magnificent. But higher than the peaks is my soul born toward God in these days of conference with men who do things. I am slowly coming to see the size of the work to be done.” No less inspired were the many visitors who simply came to relax and enjoy the peaceful serenity of the mountains. In 1959, while staying at Fall River Lodge and Ranch within the park, a writer describes her return to “this lovely spot” to an acquaintance in Michigan following a visit 10 years earlier. “The altitude bothers me some this time,” she writes, “so I’ve been sitting, but to sit and look is perfect.” An altitude of 11,800 feet is noted in a postcard mailed in 1932 to a woman in Pennsylvania by a guest on the famous Circle Tour route which once traversed Fall River Road and was then using the newly opened Trail Ridge Road which connected Estes Park and Grand Lake. In a postcard showing a hand-colored scene of Grand Lake, site of the largest natural body of water in Colorado, the writer describes a trip that included a stop on top and an overnight stay at Grand Lake Lodge, all of which “nearly equaled the Alps.” While sight-seeing has taken many forms through the years, F.O. Stanley’s arrival in 1903 with his famous steam-powered automobile began a rubber-tire evolution in tourism as adventurers began exploring the countryside in a fashionable new way. In 1916 a postcard sent from the Lewiston Hotel in Estes Park to a gentleman in Illinois boasts, “The ‘Little Old Ford’

In 1914, a writer attending one of the early YMCA Conferences near Estes Park selected a postcard of Bear Lake to share his spiritual inspiration with a brother living in Washington state.

goes right along. We are having a fine trip and seeing all we can with both eyes. We have just come through forty miles of the most beautiful scenery I have ever seen.” An undated postcard likely sent in the 1920s or 1930s pictures the interior of Grand Lake Lodge, then located within Rocky Mountain National Park, where its guest describes a similar journey. “We drove forty miles in four hours. Can you imagine the steepness? I am on the top of the world now. It is much beyond my expectations.” The driving experience hadn’t changed much by September 1952 when the author of a postcard showing the town of Estes Park describes his trip over the Rockies. “It was a near thing for the old Ford, but she finally made it. We are 2,100 miles and seven days out of town, after 95 degrees across all Kansas and no really cool days anywhere.” That would soon change for many RMNP visitors who would often comment about the sudden changes in the weather and their delight in taking part in a friendly snowball fight in the middle of summer. A postcard sent in June 1957 shows a snow-covered Fall River Museum and Store at the top of Trail Ridge Road at 11,797 feet above sea level. Writing to an acquaintance in Kansas City, the author shares her experience, “This is the way this looked yesterday while we were there. The road was plowed open again Thursday.” Some travelers used postcards as journals to describe

their adventures in the Rockies. One such card written around 1920 is the third in a vacationers’ postcard series. It pictures the Elkhorn Lodge in Estes Park and contains Xs marked on the card to show where they stayed. “The five marks show our windows. Two in each room and the middle one for our bathroom. We pay $18 a week and things are in some ways quite primitive. As to bell service, we carry up our own ice water. But we can easily do that. We have good, hot running water, and electric light, and everything is clean. Charming people are here, but few in number. We had a wonderful auto ride yesterday over the new Fall River or Grand Lake Road. We are so happy to be here.” Many visitors could hardly wait to return each summer to enjoy the scenery and renew old friendships in and around the park. In July 1922, a postcard picturing the North St. Vrain Canyon near Estes Park was sent to a young lady in Wichita detailing the writer’s discoveries at the YMCA. “The many improvements we find on our return here only makes a visit to the Y camp more enjoyable. Otherwise, same sunshine, same breezes, same mountains. Our cottage has on a new brown dress. They brought a new front porch for it which extends past our bedroom window. Also real windows. Can’t really say if the same squirrels play under the bed. The dining hall is fully equipped up to the minute, and the eats can’t be improved upon. So

See Cards: Page 8

2009 Trail Vacation Edition — 7

Cards Continued from page 7

life in Estes Park is all joy. We drove Ben all the way to the top to Bear Lake – J.A. caught one fish which to date has cost him $9 besides gas, sunburn and his wife’s ‘I told you so.’” Then there is the 1937 postcard picturing Meeker Park Lodge on the South St. Vrain Highway which was mailed to a woman in Boulder complimenting the lodge’s owner, Crete Dever, and likely creating another loyal customer because of her hospitality. “Found a very nice new cabin when we arrived with fireplace so had our worry for nothing. Crete said she knew about what kind one would like. Everything is full

up and quite a number at the lodge.” Most lodges advertised their accommodations as “rustic” to help set realistic expectations for their guests. In 1923 a postcard of Grand Lake and the surrounding mountains was sent to a woman in Aspen by a guest staying at Grand Lake Lodge who may have been surprised by what he found. “There is a wonderful view from this lodge. Everything is so primitive. Had to start a fire in the iron stove this a.m. to get some hot water.” Guests, it seemed, could be as active or inactive as they chose. A 1959 postcard from a guest staying at the Holzwarth Guest Ranch on the west

side of the park mailed to recipients in Pennsylvania itemized a busy schedule: “Up – 7:30. Breakfast – 8:00. To Stables – 9:00. Started 8 mile ride up Baker Gulch – 9:30. Returned to Ranch – 3:30. Bath and Walk till 6:30. Dinner – 6:30 to 7:30. Writing cards – 8:00.” As would be expected, most of the guests took time to fish and to sample fresh trout for dinner. In a postcard sent to a Kansas town in 1916 picturing boat races in Grand Lake, this writer admitted to a slight distraction. “I am sorry Ruth that I haven’t taken time to at least drop you a postal sooner, but I have been so busy every

See Messages: Page 9

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A postcard sent to a Kansas town in 1916 pictured boat races in Grand Lake.

The Estes Valley Recreation and Park District offers a wide range of activities as well as picnic areas and parks. Come join us for some indoor and outdoor fun! Lake Estes Marina 970.586.2011 swimming ~ tennis ~ boat rentals~ bike rentals Aquatic Center 970.586.2340 9-hole golf ~ 18-hole golf ~ skate park ~ playgrounds 9-hole golf 970.586.8176 a walk around Lake Estes ~ baseball ~ fishing ~ picnics 18-hole golf 970.586.8146

8 — 2009 Trail Vacation Edition

Visit us online at… www.estesvalley recreation.com

ESTES VALLEY

RECREATION and PARK DISTRICT

Messages Continued from page 8

minute. I go fishing most every day, leaving the hotel in the morning and getting back early evening for the festivities that always takes place after supper. And when I get tired, I just sit down and watch the mountains and the little mountain showers that occur most every day. There are a lot of lovely people here and some very, very nice girls that I hardly know whether to fish or go around with them.” Families who have visited the park in the past often encourage other family members to make the

same trip to keep the family tradition alive. On a postcard showing the exterior of Steads Hotel in Moraine Park, a grandma writes to her grandson, “A great many years ago, your mother stayed at the hotel shown in this picture and it was then Sprague’s. Mrs. Sprague is still living and tends the post office near there. She is aged but seems bright and interesting. There are many cottages about the main building in which the guests live and board at the hotel. They keep an auto and come to town every day and take

people out there who have engaged rooms with them.” For many, a Colorado mountain trip remains a vivid experience for visitors returning home. The memories are shared with family and friends and postcard mementos are used to encourage other tourists to visit the area as suggested on a Kansas-bound postcard sent in 1926 when the writer says, “I want you to see this next year.” While seeing and documenting the Rockies may be easier than ever in today’s technologicallyadvanced world, the emotions within our hearts aren’t likely to change when it comes to expressing our words and thoughts about such a favorite place. And so it goes: Wish you were here! Suzanne Silverthorn has been collecting postcards of Rocky Mountain National Park and the surrounding area for more than a decade. Many of her postcards are featured in the book, Rocky Mountain Tour, which chronicles Roe Emery’s famous auto tour through Rocky Mountain National Park. The book is available through the Rocky Mountain Nature Association.

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Before the area became a national park, Colorado had already developed a reputation for its spectacular beauty such as Hanging Rock that becked visitors from across the country.

860 Moraine Ave. (Hwy 36) Convenience Store ATM & Money Orders Quality Gasoline & Diesel 586-7867 24 Hour Pumps Lotto & Scratch Tickets • Copies • Coffee Bar • Beer

Fill up both your car and yourself on your way into the Park!

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Three Great Restaurants Under One Roof!

2009 Trail Vacation Edition — 9

Cascades of Adventure Numerous waterfall hikes are within easy reach for the day trekker

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ocky Mountain National Park offers many beautiful and diverse destinations. Among the more scenic are the Park’s many water-

Photo by John Cordsen

A hiker enjoys a sojourn at the base of Fern Falls.

Photo by Shining Mountains Group

Lost Falls.

falls. Visitors find the soothing sounds of falling water mesmerizing, refreshing and very photogenic. The Park has a number of waterfalls, with most on the east side of the Park. The waterfalls on the Estes Park side of the Park are well worth the hike. There are approximately 20 major falls on the east side of the Park. Many of these waterfalls are listed on the official map visitors receive when they enter the Park. To locate those not on this map may require a more detailed map such as the Department of Interior geological survey map of Rocky Mountain National Park. This detailed map is available at most book or sporting stores in Estes Park, or at one of the Park’s visitor centers. The waterfalls on the Estes Park side of RMNP are all worth the hike, but, the size of the waterfall depends on water volume and in dry time such as this year, this can vary. Seasonal flow of water also impacts the waterfalls. The spring melt is the best time for heavier water flow. For those who are limited to a vehicle for viewing a waterfall, the only one visible from the road is Chasm Falls. Viewers can also see the cascades at the Alluvial Fan. Both are located in Horseshoe Park on the Old Fall River Road and they can be viewed by walking only a few yards. The Alluvial Fan was once the location of Horseshoe Falls. The Falls were essentially eroded to their present appearance by the Lawn Lake Flood in 1982.

Photo by Walt Hester

Alberta Falls.

Photo by John Cordsen

Mists rise from Briday Veil Falls.

Photo by Shining Mountains Group

MacGregor Falls.

Photo by Shining Mountains Group

Ribbon Falls.

Waterfalls and where they are Alberta Falls Bridal Veil Falls Chasm Falls Copeland Falls Fan Falls Fern Falls Glacier Falls Grace Falls MacGregor Falls

Miles One Way

Starting Trailhead

.6 2.5 .5 .2 7.2 1.5 1.3 4.0 1.5

Glacier Gorge Junction Cow Creek Endovalley Wild Basin Wild Basin Fern Lake Glacier Gorge Junction Bear Lake Twin Owls

10 — 2009 Trail Vacation Edition

Lost Falls Lyric Falls Marguerite Falls Mertensia Falls Ouzel Falls Ribbon Falls Thousand Falls Thunder Falls Timberline Falls Trio Falls West Creek Falls

5.5 4.2 4.4 4.5 3.0 4.5 .2 6.5 6.5 5.0 2.0

Cow Creek or North Fork Wild Basin Fern Lake Wild Basin Wild Basin Glacier Gorge Junction Endovalley Wild Basin Glacier Gorge Junction Wild Basin Cow Creek or North Fork

Star-date 2009 — Captain’s log: heavenly sights at the Estes Park Memorial Observatory By Juley Harvey

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f you’re looking to catch some star power, mosey on over to Estes Park’s newest star attraction, the Estes Park Memorial Observatory, located on the grounds of Estes Park High School. A little more than three years in the making (hardly a nano-blink in star-time), the observatory celebrated its grand opening April 25, 2009. Mike Connolly, the patriarch of the project, began the quest in January of 2006. He wanted to build an observatory in memory of two of his star-struck children, killed in a motorcycle accident. Plaques with pictures of his children are in the lobby. Mike and Carole Connolly and Michele Johnson hope to honor the memory of Mike and Carole’s children and Michele’s siblings, Thomas and Christian Connolly, who died July 2, 2005. The Connollys all have backgrounds in science, math and astronomy. Mike, a retired engineer from Lockheed Martin Corporation, spent many nights viewing stars and planets with his children. “I think my kids would like it,” he said. His son was helping him to build a back-yard observatory at the time of the accident. Connolly had taken his children to visit the Little Thompson Observatory, where they developed a passion for astronomy. Connolly calls the observatory a great way to excite kids, providing them with hands-on experience of science, showing them through a telescope galaxies and stars that are 15 million light-years away. That light left its location in space before the dinosaurs died, he said. “Kids get excited. It’s a way of making hard sciences amenable and hands-on. They like the idea of doing it themselves,” Connolly said. Three years ago, Connolly started working on the legalities with the school district, started the 501(c) nonprofit and signed a lease with the school, under which the nonprofit would build the observatory and the school would take back the lease for $1, after the construction was approved. The Angels Above Foundation maintains the telescopes and programs. The school district is responsible for the building, maintenance and insurance. “We’ve already started two astronomy classes and built the Star Wall, a poor man’s planetarium,” he said.

Photo by Walt Hester

Mike Connolly stands in front of the newly opened Estes Park memorial Observatory, built in remembrance of his children, Thomas and Christian.

Students helped build the Star Wall, for which a projector shone images on the wall. Students taped fluorescent stars of different sizes and colors on the wall. See Star-date 2009 page 12

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2009 Trail Vacation Edition — 11

Star-date 2009 Continued from page 11

“Under dark light, the stars fluoresce. It’s really cool. The kids love it,” Connolly said. In 2007, construction of the observatory began. “The building went up quickly,” he said. “Roy Johnson of Johnson Construction did a great job.” The dome was provided by a specialty manufacturer in Loveland. They brought it up in a truck. Volunteers placed an aluminum skin on the dome and mechanized it. Those processes took from six to eight months. Meinte Veldhuis was the main consultant. “He’s the president of the Little Thompson Observatory. He knows how to make it go. We depended on him and his connections, “Connolly said. In November of last year, the dome was completed, and then established on the roof. Since then, volunteers have been finishing the inside of the building. In January, they installed the school telescope. Astronomers saw the first light through the telescope in February and have held star parties with both middle and high school students. “They love it,” Connolly said. “There’s more enthusiasm with the dome than with the scope — it echoes. They get a kick out of it, and the shutter and movement of the dome. Several people have donated old telescopes to the observatory. So far, eight telescopes have been donated, “nice scopes,” he said, some worth $1,000. “We want to have enough so that kids can take them out and set them up on their own. That will give them a hands-on appreciation. They will learn how to find stars,” he said. The main telescope is computerized and there’s “no difficulty in finding stars,” he said. The installation of a sun dial is planned for the area by the end of summer. “A person can stand in the center and his shadow casts the right time,”

The Star Wall at the observatory was created with the help of students, who placed the fluorescent stars in appropriate areas.

Connolly said. Estes Park’s sundial will be built in cooperation with the Rotary. The Rotary’s symbol will be placed in the center. “There are very few communities that have an observatory to use in this way,” Connolly said. “I just wanted to do something good. It’s having an impact. Local communities — Boulder, Longmont, Loveland — can come up and bring their kids…. I’ve been very lucky in finding the Little Thompson people. Without them, we’d have had to do it not very well. On the Web site, we have Observatory 101 — things you’ll never think of, like putting in a furnace and the smoke and heat and where is the proper place to put the scope. I’ve learned quite a bit, but it’s a one-time thing. I want to get this one going, so I can turn it over to a group of enthusiasts with the same ideals. It’s been pretty consuming for my wife and me. We’ll get into the astronomy finally. The good stuff is coming.” For more information, see the Web site at www.angelsabove.org.

Photos by Walt Hester

Mike Connolly and astronomer Steve Little check out the telescope. 12 — 2009 Trail Vacation Edition

Vacation planning Estes style Organizations have full event schedules for visitor planning By Janice Mason

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fter a fun day in the in the great outdoors, catch a theater production, stop in to an art opening, go to a concert or tour the museums. Estes Park has a full schedule of activities to please the entire family.

Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB)

The CVB Visitors Center offers ample parking and shuttle service through town and into Rocky Mountain National Park. The center, located at 500 Big Thompson Avenue, has increased visitor services, making vacations in Estes Park a relaxing, fun-filled experience. Helpful volunteer ambassadors assist visitors, providing maps and information. Brochures and souvenirs are located in the lobby. Community events are listed on the CVB Web site — www.estesparkcvb.com. Click on Events and then Calendar for vacation planning information. For more information, call the CVB at (970) 577-9900 or 1-800-44-Estes.

Art Center of Estes Park The Art Center of Estes Park Fine Art Gallery features juried original art by Estes Valley and regional Colorado artists in a broad range of media. The center offers featured artist’s exhibits throughout the year, as well as a revolving collection from more than 40 members. The gallery provides exhibit space for school children and aspiring artists. The center also offers art classes, slideshows and educational programs. The Art Center of Estes Park is located at 517 Big Thompson Avenue in Stanley Village. For more information, call (970) 586-5882 or visit www.artcenterofestes.com.

Cultural Arts Council of Estes Park The Cultural Arts Council of Estes Park Fine Art Gallery presents visual and performing arts programming year-round. The arts council will be celebrating one full year in its new gallery, located at 423 W. Elkhorn Avenue (directly in front of Performance Park outdoor amphitheater). For more information, call (970) 5869203 or visit www.estesarts.com.

Estes Park Museum The Estes Park Museum collects, interprets and preserves local history through permanent and temporary exhibits, programs and events. The museum educates visitors, exploring the rich history of Estes Park and Rocky Mountain National Park. The Estes Park Museum is located at 200 Fourth Street off of Highway 36 just west of Lake Estes. Museum admission and programs are free. For more information, call the museum at (970) 586-6256 or visit www.estesnet.com/museum.

Estes Park Music Festival The Estes Park Music Festival offers a splendid summer concert series by the Colorado Music Festival, conducted by the world-renowned conductor Michael Christie. The Music Festival presents a free Patriotic and Pops concert by the entire Colorado Music Festival orchestra in July. It also presents a Sunday afternoon concert series at the historic Stanley Hotel, November through April. For schedule information, call 586-9519 or visit www.estesparkmusicfestival.org.

Photo by Walt Hester

A youngster hops along the Riverwalk.

Estes Park Public Library

Performance Park Outdoor Amphitheater

The Estes Park Public Library offers a Summer Reading Program for children, provides meeting space for a variety of community programming and free Internet service by appointment. Visit the Estes Park Public Library at 335 E. Elkhorn Avenue, call (970) 586-8116, or visit www.estes.lib.co.us.

Performance Park outdoor amphitheater is located at 417 W. Elkhorn Avenue at the west end of the Riverwalk. The beautiful rock backdrop creates impeccable acoustics with a lawn in front of the stage, and tables and chairs along the river for visitor’s picnicking convenience. Performances take place May through August. For schedule information, call the CVB at (970) 577-9900.

Fine Arts Guild of the Rockies The Fine Arts Guild of the Rockies brings theater productions to the Estes Valley year-round. They also offer the Fine Arts and Crafts Festival in September. For more information, call the Cultural Arts Council of Estes Park at (970) 5869203 or visit www.fineartsguild.org. Theater ticket information can be obtained by calling the Macdonald Book Shop at (970) 586-3450.

Estes Park Senior Center The Estes Park Senior Center has a busy activities schedule and serves weekly lunches at noon. The Senior Center is located at 220 Fourth Street and is open Monday through Friday. The Senior Center Summer Breakfast Buffets are open to the public and held on June 13, July 11, Aug. 8 and Sept. 5, from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. The cost is $7/adults, $3/children ages 4 to 7, free/children under age 4. No reservations are needed. For more information, call the Senior Center at (970) 586-2996 or visit www.estesnet.com/seniorcenter.

Rocky Ridge Music Center Rocky Ridge Music Center (RRMC) is a summer music center/camp for middle school, high school and college students. They offer chamber and orchestral music, private lessons and music theory for all types of instrumentalists. Student and faculty concerts are offered throughout the summer at RRMC, located at 465 Longs Peak Road. For more information, call (970) 586-4031 or visit www.rockyridge.org.

Stanley Museum The Stanley Hotel, built by F.O. (Freelan Oscar) Stanley of Stanley Steamer automobile fame, opened on June 22, 1909. The Stanley Museum is located at 517 Big Thompson Avenue in Lower Stanley Village. For more information, call (970) 577-1903 or visit www.stanleymuseum.org.

2009 Trail Vacation Edition — 13

Along the trail By Janice Mason

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ark the car and take a stroll. Enjoy the view from Lake Estes, the wildlife or the sound of the rolling water along the Riverwalk. Trails, winding around and through Estes Park, makes the town a pedestrian’s delight.

Lake Estes Trail

Park at the Visitors Center (500 Big Thompson Avenue) and follow the Riverwalk east to Lake Estes. Go the distance around the lake (3.75 miles) or just enjoy a short stroll. Wildlife and magnificent views of Rocky Mountain National Park are the main attractions of the Lake Estes Trail.

Riverwalk From the Visitors Center, walk through the underpass and hike west into town along the Riverwalk. Take a seat on the outdoor patio of an Estes Park restaurant or coffee shop. Enter shops from the back door along the Riverwalk and enjoy Estes Park shopping and nature along the way. The Riverwalk Wiest Plaza expansion, starts at Moraine Avenue and winds up to West Elkhorn Avenue. Catch the trail across the street where it turns into Fall River Trail. (The downtown Riverwalk is a pedestrian-only trail.)

Fall River Trail Fall River Trail starts at West Elkhorn Avenue, behind the waterwheel. Walk west to Performance Park outdoor amphitheater where visitors enjoy music performances all summer long. Stroll into the West Park Center and check out the Cultural Arts Council Fine Art Gallery. The trail continues west along the Fall River and will eventually link to Rocky Mountain National Park.

Knoll-Willows Trail From Bond Park, in the center of downtown, enter the Knoll-Willows Trail from the north side of the Municipal Building. The trail winds up to the historic Birch Cabin and the ruins, which feature excellent views of Estes Park and Rocky Mountain National Park. Another trailhead starts at the top of Wonderview Drive, across from the Stanley Hotel, and leads to the ruins.

Once Upon a Time…

Photo by Walt Hester

A runner takes a summer trek on Lake Estes Trail.

Fish Creek Trail Enter Fish Creek Trail on the southeast end of Lake Estes. Go south along Fish Creek Road past the high school and the Estes Park Golf Course. Enjoy the view of Longs Peak along the way.

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2009 Trail Vacation Edition — 15

Performance Park Outdoor Amphitheater The place to find the music and the fun Compiled by Janice Mason

Wednesday Nights at Performance Park Sponsored by the Town of Estes Park Concerts start at 7 p.m., weather permitting njoy a musical evening in Estes Park’s outdoor amphitheater. Bring a picnic, a lawn chair or blanket and listen to numerous performers during the summer months. Performance Park Amphitheater is located at 417 W. Elkhorn Avenue, on the far west end of town.

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Wednesday night schedule June 24 — Midnight Moon Killian Lee (Roger) Wade and Jeanne Dee play classic country, classic rock, blues and big band music. July 1 — Richard Geppinger Ministry musician Richard Geppinger performs. July 15 — Kim Lankford & Scott Wilseck Performing country-western music, Lankford on guitar is accompanied by Wilseck on honky-tonk piano. July 22 — Elk Hollow Local favorites Jack Overly and Gary Reeves perform folk tunes while entertaining the crowd. July 29 — Vic Anderson Vic Anderson, 2003 Western Music Association’s and International Male Yodeling Champion, will perform original, classic and contemporary Cowboy tunes. Aug. 5 — Deja Blu Deja Blue is known for their high energy shows, playing a danceable mix of the

very best of classic rock, contemporary rock, R&B, Motown, swing and blues with a kick of country. Aug. 12 — The Dave Davis Band The band plays unique arrangements of songs by groups like, John Fogarty and the Moody Blues, with originals thrown in to the mix. Aug. 19 — Dick Orleans Folk, easy listening, rock, bluegrass and jazz, Orleans blends them all into a set of music played on his stylized guitar. Aug. 26 — Ron Ball Artist and cowboy musician, Ron Ball, plays songs from the Old West.

Thursday Night Live Sponsored by the Cultural Arts Council of Estes Park 423 W. Elkhorn Avenue, in front of Performance Park June 25 through Aug. 27 Concerts start at 7 p.m., weather permitting

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he Cultural Arts Council of Estes Park has been providing summer concerts on Thursday nights for 10 years. The 11th annual, 2009 line-up includes: the Longmont Concert Band, Elk Hollow, Estes Park Village Band and Riverside Ramblers. The Longmont Concert Band is a nonprofit organization composed of volunteer musicians from the surrounding community. The Village Band features up to 50 members from the greater Estes Valley who perform a variety of music from classic marches to contemporary. The Riverside Ramblers are an Estes Park-based, eight member band, playing trombone, tuba, trumpet, clarinet, piano, banjo, drums and vibes since 1992.

Photo by Walt Hester

A large crowd fills Performance Park for the annual Jazz Festival, which takes place in early May.

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2009 Trail Vacation Edition — 17

Cultural Arts Council of Estes Park Art at its finest Compiled by Janice Mason

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tep into the spacious Fine Art Gallery and take in the sights and sounds of music and art. The Cultural Arts Council of Estes Park showcases renowned regional, national and international artists in its Fine Art Gallery. Musicians play the piano during opening receptions. The arts council serves the Estes Valley, providing Art Walk maps of area galleries. The council also offers information on area arts organizations to the public. The most anticipated event this year is the national tour, “Art And The Animal,” arriving in Estes Park on May 30. A favorite event for landscape lovers is the “Estes Park Plein Air” event, taking place in August and September annually.

‘Art and the Animal’ Most residents and visitors to the Estes Park area expect to see chipmunks, squirrels, deer and elk — but hippos, polar bears, whales and giraffes? From May 30 to July 5, a whole world of animals can be viewed at the national 48th annual tour of the Society of Animal Artists (SAA) tour, “Art and the Animal.” The Cultural Arts Council of Estes Park will host this prestigious show at their Fine Art Gallery located at 423 W. Elkhorn Avenue. “It is a true compliment to the arts community here in Estes Park and the arts council’s new facility to be chosen as part of this important national tour,” said Lynda S. Vogel, Cultural Arts Council executive director. During the exhibition, the Fine Art Gallery will have expanded hours, group tours and activities geared for children and families. A tour catalogue, Photos courtesy Cultural Arts Council of Estes Park miniature works by a select number of SAA artists, and 63 paintings and sculpture are available for view- Award-winning artist, David Harms, paints in plein air (on location) in Rocky Mountain National Park for the August through September event. ing. The Cultural Arts Council Fine Art Gallery will be open seven days a week from the hours of 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. during the tour. “Imagine all the fun of taking children on an Art Safari right here in Estes Park,” said Vogel. Admission is $5 for adults, and children 12 and under are admitted without charge when accompanied by a paid adult.

‘Estes Park Plein Air’ Beauty and inspiration go hand-in-hand when artists come to the Colorado Rockies to paint the parks this summer, on-location, from Aug. 15 to 28. Given a 50-mile radius in which to work, subjects include Rocky Mountain National Park, forests, river canyons, scenic highways, people and places in Estes Park or cityscapes found in the various Front Range communities. This event has garnered national attention, and opening day is the place to be if you are a savvy collector of fine art. Once the painting period ends Friday, Aug. 28, an exhibition and sale the new works is held Aug. 29 through Sept. 30, at the Cultural Arts Council of Estes Park Fine Art Gallery and Earthwood Collections in Estes Park. “Our event is successful due to the collaborations between the galleries and the artists,” said Vogel. “The eighth year will feature many outstanding artists, and EPPA has gained recognition, placing Estes Park as a premier arts destination. Patrons anxiously await opening day, and the quick draw and auction have become a must-see with those who have a passion for fine art. The glory and the majesty of Northern Colorado is forever captured on canvas, paper and board.” 18 — 2009 Trail Vacation Edition

The Fine Art Gallery houses a piano, adding music to opening receptions.

“Saved by a Feather” by Susan Labouri is part of the “Art and the Animal” tour, showing May 30 to July 5 in the Fine Art Gallery.

The public is invited to watch artists paint in the field. A chalkboard with daily locations will be available in the Fine Art Gallery throughout the painting period in August. The Cultural Arts Council of Estes Park enhances the quality and accessibility of visual and performing arts for people of all ages and has brought programming to the state of Colorado as a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit arts agency since 1990. It provides free or affordable arts programming and acts as a vital information and support resource for the arts community. Summer hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. The Cultural Arts Council of Estes Park, located at 423 W. Elkhorn Avenue, is handicapped accessible with ample gallery-front parking. For more information, contact the Cultural Arts Council at 586-9203, [email protected] or visit www.estesarts.com.

Art Center of Estes Park Celebrating artisans’ creativity and passion sors: Vivian and Ron Gordon. Sept. 18 through Oct. 4: “Lines into rtists unite in cooperation and revelry Shapes” Annual National Juried Show feaat the Art Center of Estes Park. Cared turing all media. Sponsor: Art Center of for and fostered by regional artists, the Estes Park. center brings a mix of media that fills the Oct. 9 through Nov. 15: “Inspirational spacious sunlit gallery in Stanley Village. Discoveries,” featuring Mary Jo McGillivary, Established in 1987, the Art Center of watercolor and oil paintings. Reception Estes Park presents revolving exhibits by sponsors: Cynthia Price Reedy, Margaret artists. Each month, a featured artist or and Lyle Jensen, Linda and Del Hope. artists are selected to bring a collection of Nov. 20 through Dec. 31: “Elemental work into the gallery. More than 40 local Transformations,” featuring Vickie Mastron and regional artists display a wide range of Cody, glass/mixed media. Reception sponmedia. sors: Chris Switzer, Susan and Gil Anderson. The center also offers art classes, slide preThe Art Center of Estes Park is a nonsentations and educational programs to the profit organization, which provides a facility community. Classes are offered for children to support and promote the work of local in the summer and youth scholarships are and regional artists. The proceeds benefit available to cover the cost for inquiring stuboth the artist and contribute to the Art dents. The gallery also provides exhibit space Center’s educational and community outfor those aspiring artists. Photo by Janice Mason reach programs. The “Lines Into Shapes” national show in The Art Center of Estes Park is located in Stanley Village. The Art Center is located at 517 Big September brings artists from across the Thompson Avenue in Stanley Village, and is nation and abroad to display a diversity of handicapped accessible. Summer hours are 10 a.m. to work. From sculpture to paintings, photography to 5 p.m. daily and the all exhibits are free and open to jewelry, the annual “Lines Into Shapes” exhibit prethe public. Winter hours are Friday through Monday sents the most anticipated event of the year. Awards from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information, call are presented in numerous categories. 586-5882 or visit www.artcenterofestes.com. By Janice Mason

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Remaining 2009 exhibits

Art Center of Estes Park opening receptions are typically held on the first night of each exhibit from 5 to 7 p.m. Refreshments are served. June 26 through Aug. 2: “Three Cups of Tea,” featuring Susan Anderson, clay and mixed media; Suzie Bogard, clay, painting and mixed media; and Candace Newlove, clay, mixed media and fiber. Reception sponsors: Susan Moore, Carole and Ed Haslock. Profits from sales will be donated to the Greg Mortensen’s Central Asian Institute. Aug. 7 through Sept. 13: “Beauty of Nature,” featuring Carol Gregory, photography. Reception sponCourtesy photo

This pendant by Arielle Brackett was featured in 2008 Lines Into Shapes.

Courtesy photo

This work by Kathy Thaden appeared in 2008 Lines Into Shapes.

Photo by Dick Orleans

This photo of a hummingbird by Dick Orleans was featured in 2008 Lines Into Shapes.

Courtesy photo

Geoffrey Hastings entered this still life in 2008 Lines Into Shapes.

2009 Trail Vacation Edition — 19

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Welcome to the Rooftop Voted best small rodeo committee again in 2008, Estes Park’s Rooftop Rodeo is ready to run again this July. Cowboy, cowgirls, rodeo queens and the best animal athletes on earth will be on display at the Stanley Fair Grounds, and during the annual Rooftop Rodeo Parade on Tuesday, July 7, 2009. Here are a few images from the 2008 rodeo by Walt Hester.

10 places to a catch a fish You can fish for anything you want here, as long as it’s a trout By Mike Oatley

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his is trout country. In addition to native greenback cutthroats, brook trout, brown trout and rainbow trout inhabit most — but not every — fishable body of water in the area (check Rocky Mountain National Park's fishing brochure for a list of lakes that are fishless before heading into the high country). Since regulations vary from one body of water to the next, or even on one stretch of the same river to the next, it is important to know the rules that are in effect where you plan to fish. Treble hooks, bait and keeping fish are not universally allowed. If you are fishing barbless flies and releasing all of your fish, you are good to go on any water that is open to fishing - but bear in mind, that some waters associated with greenback cutthroats recovery projects are closed during the spawning season, or closed entirely.

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Lake Estes Got kids? Want to fish bait or keep fish? Lakes Estes is the place for you. Stocked annually with thousands of catchable-sized rainbow trout by the Colorado Division of Wildlife, the big impoundment on the Big Thompson River also holds wild brown trout, yellow perch, walleyes and a very few tiger muskies hanging on from earlier attempts to establish them by stocking (one was caught last summer). When the lake gets calm and glassy, you can often find cruising trout taking midges off the surface all across the lake, and fly anglers can catch them on a size 18 Adams Parachute. The best way to consistently catch fish at Lake Estes i s by casting a streamer such as a Woolly Bugger (with a fly rod, or behind a casting

Photo by Mike Oatley

An angler stalks a pod of trout rising in a glassy pool on a late fall outing in Rocky Mountain National Park.

bubble), or a small spinner with lightweight spinning gear. Both of the long shorelines on the north and south sides of the lake, accessible from the Lake Estes Trail, can be productive when fished this way. If you’re not finding fish along the rip-rap or rocky shorelines, stay on the move.

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Big Thompson Canyon There are more than 20 miles of public water on the Big Thompson between Estes Park and Loveland, with the heart of it being about 10 miles of catch-and-release water from Olympus Dam down to the Waltonia Bridge, a stretch of water that has come to be known as one of the premier fisheries on the Front Range, and the closest thing to a year-round stream fishery anywhere in the immediate area. Rainbows and brown trout are the quarry, with numbers of ‘bows highest closest to the dam and the proportion of browns increasing steadily as you move downstream. Fish up to 16 inches are fairly common, and its not uncommon to find fish rising to a brief, mid-January midge emergence. The Big T is a popular and busy place on any fishable day, so plan to fish carefully through the beat you find to fish rather than try to cover a lot of water, and be aware that private land holdings are interspersed with public lands in the canyon.

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Sprague Lake Another kid and bait friendly place to fish, and one of the few places bait is allowed in the national park. Sprague is inhabited primarily by brook trout, with the occasional out-sized brown trout turning up in the catch.The lake has a healthy population of damselflies, and a damselfly nymph fished around weed beds is often productive.

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Wild Basin Simply put, Wild Basin is a fly fisher's paradise. The main attraction is the main stem of the North St. Vrain, coursing down from its headwaters at Thunder Lake and above, but there are also several fishable tributaries and numerous lakes in the high country that provide outstanding fishing at

See FISHING: page 24

2009 Trail Vacation Edition — 23

Fishing Continued from page 23

the end of long, lung-busting hikes. Browns and brookies predominate from the Park boundary upstream, with a few rainbows mixed in here and there and greenbacks and other cutts showing up the farther upstream you go. Timing is important in Wild Basin: while the North St. Vrain does have a bit of a reputation as a stream that runs cold early in the season, is a challenge to wade around the high flows during snow melt, and is slow to kick into gear after run-off and quick to shut down in the fall, the fishing can be very good, and the Basin is a corner of the Park that can feel somehow apart from the mountains that surround it, especially when you are down streamside among the mossy trees on a drizzly August day.

5

Moraine Park Meandering stretches of the Big Thompson and Cub Creek wind across the wide-open expanse of Moraine Park, the confluence of the two coming just upstream of Bear Lake Road on Moraine's eastern edge. Small brookies outnumber everything else by far but some very nice brown trout lurk under the undercut banks. Here's the catch: there is no shelter from the wind, and many non-anglers walk the banks, making the fish spooky and hard to catch. Also: big brown trout don’t get to be big brown trout by being pushovers. Target the brown trout with streamers fished to undercut banks. For brookies rising in the pools, fish midges, or terrestrial patterns like ants, beetles and grasshoppers. You are also likely to find yourself sharing the stream from a few to very many elk (note that there are foot traffic closures in effect in the fall)

6

High country lakes The season in the high country is short. The ice comes off sometime in late June or early July in most places, and by early October, the weather can get dicey. Wind is often also an issue, not to mention the afternoon thunderstorms of the July and August monsoon season that can drive you off the water almost as soon as you get there. Also, getting there can be a lot of work. But the payoff can be fantastic: there are bigger fish to be caught than in the smaller streams below, and they are not necessarily picky eaters. At the height of the season, the fishing can be what the guides call “stupid good.”

Photo by Mike Oatley

See FISHING: page 25

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24 — 2009 Trail Vacation Edition

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Fishing

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Brook trout, above, are common in RMNP streams, but the real prize is the greenback cutthroat, the only native trout to the region.

Continued from page 24

7

Upper Colorado River On the west side of the Park, the Upper Colorado meanders down the Kewanuche Valley. You might share the stream with a bunch of elk, or even a moose or two. Here, the Colorado is an intimate place to fish compared with the brawling, canyon-carving behemoth it becomes as it picks up water from tributaries downstream.

8

South Fork of the Cache la Poudre The Poudre begins on the Continental Divide, at Poudre Lake near Milner Pass, and flows north toward the Park's boundary, gathering water, before turning east and blasting down the Poudre Canyon toward Fort Collins. From Milner Pass, where Trail Ridge Road crosses the Divide, a hiking trail hugs the Poudre all the way to the Park boundary.

9

Lily Lake Considered a “demonstration lake” in the recovery of the greenback cutt, Lily is the most accessible greenback fishery there is. The lake is rich with aquatic life, and the trout in it can grow to the 20-inch mark. Just be aware that a large section of the lake is closed to angling from late spring to mid-summer to protect spawning fish (though they actually cannot spawn successfully in the still waters of the lake) and that all angling is strictly by single, barbless hooks and all fish must be released immediately.

10

Headwater streams This is where you go to get away from the crowds. Hike in your wading boots, carry your rod and don't sweat the fly selection. Pick a squiggly blue line on the map and go.

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2009 Trail Vacation Edition — 25

Down at the lake

Lake Estes is the hub of many recreational opportunities

L

ake Estes is the hub of a lot of recreation in the Estes Valley. Boating, biking, fishing and just going for a pleasant stroll are a few of the activities people head down to the lake for. The lake is an impoundment on the Big Thompson River, formed when Olympus Dam was completed in 1948. The lake also receives water from Marys Lake, through the Estes Power Plant, and Fish Creek. Lake Estes Marina

One of the great pleasures of the Estes Valley is being on the water early or late in the day, when the water is glassy and the surtrounding mountains are lit by rich light. The Lake Estes Marina at 1770 Big Thompson Drive (US 34) is the center of action at the lake. The marina has a dock in the water through the summer, a boat launch, and a range of boats for rent, from one-person kayaks to a pontoon, and fishing licenses and tackle are also available, along with snacks, drinks and other items you might need for a day at the lake. If you are headed for the Lake Estes Trail, the marina is a great starting point, and also has a variety of bikes (singles, tandem, and surreys) available for rent, along with child carriers. The marina also has a sand beach, volleyball, horseshoes and picnicking areas, and a pavilion that can be reserved for group get-togethers. You can reach the marina at 970-586-2011. Lake Estes Trail

Jogging, skating and biking are allowed on the Lake Estes Trail, along with walking, and the trail is popular loop for regular exercise walkers. More than likely, you will get a good close look at some elk as you make the roughly four-mile loop, especially as you pass along the edge of the Lake Estes Golf Course or around Cherokee Draw on the opposite side of the lake. Elk like hanging out in both locations. Beside the marina, there are several places to access the trail. From US 36, the main access point is Cherokee Draw, just east of the Estes Power Plant. From US 34, access the trail from the Convention and Visitors Bureau or from Fisherman's Nook at the Lake Front Drive. Fishing

The 148-acre lake has four miles of shoreline, much of which attracts anglers. For fisherman, the two most popular places to access the lake are at Cherokee Draw and Fisherman's Cove. From there, good fishing can be found around the inlet of the Big Thompson, along the rocky north shore, and along the rip-rap along US 36 on the lake's south shore. The first Saturday of June, during Colorado's free fishing weekend, sees the annual Lake Estes Fishing Derby, and the Colorado Division of Wildlife typically stocks thousands of 10-inch rainbow trout into the lake for the event and the kick-off of the summer season. Additionally, brown trout have established themselves in the lake, yellow perch were stocked surreptitiously, a program of stocking tiger muskies was attempted to control the perch, and carp and native white suckers are also present. Most of the catch is rainbow trout, but you truly never know what you may hook. Lake Facts

Olympus Dam cost $2.4 million to build. Construction began in 1947. The lake can hold up to 3,068 acre-feet of water, but is usually topped off just under 2,700 acre-feet. The lake has about four miles of shoreline and covers 185 acres when full. The lake rarely freezes over during the winter due to consistent wind action and the slightly warmer water discharged by the Estes Power Plant. Ice that does form does not last long, and the lake is not a good choice for icefishing. 26 — 2009 Trail Vacation Edition

Photo by Walt Hester

The moon sets while boats at the Lake Estes Marina await another summer day’s activities. Below, an angler gets a little closer to the trout.

Blow off some steam! Take 100 deep breaths and whisk off to the Stanley Hotel Centennial Steam Car Tour June 14-19 By Juley Harvey

B

ring your steam car (or enjoy the many gathered to toot and tour) and help celebrate the centennial of the venerable Stanley Hotel, the Stanley Mountain Wagon and the Stanley Museum’s 1909 Model R Stanley Steamer. Steam-y activities for everyone are planned everyday. Experience the major sites of Estes Park and the surrounding area as some of the early automobile adventurers did. Tours will include the Mountain Wagon routes F.O. Stanley used to bring his guests from Loveland and Lyons to Estes Park and routes around Rocky Mountain National Park. The headquarters will be at the Stanley Hotel, also a centenarian and a lovely dowager in her famous sparkling white. A former Steam tourist said of his 2003 trip to Estes Park, “F.O. Stanley’s influence is everywhere…. Historic Steamers reached an altitude of more than two miles high crossing the Continental Divide in Rocky Mountain National Park and retraced the steps of the Stanley mountain wagons from the train stations at Lyons and Loveland to Estes Park… an experience that helped to underscore the reason F.O. Stanley fell in love with this place 100 years ago.” Tour Information Photo by Walt Hester Monday, June 15, the tour will follow the route that Stanley used to bring his visitors up from the Loveland train depot in the mountain wagons. Tuesday, the tour will include Beaver Meadows, the Rocky Mountain National Park and an historic drive over Deer Ridge Road and into Horseshoe Park, followed by a barbeque at the historic Fall River Hydroelectric Power Plant picnic grounds. This will include live music, by the Riverside Ramblers Dixieland Jazz Band, an Estes Park-based band. There will be tours of the historic hydroelectric power plant museum and activities for the children. In the evening, Jim Pickering will give a free talk on “F.O. Stanley: the Grand Old Man of Estes Park” at the Estes Park Museum. Wednesday will be the scenic tour on the Peak-to-Peak highway going to Lyons. Thursday’s tour will include a loop through Rocky Mountain National Park, lunch at the historic Baldpate Inn and a tour of their historic key room. This collection includes more than 20,000 keys. Visitors and guests have been contributing to the collection since WW I. Keys from Westminster Abby, Mozart’s wine cellar, the Pentagon and even Frankenstein’s castle adorn the key room. After lunch, there will be a drive on Tunnel Road to the Alva B. Adams Tunnel. This major engineering project brings water from the western slope to the eastern slope of Colorado. The tour will continue on to the YMCA of the Rockies and the Lula W. Dorsey Museum. In the late afternoon, a Steam Car lineup at See Blow off some steam !page 28

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2009 Trail Vacation Edition — 27

Continued from page 27

28 — 2009 Trail Vacation Edition

Blow off some steam!

the Visitors Center will be open to the public. Friday, there will be another short tour, visiting some of the historical sites around Estes Park. One of the highlights will be a demonstration of a 1901 Waterous horse-drawn steam pumper from the Reliance Fire Museum. • For tour information, contact: Linda Henry (tour coordinator) at (303) 443-8185, or e-mail [email protected]; Lynn Curry (tour consultant) at (712) 790-0607, or e-mail [email protected]; or Linda Elmarr (Stanley Museum Estes Park manager) at (970) 557-1903, or e-mail [email protected]. Estes Park was a prospering community in 1905, when the financial support of businessman F.O. Stanley laid the foundation for creating ongoing economic growth. Stanley had tuberculosis and in 1903 began spending his summers in Estes Park. In 1909, he opened the luxurious Stanley Hotel, and needed large vehicles to transport his guests and their luggage from the railheads at Loveland and Lyons to his new hotel 30 miles away. Stanley touring cars were far superior to internal combustion cars for this climb, but could not carry enough passengers and baggage. He and his brother built the first of their 9-passenger Mountain Wagons and shipped them to Colorado. So successful were they that resort hotels all over the country were placing orders. By 1912, a fourth seat had been added to the standard Mountain Wagons, and a few had 5 seats to carry 16 passengers. By 1908, production of Stanley Steamers had reached 800 for the year, and most of these were the “economy” Model EX, which seated from two to four passengers and sold for $850. Cars of this period (1910-1914) still had wood frames, full-elliptic springs front and rear, brass gas lamps, right-hand drive and were non-condensing. By the end of 1914, 8,000 Stanleys had been built.

The side porch and the front porch of the 100-year-old Stanley Hotel gleam in the sun shine. Photos by Walt Hester

The hills are alive — with the sights of flowers By Juley Harvey

I

n a riotous display, in June through August, wildflowers wildly transform the Estes Park and Rocky Mountain landscapes from a carpet of muted earth tones to a plush mat of sunshine and aspen meadows. Up to 1,200 species of flowering plants create a dizzying display here for a limited engagement in summer, and the aspen provide golden globes of autumn leaves in early fall. The color almost makes one feel faint — or certainly pale by comparison. The Colorado Rockies are arguably the wildflower wonderland of North America, and Rocky Mountain National Park is the region’s high-country garden showcase. From 6,000 to 9,000 feet, grow arnica, sego lilies, blue columbine and meadowrue in the pine and aspen forests. The July breezes blow in bushels of scarlet paintbrush, blue penstemmon, orange sneezeweed and purple fringed gentian. Elevations around Estes Park generally show pasque flowers on south-facing hillsides about the first three weeks of April. Penstemmons pop up starting in June, along the roadsides. Columbines appear in late June through early August, depending on elevation (the higher the altitude, the later the bloom). Trail Ridge Road is usually open by Memorial Day, but late snows can delay the opening more than a week. Fall River Road opens at the same time or later, again depending on Mother Nature. Follow this guide to find fabulous flowers in the area. May to June Wildflowers begin to spring up in May in Moraine Park, with large fields of blue irises and yellow goldenbanners. Mid- to late June brings showy orchids to Wild Basin, Bear Lake and Onahu Trail on the west side of the Park. It’s Columbine time in July. Colorado’s state flower bursts onto the scene in the early part of the month, in Wild Basin and along the Cow Creek Trail. Mid- to

late July finds the columbines appearing toward Chasm Lake, and at higher elevations by midJuly and early August. Look for alpine tundra to be wearing its wildflower finery in July, for about six weeks. Alpine forget-me-nots start the root ball rolling, in mid- to late June. By July, you will see moss campion, alpine sandwort, alpine bistorts, wallflowers, phlox, wild iris, alpine sunflower, paleblue harebell, alpine sunflowers and alpine avens. The appearance of the Arctic gentian, with its white, globular blooms and purple streaks, closes down the season. Special spots of color Upper Hidden Valley in mid- to late July provides peeps of cow parsnip and larkspur. Also, see little pink elephants (flowers looking like they have a trunk and ears) on the west side of the Park, below treeline near Poudre Lake at the same time. For the hardy, a 10-mile hike along the North Fork Trail in mid-July, starting in the Retreat in Glen Haven, offers views of a variety of flowers, including pyrola, orchids, Photo by Walt Hester columbines, larkspur and monkshood. Bear Lake to Fern Lake in mid- to late July also offers many bouquets (it is illegal to pick any wildflower within the Park, though). Hiking in the area of Lawn Lake at the end of July or beginning of August promises glimpses of Indian paintbrush in a canvas of colors. Trio Falls tallies three different waterfalls and a splash of wildflowers in season.

See The hills are alive page 30

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The hills are alive — with the sights of flowers Continued from page 29

Lily Lake Enos Mills, the “father of Rocky Mountain National Park,” enjoyed walking to Lily Lake for the wildflowers, from his nearby cabin. The best times here may be the second through the third week of July.

Dream and Emerald Lakes About 40 kinds of wildflowers greet visitors, including some spring bloomers that come out in summer where snow lingers late. The trail begins between the Bear Lake information booths and rises to Nymph Lake, and then Dream Lake. The last pitch to Emerald Lake provides views of marsh marigolds, globeflowers and pink bog laurel.

Gem Lake Blooming here in July is an extraordinary saxifrage, called “telesonix.” This pink flower tucks itself into crevices in the mounded granite surrounding Gem Lake. Arrive early or wait until late in the afternoon — trailhead parking on Devil’s Gulch Road accommodates about 20 vehicles.

Tundra World/Toll Memorial Rocky Mountain National Park has been designated an International Biosphere Reserve. Famed Trail Ridge Road, the highest continuous highway in the nation, reaches to 12,183 feet. Six miles east of the Alpine Visitor Center, Tundra World Trail beckons and provides a window into an ecosystem equivalent to visiting the Arctic Circle. A mid-July visit is your best bet, since the growing season above treeline is abbreviated. Watch your step on the tundra — try to stay on the rocks. Some of the small, cushion plants are decades-old and a wrong step might kill them. To protect all vegetation, stay on trails anywhere in the Park. For more information about Park wildflowers, call (970) 586-1206. Photos by Walt Hester

Clockwise, photos show irises, columbine, sunflowers and water lilies.

30 — 2009 Trail Vacation Edition

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our hike in the Park was cut short by an afternoon thunderstorm — by which you can almost set your watch in July and August — and you've come back to town and discovered what not to do when it rains and everyone's hike is cut short and they all head back to town. What next? You need a fun time while the sun doesn't shine. How about Photo by Walt Hester taking the kids to the pool? The Estes Park Aquatic Center, with The Estes Park Aquatic Center is the place to keep the fun going when it rains. natural lighting and massive wooden wading pool, a six-lane 25-yard main bic workouts to exercises designed to also available. beams spanning the pool, was a pleaspool, a diving well with a diving board for people with arthritis and related disThe pool is also available for birthant place to play or exercise before it and rope swing, and Nautilus equipeases. day parties and can be rented for priunderwent extensive renovations last Admission to the pool is free for vate parties. year. Now, with a new deck, new locker ment. The pool has open swimming and children two and younger, $4.25 for The Estes Park Aquatic Center is locatrooms and other renovations, the twolap swimming hours, hosts swimming kids 3 to 17, $4.75 for adults, $4 for decade-old natatorium is practically ed at 660 Community Drive. For more lessons for kids and adults, and also adults 55 and older, and $15 for a famnew again. information, call 970-586-2340 or visit ily of four ($4 for each additional Facilities at the pool include a heated offers several fitness classes, including evrpd.com. selections ranging from vigorous aerochild). Discounted punch passes are

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Because it’s there Rocky Mountain National Park is loaded with classic climbs for all seasons

I

t makes perfect sense. Consider, for instance, that Estes Park has one of the best youth climbing teams around. Who would be surprised to learn that Rocky Mountain National Park offers some of the best climbing on the continent? The Park has 113 named peaks rising over 10,000 feet, with 71 off those extending above 12,00 feet. Climbers say that only the Grand Tetons come close to what is available along the Continental Divide in the Park, and the Park has its own version of El Capitan and Half Dome in the Diamond on Longs Peak's east face. The Park has been called “the ultimate vertical playground.” Part of what makes the Park a climbing playground is the variety. There is simply and endless array of things to climb and conditions under which to climb them. You have walk-ups like the route most people take to the top of Longs (not truly a climb, more of a long, hard hike), quality bouldering, some great ice climbs in the winter, some snow to contend with for most of the year, rock climbs, and any number of potential adventures that combine all of those aspects. Any discussion of climbing in the Park has to begin (but hardly end) with Longs Peak. It's the highest peak on the Front Range, and the 15th highest peak in the state. There is an easy route, the Keyhole route, (if you consider hiking on steep inclines almost three miles above sea level easy) that is considered non-technical for about six weeks each summer, from mid-July to the end of August. The smart thing to do if you wish to summit Longs is the get a start under the cover the darkness. Most who make the summit hit the trail by 4 a.m., with the goal being to get up and then start down before the daily late-summer thunderstorm hits. An early start is an essential part of any attempt on the 16-mile round trip that has 4,700 feet of elevation gain. But the real action is on the east face, where the massive rack face known as the Diamond is crisscrossed by well-known routes. The Diamond was closed to climbing until 1960, and it is not a place for inexperienced climbers. One of the most well-known routes on the Diamond is Kiener's, which has been called “possibly the best mountaineering route in the country.” Lumpy Ridge stands in contrast to Longs — you don't have to go to the ceiling See CLIMBING: page 34

Climbers, right, ascend Mills Glacier on the way up Longs Peak. Below, the Twin Owls is an easily recognizable formation north of Estes Park on Lumpy Ridge. Photo by Walt Hester

2009 Trail Vacation Edition — 33

A hiker, left, gets ready for the ascent to Longs Peak under the cover of darkness, the way most trips to the top of Longs begins. Below, a view of the Diamond from Chasm Lake. Photos by Walt Hester

Climbing Continued from page 33

of world to access great rock climbing. Running east and west just north of Estes Park and holding more than 30 south-facing domes and spires with more than 500 established routes, aficionados consider the ridge to have some of the best granite climbs in the area. From the tops of many of the climbs, you will have spectacular views of the towering mountains to the west and panoramic views of the Estes Valley. For a quality technical climb on Lumpy Ridge, seek out Mainliner on Sundance Buttress, a six-pitch route. Back into the true alpine country, Hallett Peak is one of the most identifiable peaks in the Park, topping off at 12,713 feet. Hallett is another peak that can be bagged without technical climbing, and can be climbed any time of the year. For gear-aided climbers, the Culp-Bossier route is the most popular, and was cited in the 1979 book “Fifty Classic Climbs of North America,” by Steve Roper and Allen Steck (as was the Diamond and the South Face of Petit Grepon). The NorthcuttCarter route is a more difficult route that offers some orienteering challenges as well. Speaking of Petit Grepon, John Bicknell of the Colorado Mountain School has called the South Face one of the best spire routes in the Park. The Spearhead (elev. 12,575 feet) is not the highest peak in the Park or even in its immediate vicinity in Glacier Gorge, but is one of the most highly regarded climbs, with both technical and non-technical routes. The Spearhead is not the only great destination in Glacier Gorge, as the upper end of the basin is ringed is surrounded by climbs: The Arrowhead, Pagoda Mountain, Chiefs Head, the Keyboard of the Winds, and McHenry's Peak. In the north end of the Park, the highest peak in the Mummy Range, Ypsilon Mountain (elev. 13,514 feet), is another attractive climb with options for both walk-ups and technical, gear-aided climbs. The walk-up is via the Southwest Ridge that takes one from Chapin Pass, across the alpine tundra and to the summit. Like most peaks in the Park, Ypsilon is doable in the winter but sees the vast majority of its traffic during the summer months. Two trailheads provide the best access to the mountain, the Lawn Lake Trailhead in Horseshoe Park and the Chapin Pass Trailhead off Fall River Road. While most of the casual climbing gets done during the summer, the mountaineering continues right through winter, when hard-core types combine climbing and skiing. The Park in the winter is a special place, often far quieter and with a greater feeling of isolation than one may get on a busy route at the peak of the summer months. For ice climbing, The Notch, on Longs Peak, is considered one of the best in the Park, though good timing for good conditions is important. Late fall is considered the best time. The climb takes one up the lower east face of Longs, and up Alexander's Chimney to The Notch — 2,000 vertical feet of climbing. For climbers in the Park, there's no paperwork or bureaucracy to deal with for a day climb, and most of the Park's climbs can be done in a day. Overnight climbing trips, like all overnight stays in the Park, do require permits. 34 — 2009 Trail Vacation Edition

e gle Plum arles Ea 875, Ch 1 a c r i c Shirt, Lakota

(it is beautiful)

This is a place unlike any other, just ask anyone who has ever been here. A place with walls that whisper, floors that creak underfoot, a place with a rare history, a patina left by time and an endless parade of characters… Adapted from a Vacation Edition story by Valerie Pehrson The sky was heavy with impending snow and Eagle Plume’s was warm and welcoming. There was the smell of a fire in the grate, and lunch cooking. Ann Strange Owl, her husband Dayton Raben, their daughter Nico Strange Owl, and Nico’s son, Dah’som are all fixtures in the shop. Creaking floorboards added to the rustic atmosphere as Ann and Nico explained how they came to the area, and how they came to be the caretakers and owners of this unique and historical shop. “Ann is from Montana originally, our reservation is in Southwest Montana, and Dayton, is from Wyoming. They married in the late 50s in Wyoming when interracial marriages were still illegal,” said Nico. “Shortly after that they moved to California where there was more tolerance at the time. After I was born, they moved to Colorado to be closer to family again.” She continues, “Ann eventually became lonesome for her family and culture, and someone suggested that we visit an Indian man by the name of Charles Eagle Plume. That was in the 60s. We became fast friends with Charles, and like so many families, fell in love with the Estes area.”. She carries on, “Charles had always wanted my mother to help him at the shop, and she finally did take him up on that. Eventually Dayton was coaxed into helping out, then I finally came to work here in the summers while at CSU.” “I had a shop of my own in Ft Collins then, and he would come have coffee with me and we would visit, since he closed the shop in the wintertime,” interjected Strange Owl. The two women fall into reminisces of Charles Eagle Plume, telling stories about how he loved to tell stories. One in particular brings laughter bubbling

continued on next page.

Charles Eagle Plume, 1939

Collection

Ann Strange Owl and Dayton Raben

Eagle Plume’s Circa 1934

Charles Eagle Plume with young visitors

up between the two of them, the question of Charles’s age. “He always claimed to be 105, right mom?” Asked Nico. Ann nodded with a slow smile spreading across her face as she stirred a pot of stew. Nico continued. “Every spring we would have to figure out how many years ago he would have to have been born to be 105 that year.” “I remember he always had a note behind the desk,” added Ann. “A cheat sheet.” Ann and Charles mutually adopted each other after years of fielding questions about whether they were related. “People would ask if he was my father and I always had this long story to tell them, or people would ask him if I was his daughter,” explained Ann. “One afternoon he said, ‘just tell them we are father and daughter.’ And things changed after that. People would come and say ‘how is your father,’ or ‘where is your daughter?’” Family isn’t always about who you are born to, and Nico echoed that sentiment. “He took care of us like family. He was really generous with all of us, and we took care of him as he got older, too.” “He was a nice person,” agreed Ann. “He was so good to all the people here. We still miss him a lot.” Blue jays and chickadees hopped around the feeder while the women prepared lunch. Estes Park has thousands of items that are Native American themed, but not necessarily made by Native Americans themselves, and supporting indigenous artists is important to the family, obviously. “We belong to the Indian Arts and Crafts Association, or IACA,” explained Nico. “And they are part of this whole movement to police that kind of thing. They work to enforce laws that aim to stop people from marketing things as being Native American made when they really aren’t. That’s why we try to work with the artists directly when we can, otherwise it is taking money out of Indian artist’s pockets and that’s just not right.” The family has had some experience in this particular area, when several years ago someone tried to sell them some questionable merchandise. “We were looking at beadwork that a fellow we had known for many years was showing us,” said Nico. “It looked kind of funny, it was sewn with fishing line instead of thread and the way that the beads were laid down just wasn’t quite right.”

“So we started looking in to it, and we discovered this man had gotten these things from another dealer who was outsourcing to China. They were marketing it as Native American made, and selling it dirt-cheap. The bizarre thing was, he was claiming that the beadworker that made these pieces was my aunt. He was just using her name because she had worked for him 20 or 30 years earlier. He had started out working with Indian people and then found a cheaper way to make money.” The wind picked up, the snow started blowing in, and we sat down to lunch. Charles Eagle Plume Charles Eagle Plume claimed to have been born on the MontanaCanadian border. He was Blackfeet Indian, French and German, and grew up in poverty. Because he was a storyteller, the time frame in which he came to Colorado is shrouded in mystery. While studying English at CU he met Katherine Lindsay, proprietress of the Whatnot Inn and he began working for her in the 1930s. Katherine eventually married and changed the focus of the business to Indian arts and crafts, renaming it Perkins Trading Post. When times were slow, Charles, who was known to dress in full regalia and with bow and arrow in hand, would ambush carloads of tourists on the road and sell them moccasins or point them towards the trading post. Over the decades Katherine and Charles collected historic and prehistoric Indian artifacts, many of which still remain at the Eagle Plume’s. Over one thousand of these treasures adorn their beloved trading post today, comprising the Charles Eagle Plume Collection. Bead and quillwork from the Plains, ceramics and kachina dolls from the Southwest, and many fine baskets beckon the eye throughout the post. When Katherine died, Eagle Plume took over the shop. To get through the winter season, he would travel the country as a paid lecturer at supper clubs and other venues speaking about the benefits of a college education and civil rights for all people. In the 1980s some young Lakota men robbed the Eagle Plume shop. They were prosecuted and convicted in Boulder County, and Eagle Plume offered to pay for the young men to go to college when they got out of prison. None of them took him up on the offer. In the late 1980s he received an honorary doctorate from his alma mater for his lifetime achievements of championing civil rights and awareness and advocacy for the Native American. Eagle Plume loved children, and very young visitors to his shop would receive a feather from him as a present. He would say that there was a method to his madness, as young children want to touch everything. With feather in hand, they would gently dust everything in sight! Children who were a little older would be offered a trade. Eagle Plume would hold out an arrowhead, and offer to trade the young person for the most valuable thing they possessed. The children would offer their mothers or diamonds, but Eagle Plume would correct them, saying that their friendship was the most valuable thing they possessed. Although this dynamic man is no longer at the trading post, he remains so in spirit. His collection of arrowheads and feathers remain at his desk amid cigarette burns and old “cheat sheets”, where they are still gifted to children that wander in the door, wide-eyed at all there is to see at Eagle Plume’s Trading Post.

Eagle Plume’s Today Nico Strange Owl

Ann Strange Owl

(they are married) A few years back, I was asked to travel to Utah for an appraisal. I had no idea that the journey would bring me back to my ancestors. When I arrived, I was astounded to see a number of historic Cheyenne pieces waiting for my appraisal. Everything was so familiar the beadwork designs in rich reds and blues meant for men and women’s clothing, and even old beadwork designs meant to influence the fate of Cheyenne infants. To touch these items was to touch my relatives lost long ago. After learning from the man who had hired me that these pieces were originally collected by his great-great grandfather, Captain John Robert Livermore, an Army officer assigned to Fort Keogh, Montana, I was thunderstruck. I knew from the stories I had been told by my parents and grandparents, that this is where my ancestors had been held prior to being moved to our present day reservation in southeastern Montana. Was it possible that one of my grandmothers had sewn these beads down onto this buckskin I held in my hand? With this solemn knowledge, I began to examine and photograph the items that lay in front of me. As I handled each piece, I wondered about the woman that lovingly made it, what man had worn it with pride into battle, or whose baby had slept peacefully in the cradleboard under a cottonwood tree while his mother picked rosehips. After I had finished examining the beadwork, my client brought my attention to a large ledger style drawing on muslin cloth that he had retrieved from another room. While I began work on the ledger drawing, he explained that Captain Livermore commissioned the painting from a Cheyenne man by the name of White Bird. Livermore had White Bird make enough muslin drawings to cover the walls of his small cabin at Fort Keogh to prevent the log chinking from falling onto the floors. My client brought out photos of Captain Livermore standing near his cabin at the fort, interior photos of the cabin where White Bird’s paintings hung, and his military orders dating to 1865. The past had come alive. White Bird An article from the Denver Times, January 19th 1913, describes three of White Bird’s paintings that were to be featured in and “Indian Pageant” in Denver. According to the article, White Bird was sixteen at the time of the Battle of the Little Bighorn and had a clear memory of the battle and the strategies used by the Indian forces that day. Having graduated from West Point, and presumably having a keen interest in the battle, Livermore commissioned White Bird to draw a panorama of the entire battle. This piece was shown at the pageant and eventually donated to the museum at West Point in 1958. The Denver Art Museum also has a number of muslin paintings by White Bird donated by Livermore’s descendants. White Bird can be seen in the center of the top section of the ledger drawing, next to the married couple, wearing a hat. His name is also listed in the ledger roll of Cheyenne transferred to the Tongue River Agency (our present day reservation) from Fort Keogh, Montana as “Who-pah-vi-kiss - White Bird - Husband, age 35”. Red Paint Woman When I arrived back to Eagle Plume’s from Utah, I began in earnest my research into the Cheyenne beadwork and ledger drawing. I had permission from my client to share photos of the ledger drawing with my parents to gain their insight. Dayton, of course, immediately began deciphering and “reading” the ledger drawing, eager to understand its meaning. When my mother first saw the drawing, she was very quiet, looking at it carefully for a long time before finally saying, “hmm, I wonder…”. “What?” Dayton and I both asked her at the same time. Ann said, “Well, I’m not sure. But remember, Nico, how we paint our cheek before we dance?” slowly making a circle on her cheek with her index finger, realization dawning. At that moment we all grasped that the woman in

Plains ledger drawings are read from right to left beginning at the lower right corner. White Bird’s drawing includes all the traditional elements of a Cheyenne courtship and wedding. Stop by the trading post sometime – we’d love to have you see the drawing and tell you the story of Red Paint Woman’s courtship and marriage. the ledger drawing was Ann’s great grandmother, Red Paint Woman. My mother always told me the story of Red Paint Woman as she helped me into my buckskin dress or braided my hair. It was during these times she would paint a red circle on my cheek, reminding me that we paint this circle to honor one of our highly respected grandmothers – Red Paint Woman. Then she would go on to remind me of what it takes to be respected as a Cheyenne woman. Red Paint Woman was born with a perfectly round strawberry birthmark on her cheek. Cheyenne people always admired her perfect red paint – the birthmark. Years ago my grandmother, Grace Strange Owl, told my mother this same story as she helped my mother into her buckskin dress, braided her hair, and painted that round mark on her cheek in honor of Red Paint Woman. As we all looked at the ledger painting again, we saw that the young bride had a round red mark on her cheek. Heirlooms for Sale In our travels and dealings, my family has seen many historic Cheyenne objects, from Dull Knife’s clothing on display, to a pair of woman’s moccasins taken from a grave, to remarkably old cradleboards housed in a European museum. Among the Cheyenne, items of this sort were either gifted, traded, or sold, but were more often buried with the person that owned them. For these reasons, many Northern Plains Indians do not possess family heirlooms in the usual sense. Charles Eagle Plume, Ann’s adopted father, gifted to her a fully beaded Southern Cheyenne woman’s outfit. It is one of Ann’s prized possessions. We proudly display it here at the shop and love to visit with people about it. On one occasion before this, we were able to identify a Southern Cheyenne beaded blanket strip that had belonged to one of Ann’s great uncles. We asked to purchase it, but sadly it was not for sale. So, after we realized that the woman in this ledger drawing was the grandmother we still honor, I called my client with the news and with an offer of purchase that he accepted. After making our last payment to him, the ledger drawing of Red Paint Woman’s wedding ceremony was ours to share.

Meet the birdies — flock to the flockers Compiled by Juley Harvey

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f you’re looking for some fine-feathered friends, the Estes Park/Rocky Mountain National Park area has a flock of them, providing fascinating watching. Since the designation of Rocky Mountain National Park in 1915, there have been 280 species of birds reported for this area, including the Park, Arapaho National Recreation Area and the towns of Estes Park and Granby. So, if you want to see our feathered friends, you’ve flocked to the right place. According to Audubon Magazine, Estes Park is a “birder’s paradise.” National Geographic says, “There could hardly be a more beautiful spot to see high-country birds than Rocky Mountain National Park.” In 2000, Rocky Mountain National Park was designated as a Global Important Bird Area. This designation recognizes the vital role of the Park in the perpetuation of bird species. The Estes Valley and Rocky Mountain National Park offer the opportunity to view hundreds of species of birds, ranging from wetland waterfowl to soaring raptors. You might find the following flighty fauna zipping about the woods or singing a happy song during your visit here. • American dipper — Also called “water ouzel,” these year-round Park residents are seen along streams. In shallow water, they appear to water-ski on the surface, but in deeper water they dive in and run along the bottom underwater. Watch for these birds along Ouzel Falls Trail and at the falls, where they dart in and out of the tumbling waterfall. • Broad-tailed hummingbird — These jewel-like little birds hover at flowers to sip nectar, perform aerial mating dances or tail-fan to warn other hummingbirds away. The most common of hummingbird species seen in the Park, the broadtailed hummer is a summer resident. • Clark’s nutcracker — Often seen along Trail Ridge Road and in the Bear Lake area, this year-round Park resident is about a foot long, with a long, light-gray hood, a white face, a pointed black bill and black wings.

• Dark-eyed junco — is mostly gray, with black-and-white accents. Year-round residents of the Park, they eat seeds and berries. • Golden eagle — These large birds, with wingspans of more than six feet, are dark brown and black, with a light-gold color on the backs of their necks. • Great horned owls — Year-round residents, they establish territories and court during January and February. Young are produced in March. • Jays —Jays are among the noisiest of birds in the forest. Stellar’s jays are bright blue on their lower half and black on top, with a prominent crest on the tops of their heads. Gray jays are mostly gray, with white accents. • Mallard —These large ducks like to paddle about on Lake Estes, Sprague Lake and other nearby water bodies. Males have an almost iridesPhotos by Walt Hester cent green head. • Mountain bluebird — arrives early, usually in March. Males have bright-blue backs and tail feathers and lighter blue chests; females are a duller gray-blue. • Mountain chickadee — small — about 5 inches long, with pale-gray backs, jet-black caps and eye bands, and white cheeks, eyebrows and chests. • Northern flicker —These large woodpeckers are mostly brownish gray with a red band across the tips of their tail feathers. Males have a red strip on their lower face. • Peregrine falcon — One of the world’s fastest birds, they are capable of diving at speeds of more than 125 mph. The Park closes several rock-climbing areas to humans during the raptors’ nesting periods. From early March until the mid-sum-

mer, raptors nest in areas of Lumpy Ridge and Sheep Mountain. • Red-tailed hawk — A common sight, gliding over open areas in search of prey. Named for their rust-colored tails, they are stocky, with wingspans of about four feet. • Violet-green swallow — Flocks of swallows soar here from spring through fall. Known for their superb flying grace, violet-green swallows have striking metallic green backs and bright-violet tails. • Warbling vireo — With a slow song that ends on a rising note, the warbling vireo is often heard rather than seen. About five to six inches long and grayish green above and light gray or white below, with white eyebrows, these birds frequent aspen forests and trees along streams in summer. • White-tailed ptarmigan — A year-round resident, the ptarmigan likes higher elevations, about 11,000 feet. During summer, this bird, measuring about a foot long, is mostly mottled brown, with white wings, chest, and tail, but during winter, it turns pure white. Favorite spots for bird-watching are Endovalley, Moraine Park, Wild Basin, Trail Ridge Road, Upper Beaver Meadows, Lumpy Ridge, Cow Creek and Bear Lake Road. In Estes Park, walk or ride the Lake Estes pathway along the Big Thompson River and through the lakeside bird sanctuary. Spring bird migration is a particularly popular time to come. Clockwise from above are the Steller’s jay, Canadian geese and the bald eagle.

2009 Trail Vacation Edition — 39

Butterflies are free for the seeing in Rocky Mountain National Park Compiled by Juley Harvey and Jan Kilgore

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ocky Mountain National Park protects some of Colorado’s highest mountains and most biologically rich mountain forest, meadow and tundra habitats in its more than onequarter-million acres. Butterflies flutter here, among the pollinating insects found in late June and on sunny days, feeding from the many wildflowers, creating a moving stained-glass-window effect. More than 100 species of butterflies have been observed in Rocky Mountain National Park. You don’t need a net; they’re all around. The Rocky Mountain Butterfly project, aided by volunteers and field assistants, has monitored butterfly populations on a weekly basis along transects in various Park habitats and has identified 125 butterfly species in the Park. Biologists believe that trends in butterfly populations may provide early warning of the impacts of global warming on the Park’s flora and fauna. The Rocky Mountain National Park Butterfly Project is a biodiversity study designed to provide a baseline of data on butterflies. Butterflies are highly visible, as well as sensitive to ecological changes throughout all stages of their life cycle, from egg, caterpillar and chrysalis to adult. The project began in 1996 and will continue through 2011, providing a 15year study and database of all the information collected on the butterflies, when they visit the Park and weather and environmental conditions during the time the route is surveyed. The butterfly routes are surveyed from May 1 to September 17 each year. Of the 140 butterfly species identified in the Park, approximately 100 species are seen each year. The butterflies are here as adults from mid-April through mid-October, depending on the weather conditions during that year. Some butterflies migrate through the area, such as the monarch and the painted lady. Others, like the mourning cloak overwinter as adults and hibernate in logs or other protected areas. Some butterflies have two or three life cycles during the summer, others have just one. Depending on the species, butterflies can live for a few weeks or a few months as adults. As larva, butterflies eat plant vegetation (leaves, grasses, pine and juniper trees). As adults, they eat the nectar of flowers. Some are very specific as to the nectar of which flowers they will eat, others will eat from the nectar of a variety of flowering plants. This project is not open to visitors to the Park who would like to volunteer,

40 — 2009 Trail Vacation Edition

although there are other opportunities for volunteering while you visit. It takes approximately four months to learn the scientific names of the butterflies, the protocol for surveying routes and how to identify the butterflies in the field. To learn more about butterflies, visitors may contact the Rocky Mountain Nature Association regarding seminars scheduled each summer. For information on their seminars, see the Web site at www.rmna.org or call (970) 5863262. Butterflies can be seen anywhere there are flowering plants, especially in meadows and near streams. The book, “Butterflies of Rocky Mountain National Park,” by Leslie Angels, suggests walks and spots to view them. Stroll through Beaver Meadows and along Cow Creek, where sparkling streams course through open wildflower meadows and aspen woodlands and look for two-tailed swallowtail butterflies flying over Nelson’s larkspur, miner’s candle, Colorado columbine, and shooting star. Follow Black Canyon trails through sagebrush and Ponderosa pine habitats to encounter Alexandra’s sulphur butterflies, among the wildflower displays featuring puccoon, blanket flower, waxflower and Indian paintbrush. Along the Fern Lake trail, which follows the churning Thompson River, is a place to search for the showy Weidemeyer’s admiral butterfly. Common alpine butterflies may fly the high ways on the Continental Divide, near the Shadow Mountain Dam area, which supports an upper montane/subalpine plant community and a riparian zone along the Colorado River, including chiming bells, jacob’s ladder and

willow wetlands. Butterflies that might fly by in the park include: Indra Swallowtail Cloudless Sulphur Lilac-edged Copper Edith’s Copper Bronze Copper Striped Hairstreak Sylvan Hairstreak Great-spangled Fritillary Hydaspe Fritillary Sagebrush Checkerspot Edith’s Checkerspot Compton Tortoiseshell Viceroy Theano Alpine Uhler’s Arctic Jutta Arctic Northern Cloudywing Martial Duskywing Afranius Duskywing Common Sootywing

Pahaska Skipper Sachem Oslar’s Roadside-Skipper Rocky Mountain Parnassian Swallowtails (several kinds) Whites (several kinds) Cabbage Margined Large Marble Olympia Marble Southern Rocky Mountain Orange-tip Sulphurs (several kinds) Southern Dogface Mexican yellow Sleepy Orange Dainty Sulphur Purplish Copper Lustrous Copper Blue Copper Hairstreak (many kinds) Elfins (several kinds) Blues (many kinds) Fritillary (many kinds) Checkerspot (many kinds) Crescents (several kinds) Commas (several kinds) Mourning Cloak Milbert’s Tortoiseshell Red Admiral Painted Lady West Coast Lady American Lady Common Buckeye Weidemeyer’s Admiral Common Ringlet Common Wood-Nymph Small Wood-Nymph Canyonland Satyr Riding’s Satyr Common Alpine Magdalena Alpine Callias Alpine Chryxus Arctic Melissa Arctic Monarch Mexican Cloudywing Duskywing (many kinds) Skippers (many kinds). Courtesy photos

Historic Fall River Hydroplant Powering Estes through the early 20th Century By Janice Mason Historic details provided by the Estes Park Museum

Editor’s note: This is a compilation of a two-part series, titled “Powering Estes,” which appeared in the Wednesday, June 4 and Friday, June 6, 2008 editions of the Trail-Gazette.

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he electricity that powered early Estes Park started small but the hunger for that power grew with the ever-growing population of its residents and visitors. Starting with hydropower generated from high mountain waters flowing down the Fall River, Estes Park would become an innovative leader in public electricity during the early 20th Century. This evolution of power would begin with the arrival of Freelan Oscar (F.O.) Stanley in 1903. Stanley, famous inventor and hotelier, arrived in Estes Park when was 54-years-old suffering from tuberculosis. Stanley’s doctors had recommended the dry, Rocky Mountain air to cure his ailment. After three months in Estes Park, Stanley regained his health and he and his wife, Flora, fell in love with the town. When he decided to build the Stanley Hotel, he was determined to make it the first all-electric hotel in the country. Initially, this was the reason for building the Hydroplant, however Estes Park residents would soon also benefit from Stanley’s vision. In 1903, the year-round population of Estes Park was only 55, with 655 summer guests arriving to inhabit the eight hotels and cabins. F.O. immediately envisioned the possibilities for the region and planned to build a grand hotel. F.O. and his brother, F.E., had become wealthy for creating dry-plate camera film and selling the invention to the George Eastman Company in 1904. Also the inventor of one of the first vehicles of its day, “the Stanley Steamer,” F.O. knew how he would transport his guests to the area. Along with building the Stanley Hotel property, he created a bus company for his 12passenger mountain wagons. In years to follow, he rebuilt the roads, developed a transportation franchise, established a bank and supported the establishment of the area’s main attraction — Rocky Mountain National Park. F.O. began construction on the Stanley Hotel in 1907 with the unyielding idea to also supply power to the resort upon its completion. He chose a plot on an 80-acre site on the Fall River, about three miles northwest of town, and broke ground on Stanley Power Plant on Oct. 9, 1908. The hydroplant was finished in 1909 and ready to generate electricity to the Stanley Hotel.

42 — 2009 Trail Vacation Edition

Photos by Walt Hester

Middle, top to bottom: The Historic Fall River Hydroplant was restored to museum standards and dedicated on the 20th anniversary of the Lawn Lake Flood on July 15, 2002. The Western Electric generator was installed in 1909. Gadgets fill one complete side of the wall of the first room of the museum.

The original hydroplant consisted of only one of the three rooms that make up the plant today. The first phase of the plant housed the Hug water wheel and a 200-kilowatt Western Electric generator. The flow of the Fall River never produced adequate power so it was apparent that the 1909 hydro unit would not keep up with increasing demand. By 1912, there were 45 customers in addition to the electricity needs of the hotel. So Stanley built a coal powered steam plant in 1913 to heat the Stanley Hotel and free up more electricity for sale — “selling electricity one light bulb at a time,” said Kate Rusch, Education Curator for the Estes Park Museum. By the summer of 1912, Stanley had 45 customers and more and more residents arrived, again increasing the demand. And then came the publication of the book, “The Story of Estes Park,” written by the father of Rocky Mountain National Park, Enos Mills. “...with the finest of water piped from near snow line,” wrote Mills, “...there is probably no other incorporated village in all the United States so well equipped to supply all the wants of residents and visitors as in Estes Park.” By 1920, 100 new customers were added, and between 1920 and 1922 an additional 50 began to put a strain on the 200-kilowatt Western Electric generator. With the increasing demand for

See Hydroplant: page 43

Hydroplant: Lawn Lake Flood strikes Continued from page 42

The Lawn Lake flood

Above: The 680-kilowatt Worthington Turbine was installed in 1922. Right: The Fairbanks-Morse Diesel engine was installed in 1930.

The Lawn Lake Dam, only accessible by a six-mile uphill hike, broke at 5:30 a.m. sending 674 acre-feet of water down the Roaring River. Next in line, the dam at Cascade Lake, built by F.O. Stanley, was soon topped. Water rushed down the Fall River at 18,000 per cubic feet per second picking up debris and momentum heading swiftly toward the hydroplant. “There was enough warning for the plant manager and his granddaughter to evacuate,” said Rusch, “but [three] people lost their lives at the Aspen Glen Campground and the Lawn Lake Trail.” In three hours and 40 minutes, the Lawn Lake Flood of 1982 wiped out the Fall River Hydroplant, now restored as a museum west of Estes Park. The Stanley Power

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It was a bright sunny day, but a flood was coming to the Estes Valley on July 15, 1982. Unsuspecting campers and hikers below had no idea that high in Rocky Mountain National Park, at 11,000 feet, the Lawn Lake Dam was failing.

Photos by Walt Hester

Sustainable

power to Estes Park residents and visitors, the hydroplant expanded as plant technology also advanced. In 1922, the 680-kilowatt Worthington Turbine was installed. At 77, F.O. turned the responsibility of the plant over to the Stanley Power Company. After nearly building the town of Estes Park, F.O. had established the area as a major tourist destination. By 1927, the population had grown to 1,000, with a summer population of 150,000. The hydroplant also grew in 1930 with the installation of the Fairbanks-Morse Diesel engine, designed to handle low water flow, turning 1,400 revolutions per minute. “Eventually they had a six-cylinder diesel engine,” said Rusch. “It was apparently so loud you could hear it all the way downtown . . . that was torn out during the Second World War because they needed scrap steel.” The Town of Estes Park acquired the hydroplant from the Public Service Company in 1945. From 1940 to 1951, the population of Estes Park had increased 65 percent. By 1950, customers also relied on power from a federal hydroplant in Wyoming. In 1976, the Town of Estes Park joined the Platte River Power Authority — the current provider —serving Estes Park, Longmont, Loveland and Fort Collins. The hydroplant continued to generate clean, inexpensive power to the Town of Estes Park until a great disaster would change everything.

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Plant, built by F.O. in 1909 to supply electricity to the Stanley Hotel, had been continuously maintained and utilized until that morning of July 15, 1982. The old machinery chugged on, fulfilling a portion of the electricity needs for the town of Estes Park. Lawn Lake was a natural lake that covered 16.4 acres. The lake was later manually increased to 48 surface acres with a depth of 35 feet, used to irrigate

See History: page 44

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2009 Trail Vacation Edition — 43

History: preserved and protected Continued from page 43

crops and feed the waters serving the hydroplant. However, maintenance to the Lawn Lake dam was neglected over the years due to its inaccessibility. The morning of the flood, hikers reported a wall of water 25- to 30- feet high coming from the valley above them. The devastation can still be been seen at the Alluvial Fan in Horseshoe Park — a popular destination in Rocky Mountain National Park. By the time the floodwaters reached the hydroplant, boulders and trees came with it, hitting the structure, demolishing the machinery and carrying debris down the Fall River. The walls of the hydroplant show the water line from the flood and mud on machine gadgets record the historic disaster. The clock on the wall behind Stanley’s original 1908 hydro unit shows the last minute the plant operated. The devastation was so complete, the restoration as a working hydroplant proved impossible. Following the flood, national park and conservation groups opposed the reconstruction of the Cascade Lake dam; citing low Fall River water levels would harm plant and aquatic life in the river. With the Lawn Lake flood costing $31 million in public and private damages, and with cleanup and economic loss, the restoration of the hydroplant to working standards was doubtful. In 1997, the Town of Estes Park and Rocky Mountain National Park officials reached a compromise with the utility provider that in exchange for 500,000 kilowatts of power, the Town would not rebuild the plant to working standards. The Town agreed never to operate a hydroplant on the Fall River again. The plant and ecosystem restored, the water now flows down the Fall River past the hydroplant, which is carefully maintained by Estes Park Museum staff and volunteers. The Colorado Historical Society provided State Historical Fund money to restore the Fall River Hydroplant in 1998, bringing it back to its 1940s appearance. The hydroplant was restored to museum standards

and dedicated on the 20th anniversary of the Lawn Lake Flood on July 15, 2002. Great detail was taken to restore the hydroplant — now an interpretive museum — down to its exterior bright yellow paint, which was once the color of the Stanley Hotel as well. Now on the National Register of Historic Places, visitors wander to the end of Fish Hatchery Road to view F.O. Stanley’s legacy of building the first all-electric hotel in the country was not only fulfilled in 1909, but the hydroplant provided clean hydropower to Estes Park for 72 years to follow. The Historic Fall River Hydroplant features the original equipment installed by Stanley in 1909, machinery from an addition in 1921 and a diesel unit installed by Public Service in 1938. In addition to the equipment, there are panels that document the story of the plant, the growth of Estes Park, its insatiable need for electricity and the Lawn Lake Flood of 1982. The picturesque grounds surrounding the Historic Fall River Hydroplant are aesthetically enhanced by the river and a bridge leading to a picnic area that is rented to business and community groups. All buildings on the property and machinery have been restored, ready for visitors to explore the history of electricity that once powered the Town of Estes Park. Estes Park Museum staff operate the Historic Fall River Hydroplant, located three miles northwest of downtown Estes Park, off of Route 34. To get there, take Route 34 towards the Fall River entrance to Rocky Mountain National Park. About two miles from the junction of the 34 Bypass and 34 commercial (Elkhorn Avenue), make a left on Fish Hatchery Road. Follow Fish Hatchery Road to the end, about one mile, to the Historic Fall River Hydroplant. Summer hours (Memorial Day through Labor Day) are Tuesday through Sunday, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is free. Winter tours are available by appointment for a small fee, by calling 577-3762. For more information, call the Estes Park Museum at 586-6256 or visit www.estes.org/hydroplant.

Photos by Walt Hester

Above: Behind the museum, a bridge leads across the Fall River to a picnic area that is rented to business and community groups.Below: Welcome Center at the Historic Fall River Hydroplant.

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44 — 2009 Trail Vacation Edition

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Estes Park Museum Keeping track of local history since 1962

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he Estes Park Museum offers exhibits, programs and tours celebrating local history. Tracks in Time, the permanent exhibit, features the history of the Estes valley from the Ice Age to the present and highlights the Native Americans, explorers, pioneers, mountaineers and entrepreneurs that shaped the history of Estes Park and Rocky Mountain National Park. The museum houses and preserves Around 23,000 artifacts, including a 1909 Stanley Steamer, documents, manuscripts, maps, textiles, original art, photographs, prints and books. The collection represents much of the fascinating history of the Estes Park area. Explore temporary exhibits in the National Park Service building that served as Rocky Mountain National Park’s first headquarters. See the historic 1910 Cobb-Macdonald log cabin, also located on the museum grounds. Browse the Estes Park Museum Shop and pick up a schedule of free educational programs and historic tours. There is something for everyone.

The museum offers some 75 educational programs and tours each year for kids and adults. For a current list of programs, visit www.estes.org/museum. Private tours of the Museum Gallery are available for a small fee. Call 5773762 for more information. The Estes Park Museum collects, interprets and preserves local history, and presents exhibits, programs and events, for the education and benefit of residents and visitors of all ages. The museum is located at 200 Fourth St. and admission is free. The museum is open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sundays from 1 to 5 p.m., May through October. November through April, hours are Fridays and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sundays from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, call 586-6256 or visit www.estes.org/museum. The Estes Park Museum staff also operate the Historic Fall River Hydroplant, open Memorial Day through Labor Day, Tuesday through Sunday from 1 to 4 p.m. Visitors are sure to enjoy the fascinating story of the first electric plant in Estes Park, built by Hotelier F.O. Stanley in 1907

Photos courtesy Estes Park Museum

The museum is located at 200 Fourth St. and admission is free. Right: The 1909 Stanley Steamer is on display inside the museum, along with 23,000 other artifacts.

to provide electricity to his famous hotel by the power of Fall River. Admission is free. For more information, call 586-6256 or visit www.estes.org/hydroplant. Private tours of the Hydroplant are available for a small fee. Call 577-3762 for information.

“Estes Park’s Creative Eatery”

OVER

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Compiled by Janice Mason and Kate Rusch, education coordinator, Estes Park Museum

BREAKFAST & LUNCH Daily Specials & Vegetarian Menu on All Meals

HOMEMADE DESSERTS & SOUPS Beer, Wine, Mixed Drinks Patio Dining

Specialized Catering With a Flair Banquet Room Available

970-586-2766 Open: 6:30 AM Closed Wed.

200 MORAINE AVENUE www.estesparkmollyb.com

GET OFF THE BEATEN PATH AND REALLY SEE THE ROCKIES! Our all wheel drive vehicles will take you where your car can’t go where nature remains untouched. Elk meadows, virgin forest, abundant wildflowers, wildlife and the majestic Rockies!

DAILY TOURS — 9:30 AM and 2 PM.

EVENING TOURS — 6 PM. Monday, Wednesday, Friday Charbroiled dinners with all the fixins’, entertainment & campfire sing-a-long. Reservations required. PRIVATE TOURS — Family Reunions, Company Picnics, Weddings, etc.

PRIVATE HUMMER TOURS AVAILABLE

DEPARTS FROM 875 MORAINE

Since 1955 American WILDERNESS TOURS

586-1626 • 586-4237

ESTES PARK

American Wilderness Tours operates under a special-use permit from the Roosevelt National Forest, USDA Forest Service. Summers only.

2009 Trail Vacation Edition — 45

Shuttling Around Town Free Shopper Shuttle Takes The Sting Out of Summer Traffic

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ith the addition of service on Fall River Road, all three major highway corridors will see free visitor shuttle operations this summer. June 27 has been set as the first day of operations throughout the area. Daily operations continue on the Town-operated Free Visitor Shuttle through Aug. 30. This will be the fourth year free shuttle service has been provided by the Town of Estes Park. Riding the shuttles is free, and the Estes Park Visitors Center’s parking lots at the intersection of U.S. Hwys. 34 and 36 are large enough to accommodate additional cars. Riders have the options of traveling east on Big Thompson Avenue to amusement and lodging areas, west on Fall River Road to the Fall River Visitor Center, or southwest on Marys Lake Road and CO Hwy 66. All three routes will make stops in the core downtown shopping area as well as connect with Rocky Mountain National Park’s Hiker Shuttle at the Estes Park Visitors Center. Several lodging facilities are pick-up points on Big Thompson Avenue before the Blue Route shuttle heads downtown for eastbound stops in front of Rocky Mountain Traders and Barlow Plaza and the Visitors Center. The Red Route shuttle stops at Town Hall before turning north to the bypass and then west on Fall River Road. After stopping at the Fall River Visitor Center, the Red Route shuttle heads back into town and makes stops on the South side of Elkhorn Ave. and ends at the Visitors Center. Both the Blue and Red Routes are 30-minute rides from start to finish and will operate daily from June 27 through August 30 and weekends in September. Marys Lake Lodge is the southwestern route’s first stop. Other selected Marys Lake Road facilities are included as pick-up points before the shuttles head west on Colorado Hwy. 66. The YMCA – Estes Park Center is included as a stop on the Brown Route which is an hour-long ride from beginning to end. The Brown Route will be operated June 27 through Aug. 30 and the first two weekends in September (Sept. 5, 6, 12 and 13). All routes depart from the Estes Park Visitors Center and connect with Rocky Mountain National Park’s Hiker Shuttle that travels from the Visitors Center to the Park’s Park & Ride shuttle hub on Bear Lake Road. “We’re indebted to Rocky Mountain National Park for lending us their vehicles during the first three years of our ‘experiment’ with shuttle operations,” said Lowell Richardson, Deputy Town Administrator. “Through that we learned that we could operate smaller vehicles that are better suited to our 46 — 2009 Trail Vacation Edition

Photo by Walt Hester

The free shopper shuttle makes regular runs up and down Elkhorn Ave. as well as other key points in Estes Park.

ridership and the physical space of our core downtown area.” Three shuttles are being leased for the summer’s operations; one is smaller than what was used during the first three years of operations while the other two are the same size as used in past years.

The transportation program was initiated after town officials spent two years assessing systems used in other locations with consistently high seasonal traffic and limited land mass available for expanding parking. It was more than a dozen years ago that planning

experts first told Estes Park officials that a reliable public transportation system should be established during the peak visitation season. Information about shuttle routes can be directed to the Estes Park Convention & Visitors Bureau at 577-9900.

Shuttle Quick Guide RED & BLUE ROUTES

Daily June 27 through August 30 Saturdays & Sundays in September including Scots Fest weekend (Sept. 5&6; 12&13; 19&20; 26&27) Shuttles start at 10 a.m. Last Shuttle of the day leaves the Visitors Center at 7:30 p.m.

BROWN ROUTE

Daily June 27 through August 30 Saturdays & Sundays only through Sept. 13 (Sept. 5&6; 12&13)

Shuttles start at 10 a.m. Last Shuttle of the day leaves the Visitors Center at 7 p.m.

HIKER SHUTTLE

June 27 through Sept. 7 Every Saturday and Sunday through Sept. 27 The express “Hiker Shuttle” operates from the Town of Estes Park Visitors Center to the Park’s Beaver Meadows Visitor Center and continues to the Park & Ride. The Hiker Shuttle operates daily from June 27

through Sept. 7. The Hiker Shuttle operates weekends only during the remainder of September. The first bus leaves the Town of Estes Park Visitors Center at 6:30 a.m. and the last bus will leave the Park & Ride bound for Estes Park at 8 p.m. on all scheduled days. The hiker shuttle will run on an hourly schedule early and late in the day; switching to a half hour schedule during the peak of the day (10 a.m. to 6 p.m.). A park pass will be required to board the bus. The last bus of the day that returns to the park will leave the Estes Park Visitors Center at 7:30 p.m.

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2009 Trail Vacation Edition — 47

Take the High Road

Journey Over Trail Ridge along the National Scenic By-Way to the Picturesque Village of Grand Lake

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he mountain west is blessed with villages and lakes, including the picturesque Village of Grand Lake. Sitting on the northern shore of Grand Lake, the village has a warm western downtown with flower-decked boardwalks beckoning visitors to browse the unique shops and galleries or eat in the many restaurants. Beaches, footpaths, parks and picnic areas are snuggled along the lake shoreline. Here is a charming mountain village with small town warmth. As you stroll down the boardwalk, you’re immediately struck by two things: everyone seems to know one another, and they’re happy to introduce you to their friends. Browse the unique shops with the “Old West” style storefronts. Nestled at the western entrance to Rocky Mountain National Park, the Village of Grand Lake is one of Colorado’s unspoiled hideaways. Surrounded by breathtaking beauty and Colorado’s largest natural lake, the Village has managed to preserve its western heritage and remains a quiet, quaint, charming mountain town to this day. Featuring Rocky Mountain rustic architecture and a variety of lodging and

restaurant options, summertime in Grand Lake is an escape back in time. Lobelia, poppies, and columbines flourish in the thin mountain air…as wildlife abounds. A travel destination point for more than 100 years, Grand Lake has carefully preserved its heritage as one of Colorado’s oldest resort communities. Catch a glimpse into life in the early days of Grand Lake by visiting the historic Kauffman House Museum, a former stage stop and hotel originally built in 1892. First settled in 1876, Grand Lake became a supply center in 1879 when gold and silver were discovered nearby on the Colorado River. Prospectors came into the area from Breckenridge and the Blue River and by crossing the mountains on what is today, Trail Ridge Road. The much sought-after gold existed only in small amounts and the prospectors moved on. Grand Lake survived by welcoming visitors then as they do now. By the early 1900s, the area was attracting families who built summer homes along the shores of the lake and in the surrounding hills. Although it was then a two-day drive from Denver,

Courtesy Photo

Grand Lake offers plenty of family fun.

Grand Lake soon became a popular vacation destination.

Activities abound in and around Grand Lake • Grand Lake is the largest natural body of water in Colorado. Enjoy boating, tours on a pontoon boat, skiing, and sailing. With nearby man-made Shadow Mountain Lake and Granby Reservoir, the three recreational lakes offer more than 150 miles of scenic shoreline for camping, fishing or hiking. • The Grand Lake Golf Course, an 18-hole, 6,650 yards, par 72 champi-

onship course is carved out of the woods at the western entrance to Rocky Mountain National Park. At an altitude of 8,420 feet, your tee shot might be checked out by a moose eating the fairway grass on the front nine or by the curious fox that roams the back nine. In an area with views to spare, the spectacular vistas of the snow-capped Never Summer Range rival the challenge of making par. On-line tee time reservations 24 hours a day, seven days a week. For information call 970-627-8008 or 800-51-8580 (toll-free). Visit www.grandlakegolf.com.

Explore God’s Country

An Estes Park Tradition

Since 1907, Estes Park Center has provided

for over 30 years!

families and groups with pristine scenery, affordable lodge rooms, cabins, meals, activities and a wholesome environment. View wildlife, hike and daydream at YMCA of the Rockies.

Call Now!

48 — 2009 Trail Vacation Edition

586-2988

20-1 890 9

342 Moraine Ave.

( 9 7 0) 58 6- 3 34 1

ww w. y mc a r o c k ie s . o r g

19-16610

Lodge Rooms Still Available for Summer !

Longs Peak Scottish-Irish Highland Festival 33 Years of Celtic Tradition By Janice Mason

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he largest Scottish Festival in the West takes place in Estes Park. Bagpipes and drums, Highland and Irish dancing, music, jousting, athletic and dog competitions take place at the festival. Massed bands compete and delight crowds on the festival field. The 2009 festival takes place Sept. 10 through 13, on the Festival Grounds, Fairgrounds at Stanley Park. The gates are open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Friday through Sunday. Tattoo Estes opens the festival on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. Concerts fill the nights with revelry, featuring Colorado Celtic Rock Concerts at the YMCA, Folk Concerts and the Ceilidh (Celtic New Year’s Party) at the Holiday Inn Conference Center and Longs Peak Concert at the Rodeway Inn Hwy 34 — all at 7:30 p.m. Evening Tattoo and concerts are priced separately. The highlight of the festival is the free, hour-long parade of bands along Elkhorn Avenue, downtown, beginning at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 12. See Scot Fest: page 50

Photos by Walt Hester

2009 Trail Vacation Edition — 49

Scot Fest: dancing and athletics Continued from page 49

Sunday morning brings the Pancake Breakfast, with a chance to meet the jousters and athletes. The Festival Field events, competitions, merchants and entertainment take place continuously, Friday through Sunday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday evening marks the end of the festival with the Honored Guest Banquet. Dogs, indigenous to the British Isles, compete and entertain festival guests. The merchant tents offer crafts and Celtic merchandise. The Clan tents contain representatives displaying tartans and family crests. The aroma of American and Celtic food fills the air, along side the famous Scotch and beer tents. Singers, storytellers and Celtic rock bands entertain in tents found in numerous locations on the festival grounds. Folk musicians, Alex Beaton, the Brigadoons, and the Boston Kiltics will entertain this year. Brother, Hadrains Wall and Angus Mohr will rock the festival. The Town Pants will perform at the Ceilidh. Other bands, the Next Chapter, the David Munnelly Band and Colcannon, will also perform at the festival. Young dancers execute Highland, folk and Irish dances. The arena hosts medieval jousters in combat, and the athletic field showcases caber, stone and hammer throwing by well-accomplished women and men. The festival field is filled with massive bands, performing traditional drum routines and ceremonial anthems. Military and Scottish Bands perform in competition, with awards announced at the end of the festival. Tickets for the Longs Peak Scottish-Irish Highland Festival are $25 at the gate, and $20 in advance at the Visitors Center and Safeway, or online at www.scotsfest.com, or www.ticketswest.com. Evening Tattoo and concert tickets are also available in advance. For more information, call 800-90-Estes or e-mail [email protected].

50 — 2009 Trail Vacation Edition

Photos by Walt Hester

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The Estes Park Music Festival Offering a collection of classical and eclectic sounds Compiled by Janice Mason

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he Estes Park Music Festival presents an outstanding schedule, featuring classical, international, vocal and instrumental musicians year-round. The summer schedule offers programming by the Colorado Music Festival chamber orchestra featuring American conductor Michael Christie. Born in Buffalo, New York, in 1974, Christie’s exceptional career spans conducting posts on three continents. After gaining early international recognition in 1995, when he was awarded a special prize for “Outstanding Potential” at the First International Sibelius Conductor’s Competition in Helsinki, Christie has been consistently identified among the most talented and most closely watched conductors of his generation. Christie was appointed music director of the Colorado Music Festival in 2000. During his first six seasons, he has increased festival audiences through his enthusiastic leadership, innovative programming and widely acclaimed audience-building initiatives. The Sounds of Summer 2009, with spectacular music by the Colorado Music Festival, will begin on Monday, July 6. Three indoor concerts this summer will be held in the historic and acoustically-ideal Concert Hall at the Stanley Hotel, located at 333 W. Wonderview Avenue, on July 6, 20 and 27, with a July 13 concert at the Estes Park High School.

Sounds of Summer 2009 July 6, 7:30 p.m., Stanley Hotel Concert Hall Bach: Orchestral Suite No. 3 in D major Strauss: Horn Concerto No. 1, Op. 11 Schumann: Symphony No. 2, in C major Andrew Bain, horn Joana Carneiro, guest conductor July 13, 7:30 p.m., Estes Park High School auditorium “Whimsical Symphony” Rossini: “Il Signor Bruschino” Overture Mozart: Concerto for Flute and Harp, K. 299 Haydn: Symphony No. 90 Lisa-Maree Amos, flute Marguerite Lynn Williams, harp Michael Christie July 20, 7:30 p.m., Stanley Hotel Concert Hall Chamber Music Duos by principal chair musicians of the Colorado Music Festival July 27, 7:30 p.m., Stanley Hotel Concert Hall All Mozart La Clemenza di Tito, K. 621 Piano Concerto No. 27, K. 595 Symphony No. 41, K. 551 “Jupiter” Orion Weiss, piano Michael Christi The Estes Park Music Festival also presents a Winter Series of exquisite performances at the Historic Stanley Hotel. The concert series takes place November through April on Sunday afternoons at 2 p.m. featuring a variety of chorale, instrumental and solo performances. For more information, schedules and ticket information, call 586-9519 or visit www.estesparkmusicfestival.org. 52 — 2009 Trail Vacation Edition

Photo by Walt Hester

The Stanley Hotel is home to the majority of Estes Park Music Festival concerts.

Golfers, left and below, enjoy rounds on the Estes Park Golf Course on glorious summer days. Photos by Walt Hester

Swing for the mountaintops Two courses with an altitude in Estes Park

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round of golf in Estes Park comes in two flavors: the nine-hole variety, as played at the Lake Estes Golf Course, a comfortable nine-hole that hugs Lake Estes and is cut by the Big Thompson River, and the 18-hole variety available at the Estes Park Golf Course. There are likely to be elk on the side at either course to share your round with you, not to mention the sort of scenery every course this side of Pebble Beach would kill for. And if your tee shot seems to travel a little farther than usual, chalk it up to the thinner air at 7,500 feet. Estes Park Golf Course

The Estes Park Golf Course, located at 1080 S. St. Vrain Avenue (Colorado Highway 7), has been ranked among the most scenic sets of links in the country. The season begins in mid-April, when the play is punctuated by the spring snows that bring moisture to the course and kick-start the green-up when the sun hits the fairways, and a wet April should give the courses everything they need to get the grass growing this year. By mid-June, the 6,400-yard (from the blue tees), par 71 is hitting peak condition, which it maintains well into September. The second hole, a 143-yard par three, has a new tee box this season. The course has a Pro Shop and driving range, and a restaurant, and hosts about 30,000 rounds a season, including numerous tournaments. Tee times are recommended, especially for a morning round during the peak summer months. Call 866-586-8146 ext. 0 for tee times. Electric carts, pull carts and clubs are available for rental. Lake Estes Golf Course

The Lake Estes Golf Course, located at 690 Big Thompson Avenue (US 34), plays at 2,209 yards from the men's tees, and par is 31. As at the 18-hole course, tee times are recommended during the summer season — call 970-586-8176. Pull carts and clubs are available for rental. Some water makes a round on the Lake Estes Golf Course interesting, and there are almost always a few elk around — it's a favorite wintering spot for them, and the spring green-up is their salad bar. All told, about 20,000 nine-hole rounds are played at the course annually. Tee times at both courses can be made up to seven days in advance for weekdays, and on the Friday of the previous weekend for weekend reservations. Winter Golf

From November through March, the Lake Estes Golf Course is open for winter golf play, and there are plenty of pleasant and playable days over the course of the winter. The seasonal rate of $7 for unlimited, all-day play, no tee times required.

2009 Trail Vacation Edition — 53

Estes Park’s Total Shopping Experience

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Unique Gifts

Highland Music and Minstrel’s Gifts

(970) 577-1118

with Good Luck & Good Fortune

20-16775

* Excellent Selection of Musical Instruments * Folk & Celtic CDs Books & Sheet Music * Musical GIfts, Supplies & Accessories * Tapestries and Celtic Décor * Celtic & Fantasy Gifts Located in the Old Church Shops Mall

(970) 577-9532 highlandmusicandgifts.com

157 West Elkhorn Ave. Estes Park, CO 80517

Yoga Accessories • Bellydance Accessories Decoratives Handmade Clothing • Scarves Huge Selection of Silver Jewelry • Purses • Jewelry Boxes Incense • Statues • Singing Bowls • Tapestries

www.himalayanartsandcrafts.com

Moses Street Photography

Tour the World’s Only

Pewter Mine Tour Take an “elevator” ride down to the world’s only “Pewter Mine.” A fun and educational tour. The mining, alloying, mold making and casting of pewter explained. Pick a free pewter crystal off the mine wall to keep.

970-586-7221

www.mosesstreet.com

Sellers & Buyers Save $Thousands • Full Service • Three Different Programs

• Proven Marketing System • Colorado Licensed • Guarantee in Writing

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20-17099

Broker Old Church Shops Suite 16C, Estes Park

FREE Casting Demonstrations! You get to pour a pewter hummingbird or fine silver onto Summer Hours 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. a bundle of pine needles to make a “one of a kind” piece of jewelry!

FUN and Educational!

970-586-4933 www.ThePewterMine.com

“Always there to help!”

586-2510 866-311-2510 FAX 970-692-8152 [email protected]

New Gift Shop! 970-214-7230 [email protected] Essential Oils Smudge Sticks Bath and Body Prayer Feathers Fantasy Staffs Pendulums Hats and Headpieces Scented Decor Products

Beautiful products to help heal your Body, Mind, and Spirit!

157 W. Elkhorn Ave. Estes Park, CO 80517

Check out our outdoor webcam at www.churchshops.com

Where the Past Meets the Present

Spend $100 or More & Have Lunch on Us! Receive a $20 Gift Certificate to the Wild Rose Restaurant No Cash Back. Must be used by September 30, 2009

Located in Old Church Shops 157 W. Elkhorn, Estes Park, CO 970-586-5630

Friendly!

Old Church Shops • 970.586.2806 See our Ad in Names & Numbers

www.WildRoseRestaurant.com Steven G. Francis 970-586-0091 • [email protected] • www.coloradocandelabra.com

Attorney At Law

HOWARD and FRANCIS, LLP Post Office Box 2132 Fort Collins, CO 80522 141 South College Ave. Suite 102 (970) 484-6284 Fax (970) 484-6551

20-17135

The Only Real Candle Shop in Estes Park

Buffalo • NY Steak • Elk Chop Alaskan Halibut • Atlantic Salmon Family Shrimp Pasta and Much More!

HAHN HOLISTIC LIFE INSTITUTE Nurturing Mind, Body & Soul

Dr. Dee A. Hahn 303-747-2712 760-877-3626 E-mail: [email protected]

On the West End of Elkhorn Avenue • www.churchshops.com

Spend the Fourth of July in Estes Park Compiled by Janice Mason

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ravel to Estes Park for a Fourth of July weekend that is jam-packed with events that continue through the following week. The Independence celebration schedule presents special music events, Arabian horses, vintage cars and the spectacular fireworks display over Lake Estes. Independence week schedule July 1 — Richard Geppinger in concert at Performance Park Amphitheater, 417 W. Elkhorn Ave. at 7 p.m. Ministry musician Richard Geppinger performs. Bring a lawn chair or blanket for more comfortable seating. July 1 — Queen City Jazz Band performs a SummerFest concert in the Walter Ruesch Auditorium at the YMCA of the Rockies at 7:30 p.m. Call 586-3341 for details. July 2 — Yeahbut Shoehead Band concert at Performance Park Amphitheater, 417 W. Elkhorn Ave. at 7 p.m. Summer reading program kids concert sponsored by the Estes Park Public Library. Call the library for details, at 586-8116. Bring a lawn chair or blanket for more comfortable seating. July 3 — Nancy Cook in concert in Barlow Plaza, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. The Barlow Plaza Music Series is sponsored by Poppy’s and Mama Rose’s Restaurants, located at 338 and 342 E. Elkhorn Avenue. Barlow Plaza sits between the two restaurants on the Riverwalk. Two patios provide outdoor dining while listening to favorite local musicians every Friday and Saturday night throughout the summer months. July 2, 3, 4 and 5 — Arabian Horse Show at the Fairgrounds at Stanley Park, 1209 Manford Avenue. Arabian horse competitions begin each day at 8 a.m. The Arabian horse has a reputation for intelligence, spirit, and stamina. This breed of horse has a distinctive head shape and high tail carriage. Not only is the Arabian horse is one of the most easily recognizable horse breeds in the world, it is also one of the oldest horse breeds. Archaeological evidence of horses that resemble modern Arabians dates back 4,500 years. Arabian horses were brought from the Middle East by both war and trade, and were used to improve other breeds by adding speed, refinement, endurance, and good bone structure. Arabian bloodlines are found in almost every modern breed of riding horse. July 4 — Annual Holiday Pancake Breakfast at Our Lady of the Mountains Catholic Church, 920 Big Thompson Avenue, from 7 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. The breakfast is a benefit for Crossroads Ministry, a non-profit organization assisting people in need throughout the Estes Valley. July 4 — Coolest Car Show, featuring vintage vehicles from the 1920s and beyond, in Bond Park, downtown Estes Park, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Closeup inspections cost $4 for adults, $2 for children and students, $10 for the whole family, and free for children under six-years-old. The Coolest Car Show is the biggest fund-raiser of the year for the Estes Park Museum. July 3 — Dick Orleans in concert in Barlow Plaza on the Riverwalk, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. The Barlow Plaza Music Series is sponsored by Poppy’s and Mama Rose’s Restaurants, located at 338 and 342 E. Elkhorn Avenue. Barlow Plaza sits between the two restaurants on the Riverwalk. Two patios provide outdoor dining while listening to favorite local musicians every Friday and Saturday night throughout the summer months. July 4 — Evening Program at Beaver Meadows Visitor Center, Rocky Mountain National Park Headquarters, 7 p.m., featuring a wide variety of informative programs on Saturday nights that cover issues pertaining to the preservation of the ecology of the national parks. Call 586-1206 for details. July 4 — Independence Day Fireworks over Lake

56 — 2009 Trail Vacation Edition

Photos by John Cordsen

Photo by Tony Wedick

Estes at 9:30 p.m. One of Colorado’s most brilliant fireworks displays in on of the most beautiful mountain locations in the state. July 5, 6 and 7 — Cowboy Sing-Along in Bond Park at 7 p.m., featuring Cowboy Brad and Kathy Fitch. Brad and Kathy specialize in original acoustic folk, family and western music. They are known for their melodic folk music and songs. July 5 — Music in the Mountains Faculty Concerts at Rocky Ridge Music Center, 465 Longs Peak Rd., at 7:30 p.m. Adult tickets are $15; seniors 65 and over/$12; students ages 12 to 18/$12; children under age 12/free. Call 586-4031 for more information. July 6 — Sponsored by the Estes Park Music Festival, the Colorado Music Festival Chamber Orchestra will perform in the Concert Hall at the Stanley Hotel, 333 W. Wonderview Ave., at 7:30 p.m. The performance by the Chamber Orchestra of Boulder Chautauqua, features Michael Christie, music director, and Joana Carneiro, guest conductor. They will perform Bach’s Orchestral Suite No. 3 in D

major; Strauss’ Horn Concerto No. 1, Op. 11; Schumann’s Symphony No. 2, in C major; with Andrew Bain on horn. Ticket price is $25. Advance ticket sales are available at Macdonald Book Shop, 152 E. Elkhorn Ave., and at Hobert Office Services, 1140-A Manford Ave. Call 586-9519 or visit www.estesparkmusicfestival.org for details. July 6 — “Climbing and Backcountry Skiing in RMNP and Peru” at the Estes Park Public Library, East Elkhorn Ave., at 7 p.m. Join ClimbingLife Guide’s Eli Helmuth for amazing photos and stories of climbing and backcountry skiing in Rocky Mountain National Park. Helmuth will also present his travels to Peru for mountain climbing in the heart of the South American Andes. The program is sponsored by Enjoy Estes Park and the Estes Park Public Library. Seating is limited and prior to the program several restaurants are offering specially priced meals to those presenting a dining certificate. Call 586-8116 for details. July 7 — If still in town, come to the Rooftop Rodeo Parade along Elkhorn Ave., downtown Estes Park, at 10:30 a.m. Kicking off rodeo week festivities is the traditional Rooftop Rodeo Parade, featuring bands, groups on horseback, floats, unique automobiles, rodeo royalty and more. Stay for the 2009 Rooftop Rodeo, taking place through July 12 at the Rodeo Arena Fairgrounds at Stanley Park. Call 5779900 for details.

Scandinavian Midsummer Festival First summer festival celebrates the season By Janice Mason

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tart the summer off right with dancing, a pastry or two and fun with the whole family. The Scandinavian Midsummer Festival will take place on June 27 and 28, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., in Bond Park, downtown Estes Park. Scandinavians celebrate the summer solstice, the longest day of the year, with a festival of flowers, food, textiles, arts and crafts, music and traditional dance. Musicians and dancers entertain both days at the festival. Children enjoy the festivities around the Midsummer pole decorated with flowers and ribbons. Professional Scandinavian dance instructors assist visitors in traditional movements throughout the festival. Bakers offer delectable treats. The Scandinavian Midsummer Festival brings the traditions of Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark and Iceland to Estes Park. Festivities begin on Saturday morning in downtown Bond Park with the raising of the Midsummer pole followed by an opening ceremony. Colorfully dressed families enter the park carrying the flags of their native lands. The day continues with entertainment provided by a variety of folk dance groups and Scandinavian musicians. All activities are free and open to the public. Midsummer was originally a fertility festival with customs and rituals associated with nature and the hope for a good autumn harvest. The celebration has its roots in pre-Christian practices and is a day when the nature spirits join humans to rejoice in the long days of summer. For more information, visit www.estesmidsummer.com.

Photos by Walt Hester

Voted BEST Burgers in Town!!

The Hometown Place with the World-WIde Reputation! Burgers • Hot Deli Sandwiches Vegetarian menu • Kids Meals Hot Dogs • Chili Dogs Buffalo Wings Stuffed Baked Potatoes • Soup Homemade Chili • Salads Nachos • Onion Rings Soft Pretzels Ice Cream Cones Old-Fashioned Malts & Sodas

Old-Fashioned & Made Fresh for You!

229 West Elkhorn Between the Water Wheel & Old CHurch Shops

Open Daily at 11 • 586-2277 *Now Serving Breakfast*

2009 Trail Vacation Edition — 57

Rocky Mountain Nature Association Experts in the field of nature By J’Ann Wright, Ed.D., field seminar manager

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he 2009 Rocky Mountain Nature Association Field Seminar season is in full swing. This year, more than 75 seminars offer classes in a wide variety of topics. Most seminars are scheduled to begin at the Field Seminar Center and then move into the Park to take advantage of its unique beauty and spectacular wildlife. RMNA Field Seminars fill a unique niche in Estes Valley by providing adult and children’s classes in natural and cultural history, art, photography and outdoor skills. Adults can learn more about local history in “Estes Valley: History and Historic Sites” on July 17 and Aug. 7. Curt Buchholtz, the executive director of RMNA, will lead participants on a unique tour of the historic sites in and around Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP). The seminar includes lunch at an historic lodge and lots of great conversations. “Western Heritage II: Converging Communities,” a weekend retreat at Wind River Ranch, will examine at how RMNP, the town of Estes Park, ranches and lodges have converged to make Estes Valley what it is today. Photographers will enjoy learning more about how to photograph things that move - water, elk, hummingbirds - in two new seminars taught by awardwinning Trail-Gazette photographer Walt Hester, “Still Motion Photography and Be Still! Photographing Hummingbirds.” Glenn Randall will return to teach “Landscape Photography” and Don Mammoser will help folks learn more about their digital cameras in “Introduction to Outdoor Photography” and “Digital Photography in RMNP: Advanced Techniques.” Lee Kline and Perry Conway will share their tips on photographing wildlife. Artists will be happy to see two returning artists, Mark Silvers and Cheryl Pennington. Silvers will teach “Water Painting: Basics of Landscapes” and Pennington will provide instruction in “Coloring Historic Photographs.” Nyla Witmore, a professional artist, will join Field Seminars for the first time to teach two seminars “Sketchbooks for Tourists, Travelers and Artists” and “Sketching and Painting.” New natural history seminars are also in the works. Bird lovers will not want to miss “Mountain Birds and How They Live” and “Wings at Dusk.” These two seminars will be taught by Jeff Maugans, a RMNP naturalist and interpretive ranger. Maugans brings depth of knowledge and great enthusiasm to his seminars, which are designed to help novice and experienced birders alike. Drs. Steve and Irene Little will use the new Estes Park Memorial Observatory to share “What’s New in Astronomy,” a seminar that will explore how constellations were viewed by other cultures and give the class a peak at some of the profound discoveries of galaxies from the Hubble space telescope. Kevin Cooks will offer two new seminars, “Beavers: More than Teeth and Hats” and “Follow the Bear Signs.” “Young Naturalists: Wilderness Exploration and Encounters” (WEE), a series of seminars for children ages nine to 12, is back for 2009 and “Estes Park Treasure Hunt” is a new seminar for children and families. These seminars will focus on navigation and natural history. Children will use hand-held GSP units to learn more about the natural history of Estes Valley. “Art Adventures” will return this year during the month of July and provide budding artists with the opportunity to learn about nature and to express

58 — 2009 Trail Vacation Edition

Photos courtesy Rocky Mountain Nature Association

their observations through their art. The 2009 Field Seminar program will provide opportunities for families, children and adults to learn about the mysteries and beauty of Rocky Mountain

National Park. The Field Seminar office is located at 1895 Fall River Road. For more information about these seminars or to register, call 586-3262 or visit www.rmna.org.

That is not an elk The moose population is on the upswing on the east side of the Park

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ou are going to see elk — little ones, big ones and hundreds and hundreds of cows. Elk, elk, elk, almost everywhere you look. Look! There’s 200 more elk! But if you see a moose around here, then you've seen something. Even the locals will stop at the moose-based version of an Estes traffic tradition, the elk jam, to snap a couple of quick pics. Moose — Alces alces, the largest member of the deer family —- were introduced to Colorado in North Park in the late 1970s and have slowly been expanding their range since. More breeding is taking place in the area around Estes Park, biologists say, but they are still a novelty in the Estes Valley and the east side of Rocky Mountain National Park, where they tend to turn up unpredictably. Sprague Lake, the pond along the trail between the Fern Lake Trailhead and Arch Rocks, and the pond near mile marker 6 on US 36 just outside of Estes Park are places where they seem to turn up at least a couple times each summer. Moose are rarely found far from water, and beaver ponds and streamsides choked with willows are their favored haunts, so be on the look-out for them in these kinds of habitat. If you are really interested in seePhoto by Walt Hester ing a moose, you'll want to take a Give a cow moose with a calf or yeardrive. Moose are more common on ling plenty of room.

Photo by Walt Hester

A fully grown bull moose can weigh well over 1,000 pounds, making it easily the biggest animal you’ll find around here.

the west side of the Park, in the Kewaneche Valley. But the best place to find moose remains in North Park, where the Michigan River along Colorado Highway 14 and the Illinois River in the Arapaho National Wildlife Refuge are good places to look for moose. As with all wild animals, you will want to give a moose plenty of room if you encounter one while out on a hike, and give an especially wide berth to cows with calves, and bulls, especially in the fall. Though their numbers around here are still sparse, there have been a few moose incidents already, including one in which a hunter found himself treed for a couple of hours when the elk he thought he was tracking turned out to be a cow and calf. Without a doubt, a full-grown bull elk sporting a six-point set of antlers is a majestic beast. But a 1,500-pound bull moose with a shaggy beard? That would be a sight to remember..

Hilarious Comedy! 6 Live shows Every Week!

By

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Jaston Williams

900 Moraine Ave,

Ed Howard

next to The Other Side Restaurant

Show Times Wednesday - Sunday 7:30 pm

Wednesday Matinees 2:00 pm

*Special July 4th - 2:00 Matinee

Prices Adults - $16 Seniors (60+) - $13 Children - $9

Call for Group Rates

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Ladies Apparel including Double D Jackets, Leathers, Furs & Jewelry The Trading Post 231 Moraine Ave Estes Park 970-586-9226 www.thetradingpostonline.com

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National Park Players Present

2009 Trail Vacation Edition — 59

A pair of hikers pause to enjoy the view on the hike from the Bear Lake parking lot to Nymph Lake and points beyond. Below, a hiker gets a close-up of wildflowers in the alpine tundra on Fall River Pass. Photos by Walt Hester

A day in the backcountry To see the sights, pound some trail

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ocky Mountain National Park is loaded with miles of hiking trails and by far, the most common activity (save watching elk) in the Park would have to be hiking, particularly day hikes. These can take a lot of forms: a short jaunt to get out and stretch the legs, an easy (relatively speaking) few hours on a moderate trail, or, on the far end of the scale, the epic, trail-pounding journey to a remote destination and back. A day hike is a great way to immerse yourself in the Park's wild country, a chance to a look at wildlife and dramatic features, and to leave the hectic commotion and traffic of Estes Park behind for a while. Short hikes don't need much explanation, or planning for that matter. Enjoy. For longer hikes - if you do plan to cover some ground and be out most of the day - some forethought is good idea. The Park is, after all, largely wilderness with highly variable weather. But even then, the tools are simple: a good pair of boots, a rain jacket, a water bottle and a water filter, a snack for the trail, and a map. This collection of items does not touch on the things you would need in a survival situation, so if the weather is dicey or you are going someplace technical or especially far out and back, you would want to beef up the items you hit the trail with. Step two: pick a destination. This is easier said than done, and how far will be comfortable for you to go is a question you will have to answer for yourself. Eight or 10 miles in a day is fairly comfortable trek for a full day, but many of the most desirable destinations - say you want to hit the headwater lake at treeline at the end of a trail for a little high country fishing can add up to 12 or 15 miles round-trip. That's a long way unless you are acclimated to the altitude and pretty decent shape. Of course, you can always bite off more than it turns out you can chew: just turn around when you feel you've gone far enough, and if the pull of your destination is not too great. There is a lot to be said for grinding out a death march and hearing your dogs bark when you pull yourself onto a barstool back in town at night. Feeling like you've been somewhere is a good thing. The options can be overwhelming, but let's start at Bear Lake, as many people do. And easy walk gets you to Dream Lake in little time, and from there you can head to Emerald Lake or Lake Haiyaha, which is less than four miles round-trip.

60 — 2009 Trail Vacation Edition

Back down Bear Lake Road a ways is the Glacier Gorge Trailhead, from which there are some great possibilities. Hiking up Glacier Creek, soon enough you get to choose between a run to The Loch going one way (with places like Sky Pond beyond), or going to Mills Lake the other. The Mills Lake route opens up the possibility of reaching Black Lake. Mills and The Loch are both pretty close to sixmile roundtrips. The Fern Lake Trailhead is starting point for both out-and-back and loop hikes. The trail runs along the Big Thompson River for just under two miles, and passes Arch Rocks, on its way to The Pool, a deep hole in the river that effectively marks the mouth of Forest Canyon, one of the wildest corners of the Park. From The Pool, you have two options: continue onward towards Fern Lake, an excellent greenback cutthroat trout fishery, or a short climb looping back toward Cub Lake, which is pretty but fishless. For longer treks, Wild Basin - the Park's southeast corner - is a great starting point with a nice list of destinations available, including Sandbeach Lake, Finch

See HIKING: page 61

Photo by Walt Hester

A hiker arrives at Mills Lake in Glacier Gorge around midday.

Hiking Continued from page 60

Lake, Pear Lake, Ouzel and Bluebird Lakes, the Hutcheson Lakes, and Thunder Lake. Wild Basin is still considered the Park's quiet backwater and is, in fact, one of the wettest areas of the Park, sliced as it is with small tributaries of the North St. Vrain River, including Cony Creek and Ouzel Creek, with several dramatic waterfalls, including Calypso Cascades early in the hike and Ouzel Falls a little farther along. The crown jewel of Wild Basin, though, could be considered Thunder Lake. Now you are approaching the 14-mile mark to get there and back. This is getting into serious trekking territory, and the hike up the valley the North St. Vrain flows through is tremendous, especially when you start to climb up on the north side of the valley on the approach to Thunder. That's RMNP central and south, at least on the east side. The other major jumping off point, in the north end of the east side of the Park is the Lawn Lake Trailhead, from which a range of hikes is possible, all of which begin by hiking around Horseshoe Falls and hiking along the Roaring River, where signs of the Lawn Lake flood 25 years ago are plainly visible. This is a great route into the Mummy Range These are just a few of the possibilities. For an encyclopedic look at hikes in the Park, consult Lisa Foster's book, Rocky Mountain National Park — The Complete

Hiking Guide. You might have noticed by now that most of the hikes follow a stream and the trails often terminate at one high country lake or another. This is useful on a long hike whether you have any interest in trout fishing or not, and is where the recommended water filter comes in. It's hard, and not a whole lot of fun, to carry all the water you will need on a sun-up to sun-down hike, and it's not even a good idea to try. It is important to remember that at altitude you are going to dehydrate faster than you would at a lower elevation, and nothing will cripple an afternoon in stunning country — the place you have burned leg and lung to reach — like a dehydration headache. There are a number of good water filters and purifiers on the market. Get one, carry one, use one. You will regret it otherwise. A note of caution about summer thunderstorms is also in order. July and August are the season for them, they boil up around midday on a daily basis, and in the high country they can come over a ridge and jump on top of you with alarming quickness. At that time of year, assume there will be an afternoon storm. Two aspects of these storms are what create dangers for hikers. The first is lightning. You do not want to get caught above treeline when there is lightning around. The second is the chilling effect of afternoon storms, which can turn a flawless mountain day into a cold, rain-soaked slog back to the trailhead. Plan to stay dry and off exposed areas when the afternoon storms crop up.

2009 Trail Vacation Edition — 61

Estes Park Dining, Food, Treats & Beverages Coffee on the Rocks “Where the coffee is as great as the views!” Marvel at the beautiful mountain views as you enjoy our organic free-trade coffee, tea, smoothies and other cold

drinks. Offering breakfast, lunch and dinner with baked goods from the famous

Schmidt’s bakery, “lunches-to-go”, panini sandwiches, salads, soup du jour,

smothered burritos and more! Free Wi-Fi! Indoor/Outdoor seating (Lakeside or

on the deck). Featuring local artists. Meeting room in back. Large flat-screen TV. Plenty of parking. Located on Hwy 36 on the way to RMNP, next to Red

Rose Rock Shop & Dick’s Rock Museum. Open year-round. 510 Moraine

Avenue. 970/586-5181.

DeLeo’s Park Theatre Cafe & Deli Whether you’ve visited us in person before, heard about us by word of mouth, or learned about us from The Food Network, we’re delighted to have you here. You’re invited to stop in for some of the finest, mouthwatering Italian deli

you’ve ever encountered. Sit inside with us or outside along the Fall River

(weather permitting), or take a feast to go and head into Rocky Mountain

National Park, which is just up the road. You will find us at the entrance to the

Historic Park Theatre, the oldest continuously operating movie theater west of the Mississippi, and just a few steps from the exact center of downtown Estes

Park. If you have an event happening in town, you can share great deli with

your guests. Try our full-service World Class Catering! 132 Moraine Avenue,

The Grubsteak We feature fantastic Burgers, Steaks, Buffalo Steaks and Elk Steaks. We also have Rocky Mountain Trout, Baby Back Pork Ribs, Buffalo Ribs, Pastas, Sandwiches and Salads. Home of the $3.99 Breakfast Special (two eggs, potatoes & toast.) Full breakfast menu in summer. Serving lunch and dinner year-round. Largest shaded patio, sunny pub room, and an Old West atmosphere. Take out available. Public parking lot in rear. 134 W. Elkhorn Avenue 970/586-8388.

Proudly serving handmade donuts and other baked goods for over 30 years. Come and enjoy an Estes Park tradition. We are locally owned and operated.

Inn of Glen Haven Open for the season May 22. Located in rustic downtown Glen Haven, north on County Rd 43 from Estes Park. Call for reservations. 970-586-3897.

Kind Coffee Kind Coffee is Estes Park’s exclusive organic coffee roaster, roasting daily on the West End of town. We offer two full-service espresso bars located on the East and West Ends of the River Walk featuring our fresh roasted coffees. Fruit smoothies, milkshakes, and frozen drinks are made to order! Fresh bagel sandwiches and breakfast items, lunch sandwiches to go, along with local baked goods and desserts round out our offerings. Pounds of fresh roasted coffee, t-shirts and mugs are great souvenirs and gift items! As a locally owned business and a member of 1% for the Planet, Kind Coffee is committed to both our community and our environment. KIND is what coffee should be.

Estes Park homemade cooking offering full menu, patio dining, cocktails, pizza, wings, soups, salads. Menu for kids. Open daily at 11 am. 153 E. Elkhorn, 970-586-2074.

Dunraven Downtown

An Irish Pub. The best in live music and entertainment. Great atmosphere, fun, food, and drink. Serving Appetizers, Burgers, Wings, Reubens, Fish & Chips, and other great tavern fare. Happy hour food & drink specials. Downtown at 110 West Elkhorn. 970-586-4346. www.lonigans.com.

Dunraven Downtown has the feel of an open-air bistro with a warm, inviting

as our famous lasagna or chicken primavera, we’ve got something you’ll love! We have an extensive wine list that compliments our menu. Save some room for our spumoni or tiramisu. There is a public parking lot conveniently located behind our restaurant. Dunraven Downtown is open for lunch every day at 11 am. We start serving dinner at 4 pm. 101 W. Elkhorn Avenue, Estes Park.

Mama Rose’s Homemade Italian Taste. Traditional Italian food at its best, in a casually elegant atmosphere. Enjoy great wine, or relaxing beer in the dining room or seasonal riverside patio. A varied children’s menu is available for the little ones. Open daily at 4 pm for dinner. 338 E. Elkhorn Ave. (Barlow Plaza), Estes Park. 970/586-3330.

Mountaineer

Dunraven Inn

All the taste of home. Just like you remember them. Breakfast served all day. Daily specials, good “Down Home Cookin”. New location; 361 S. Street Vrain, Hwy 7. Open Daily 7 am. 970-586-9001.

“The Rome of the Rockies.” Estes Park’s most romantic restaurant featuring pm. 2470 Colo. Hwy. 66, Estes Park. 970/586-6409.

The Egg & I

a childrens’ menu and an American menu. 160 1st St., 970/586-3686.

Sundeck Restaurant fresh trout, steaks, chili rellenos and other excellent dishes. Reservations recommended for dinner. Non-smoking dining room. Full bar. Open mid-May to early October. Amex, Discover, Visa, MasterCard. 915 Moraine Ave. (2 miles west of downtown, at the junction of Hwy. 36, Mary’s Lake Road and High Drive.) 970/586-9832. www.sundeckrestaurant.com

The Tavern at Marys Lake Lodge We offer casual comfort and serve a hearty meal in a fun-filled atmosphere. The Tavern is the only establishment in the area to offer live entertainment SEVEN NIGHTS A WEEK from May – October, and FIVE NIGHTS A WEEK from 7. 2625 Marys Lake Road. 970/586-5958.

Trailhead Restaurant at Rocky Mountain Gateway just outside the Park with spectacular views of mountain scenery. Visit us for either breakfast, lunch or dinner and enjoy either traditional menu favorites or our selections of wild game, Buffalo and Elk. Enjoy a glass of wine or beer with your dinner whether seated in our cozy dining room or at a table outside on the deck. Open daily 8:00 am – 9:00 pm seasonal. 3450 Fall River Road, Estes Park. 970/577-0043.

Twin Owls Steakhouse at the Black Canyon Inn We have a warm candlelight feel accompanied by culinary skill and impeccable service that is unparalleled in the Estes Valley. We serve a variety of entrées from steaks and chops to pastas and seafood. 800 MacGregor Avenue (Devil’s Gulch Road). 970/586-9344.

970/586-3818.

Italian cuisine, great steaks and wonderful seafood. Dinner served nightly at 5

Pura Vida

(Fall River entrance to Rocky Mountain National Park.) Relaxed dining nestled

Lonigans Saloon Nightclub & Grill

feel like an in-house cut sirloin steak, shrimp scampi, or pasta favorites such

made fresh for you. 229 West Elkhorn. 970-586-2277.

November – April. Located just three miles from downtown Estes Park on Hwy

Locals Grill

www.donuthaus-estespark.com

dining room with hand-painted murals of the Italian countryside. Whether you

baked potatoes, soups, salads, breakfast and much more. Old fashioned &

Serving the best food under the sun for the last 61 years. Known for our grilled

Open Daily 6 am to 1 pm. 342 Moraine Avenue, Estes Park. 970/586-2988.

We serve fresh, homemade Italian cuisine in the heart of downtown Estes.

Burgers, hot deli sandwiches, vegatarian menu. Kids meals, hot dogs, wings,

Costa Rican Cuisine. Salads, Soups, Seafood, Steaks, Combination Plates. Plus

Estes Park. 970/577-1134

Donut Haus

Penelopes The hometown place with a worldwide reputation. Best burgers in town.

Vega Come join us on our huge rooftop patio in the heart of downtown with views of Estes in every direction! If you prefer indoor dining you can sit in our bright, sunny dining room or relaxing full bar. Try a pitcher of one of our eight beers on

Molly B Estes Park creative eatery; breakfast, lunch – daily specials and vegetarian menu on all meals. Homemade desserts and soups. Beer, wine, mixed drinks. Patio Dining. Catering. 200 Moraine Ave. Open 6:30 am. 970-586-2766.

tap, wine, or a refreshing sangria. Enjoy Spanish-style tapas, pizza, salads, local fare such as trout and elk, and delicious grilled entrées. Vega opens every day at 11 am. See us on the rooftop at the Courtyard Shops, 205 Virginia Drive, Estes Park. 970/586-9494.

Northern Colorado’s best breakfast and lunch. Omlettes, fritattas, egg dishes, soups, salads, sandwiches. Summer hours: Mon-Sat 6 am. - 2 pm. Sun 7 am. -

The Other Side

The View Restaurant at The Historic Crags Lodge

2 pm. Winter hours: Mon-Sun 7 am. - 2 pm. 393 E. Elkhorn Ave. 970-586-1173.

Where people who know Estes Park go. Prime rib, steaks, seafood, Rainbow trout. Game entrees, sensational Sunday Brunch. Full service bar, childrens menu. National Park Village at the corner of Moraine and Marys Lake Rd. 970-586-2171.

Surround yourself in the rustic charm of this Historic Lodge that hosts views of

with views of Longs Peak. 470 Prospect Village Drive. 970/586-5421.

Peak to Peak American Grill

The Wild Rose Family Friendly with a Taste of Europe. The Wild Rose Restaurant, the Staff and

Grandmaison’s Chalet Room at Marys Lake Lodge

Casual Colorado dining serving traditional favorites, offer a full bar and private banquet room. Hours: Winter 3-9, Summer 3-10. 451 S. St. Vrain Ave. 970-577-0577.

Estes Park Brewery Come for a free taste of our many beers. Open at 11:00 am daily. We have a

the entire Estes Valley! The menu offers steak, fresh fish, pasta, and vegetarian entrées. Wine, beer, and cocktails are available to accompany your meal. Call for reservations. 300 Riverside Drive, Estes Park. 970/586-6066

wide variety of food along with pool tables, video games and TVs. Deck seating

We offer world-class cuisine in an elegant ambiance. Award-winning Chef Marc

Chefs have always felt to please their guests and make them comfortable. The Continental Cuisine with fresh Seafood. Hand-cut Steaks and homemade Sauces are a delight and rewarding for the palate. We open at 11 am and

Grandmaison has created an extraordinary menu offering a culinary tour of

Poppy’s Pizza & Grill

serve all day Lunch or Dinner (until 10 pm in the Summer Season). Please join

Europe, with specials from Lisbon, Barcelona, Milan, Munich, and Athens, as

Imagine. Create. Eat. Soup, salad, sandwiches and pizza created as you want! Fun, casual dining area or seasonal riverside patio. Menus are available for kids 12 and under. Open daily at 11 am. 342 E. Elkhorn Avenue (Barlow Plaza), Estes Park. 970/586-8282.

us for a delightful meal and great selected Wines in our two Dining Rooms or

well as exquisite seafood, steaks, veal, lamb, and pasta, just to name a few. Vegetarian and vegan entrées are also extensive! Located just three miles from

downtown Estes Park on Hwy 7. 2625 Marys Lake Road. 970/586-5958.

62 — 2009 Trail Vacation Edition

enjoy the sunshine on the Patio. If you have special needs, please let us know and we will try our best to serve you. Old Church Shops, 157 W. Elkhorn Avenue, Estes Park. 970/586-2806.

Day tripping from Estes Park If you have the time, you CAN get there from here

Compiled by Juley Harvey

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f you’d like to savor some of the surrounding countryside on brief road trips and adventures during your stay in Estes Park, the following provide happy trails galore to explore. • Estes Park — Glen Haven — Drake Take Devils Gulch Road (CR 43) north to the small town of Drake, following the North Fork of the Big Thompson River. The Glen Haven-Drake loop is a lovely hour-and-a-half drive without stops. Allow some time to pause and enjoy the scenery of Devils Gulch along the way. • 37th RockyGrass Bluegrass Festival — July 24-26, Lyons. Live bluegrass music is everywhere, as musicians form jam circles in the woods along the river, and the audience listens. • 19th Annual Folks Festival — August 14-16, Lyons. A musical mosaic of songs, stories and summertime providesmellower moods and the perfect cool for the warm Colorado sun. The festival opens with the prestigious Folks Songwriter Showcase. For more information, call (800) 624-2422 or see the Web site at planetbluegrass.com. • Colorado River Headwaters National Scenic Byway Follow the magnificent Colorado River as it begins its journey west to carve the Grand Canyon and flow to the Pacific. Take Hwy. 34 from Grand Lake to Granby, Hwy. 40 to Kremmling, County Road 1 (gravel road) to State Bridge, 75 miles, driving time: 90 minutes to drive, 3-6 hours to enjoy. Avoid travel on gravel portion after rain or snow. • Peak-to-Peak Scenic Byway Enjoy spectacular views of snow-capped peaks along the Continental Divide and access to historical mining communities, such as Black Hawk and Central City, dating from the late 1800s. The byway begins as CO Highway 7 in Estes Park, passes Lily Mountain and Twin Sisters, then turns south just past Allenspark on CO Highway 72, goes to Nederland, where it continues south on CO Highway 119, through Blackhawk, through Clear Creek Canyon and down to I70. Many gold mines were located along Highways 72 and 119. There are many aspen stands, as well, so it is a definite gold mine in the fall. A distance of 55 miles, from Estes Park to I-70, is about a 2-hour drive.

• Cache la Poudre The byway follows Colorado’s only designated wild and scenic river, the Cache la Poudre. It’s north of Rocky Mountain National Park, running through Roosevelt National Forest and Colorado State Park from Fort Collins toward Cameron Pass. The Colorado State Forest has a visitor center for moose watchers. The driving distance is 101 miles, with a driving time of 3 hours. • Old Fall River Road This motor nature trail, constructed in 1921, was the first auto route in Rocky Mountain National The Great Stupa welcomes visitors to the Park offering access to the Shambhala Mountain Center at Red Feather Park’s high country. It is narLakes. row and has many switchbacks (trailers or vehicles over 25 feet are not allowed). Opening date for the Old Fall River Road is usually around the 4th of July. Snow usually closes it in late September or October. • Grand Lake is a small town located on the eastern shore of Grand Lake. The town is the western entrance to Rocky Mountain National Park. The lake is large, clear and is the deepest natural lake in Colorado. All types of boats are allowed on the lake. Shadow Mountain Lake and Lake Granby are within a few minutes’ drive from the town of See Day tripping page 64

Come Check Out Our Wine Cellar!

RAMBO’S LONGHORN LIQUOR MART

20-17229

Kegs Available

YOU’RE THE

Located West of Lake Estes Marina on your way into town

20-08724

1640 BIG THOMPSON AVENUE ESTES PARK, CO 586-8583

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2009 Trail Vacation Edition — 63

Day tripping from Estes Park Continued from page 63

Grand Lake. • Lake Isabelle in the Indian Peaks The Indian Peaks Wilderness area is immediately west of Nederland (roughly 30 minutes west of Boulder). The hike from Brainard to Lake Isabelle will reveal waves of wildflowers in the summer. Navajo, Apache and Shoshoni Peaks surround Lake Isabelle, and protect a small year-round glacier. To enter the Brainard Lake section of the Indian Peaks Wilderness area, follow the Peak-to-Peak highway from Nederland to Ward. • Georgetown Loop Railroad Take I-70 and follow the signs to Georgetown. The Georgetown Loop Railroad features a train that runs for 12 miles through the Royal Gorge. The view is spectacular, especially in the fall, from open railroad cars. The Loop will take you from Georgetown to Silver Plume over a trestle bridge. The train ride will take approximately an hour and 15. • Shambhala Mountain Center This mountain valley retreat is located on 600 acres in northern Colorado, at |4921 County Rd 68-C, Red Feather Lakes. Since 1971, the Center has offered hundreds of programs on Buddhist meditation, yoga and other contemplative disciplines. Attracting thousands of visitors a year from all over the world, The Great Stupa of Dharmakaya is the largest and most elaborate example of Buddhist sacred architecture in North America. Visitors are welcome every day of the year. For more information, see the Web site at www.shambhalamountain.org or call (888) STUPA-21 (788-7221).

Photos by Walt Hester

Nearby Allenspark provides some rustic scenic moments for nearby getways.

Earth’s Brilliance Stunning nature photographs from the Trail-Gazette’s award-winning photojournalist are now available at www.eptrail.com.

64 — 2009 Trail Vacation Edition

Order now — Visit www.eptrail.com and click on Photos.

eptrail.com

Colorado’s ‘Highway to the Sky’ Trail Ridge Road Offers Stunning Views

Milner Pass

Highest point on road 12,183 ft, 3,713 m

A thin ribbon of Trail Ridge Road crosses the landscape above timberline with Longs Peak pictured in the distance.

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rail Ridge Road winds gently through some of the most breathtaking scenery in the state. Visitors to the area who are interested in taking the drive should set aside a leisurely day, bring a camera, and hop in the car for a tour on the highest continuous paved road in North America. The highway to the sky covers the 48 miles between Estes Park on Rocky Mountain National Park’s (RMNP) east side, and Grand Lake on the west side. Construction of Trail Ridge Road began in the autumn of 1929 and was finished to Fall River Pass in the summer of 1932. The road was built to make up for the old Fall River route, which was too narrow for increasing motorized traffic, full of hairpin switchbacks, and prone to snow slides. Engineers of the road were mindful of the magnificence of the surrounding landscape and were cautious that the road wouldn’t interfere with the vistas around them. When possible, the rocks that were blasted during the road’s construction were used to build retaining walls. The maximum grade on the road does not exceed seven percent, and eight miles of the road is 11,000 feet above sea level. At its highest point, Trail Ridge Road peaks at a dizzying 12,183 feet in elevation. Motorists venturing out from either Estes Park or Grand Lake climb around 4,000 feet in elevation in a few minutes, beginning in montane forests of aspen and pine before entering sub alpine forests of fir and spruce. Motorists tend to try and reach timberline quickly. Slow down and take your time, enjoying all the climate

zones along the journey. When you reach timberline, the last of the trees are twisted and stunted against the tundra. Some animals that motorists might encounter along the way include the bighorn sheep, elk, pikas, marmots, moose (mostly on the west side of RMNP), and ptarmigans. Plant life is diverse, despite what appears to be incredibly hostile conditions here for most of the year. There are around 200 species of fragile, tiny alpine plants that hug the earth beside the road. Their growing season may only last 40 days, but the little plants bloom in great sweeps of yellow, red, pink, blue, and violet. The Tundra World Nature Trail is a fantastic place to see these delicate displays without damaging them; a half hour walk begins near the parking lot at Rock Cut. The tundra is an important and fragile environment, and it is strongly recommended that you do not step outside of the designated path or pick flowers. The annual spring plowing of Trail Ridge Road is a Herculean undertaking. Crews generally start plowing in midApril. Plowing Trail Ridge can cost in excess of $36,000 and takes an average of 42 days to accomplish. The National Park Service keeps their plows in top working order during the plowing by fueling, oiling, and greasing them every morning. A rotary plow, called the ‘pioneer rotary’ clears the centerline of the road all day, while a second rotary widens the road. A grader and bulldozer then pulls the snow towards the side of the road. Runoff from the snow banks is

Alpine Visitor Center

Lava Cliffs

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Rock Cut

Forest Canyon Overlook

Old Fa ll River Road One w ay up only

Photo Courtesy Shining Mountains Group

Gore Range

Rainbow Curve Hidden Valley

Alluvial Fan

Many Parks Curve

Horseshoe Park

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See Trail Ridge: Page 66

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Trail Ridge Continued from page 65

diverted into drains and ditches. At the end of the day, the equipment is parked at Rainbow Curve to avoid the machinery being stranded by passing storms. Trail Ridge Road closes with the first heavy snowfall of the season and remains closed in the winter, generally reopening on Memorial Day weekend. Nature has a great deal to say about the scheduling of this road, and it is not uncommon for visitors to drive between six-foot walls of snow even at midsummer. Atop Trail Ridge Road is the Alpine

Visitors Center, where motorists can stop and have a snack, purchase souvenirs, and browse exhibits that are staffed with Park rangers who are happy to answer questions and share information on this spectacular area. Some things to remember while traveling on Trail Ridge Road: • Bring a jacket, even if it a bright warm day. At the high elevations on Trail Ridge Road, it may be 20 to 30 degrees cooler than the temperatures in Estes Park or Grand Lake. • The high elevations may cause alti-

tude sickness in some people. Drink plenty of water. The elevation may also aggravate heart or lung conditions in some people. • Afternoon thunderstorms are common in the mountains in the summer months. It is also very important to be aware of lightning at the high elevations found on Trail Ridge Road. • If you see a beautiful scene or wildlife that you would like to look more closely at, be sure to pull safely off the road to stop. Many accidents are caused by people stopping in the center of the road to photograph animals or scenery.

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• Be on the lookout for wildlife on the road or on the sides of the road. Deer and elk on the side of the road may startle and leap in the path of vehicles. • Warn oncoming vehicles of wildlife in the road by flashing your headlights at them. Trail Ridge Road is not a toll road, but you must pay the entrance fee at RMNP to travel on the road. Fees for the summer 2008 season are $20 for a seven-day entrance fee for passenger vehicles, $10 per person per night on a bicycle or motorcycle, or $35 for an annual parks pass.

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Experience the magic of floating over the countryside in an open wicker basket

Photo by Walt Hester

Snow closes Trail Ridge Road for most of the year. The road is usually open from late May to late October or early November.

1-877-AIR-COLO www.aircolorado.com 1-877-247-2656 Longmont Hot Balloon

Two Distinct Restaurants

Luxurious Overnight Accomodations

The Chalet

Lodge suites & condos—some with private hot tubs or Jacuzzis! Hot tub & outdoor heated pool on property. The Escape Spa and Salon World-Class Spa located on property— 970-577-9495

The Chalet serves steaks, seafood, fresh fish and Italian

The Tavern

Hearty meals in a fun-filled atmosphere. Best outdoor heated deck! Live music year round! Lounge Open Until Midnight. Great facility for weddings or special events.

2625 Marys Lake Road

3 Miles South on Highway 7 Lodge:970-586-5958 Toll Free: 877-442-6279 66 — 2009 Trail Vacation Edition

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Marys Lake Lodge & Resort—Estes Park’s Unsurpassed Getaway

Where’s Wilbur? Tail-gating in the mane— Giddyup to the horse shows Compiled by Juley Harvey

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stes Park is an equine heaven, no horsing around. Small, big, schooled or shown — you can find a horse of a different color to fit almost any riding habit. At Estes Park’s Stanley Park Fairgrounds, the first horse show gallops in, in June and continues through the last hunter-jumper’s hurdle in midAugust. Miniature Horses hoof into town on little horse feet in late June, followed by the Arabian Horse Show, the week of the Fourth of July. Then the season closes with the Colorado Hunter-Jumper Association’s Copper Penny Show and then the nationally recognized Silver Dollar Hunter-Jumper horse shows. Hunter-Jumpers and their talented riders may hang out at Stanley Park for nearly four weeks, altogether. Each week of the Silver Dollar shows is highlighted by a $25,000 Grand Prix, testing the skills of the nation’s best riders and their mounts. • Should you prefer small packages, make a date for the Rocky Mountain Miniature Horse Show, held at the Fairgrounds at Stanley Park, 1209 Manford Ave, June 24, 25 and June 27 and 28, beginning at 8 a.m. A variety of competitions for these charming little critters will be held against a backdrop of busy grooming stalls, warm-up rings, costumes and carts. The free event is sponsored by the Rocky Mountain Miniature Horse Club. Visitors are welcome to talk to the animals in the barn area. For more information, call (970) 577-9900 or (800) 44ESTES. Miniature horses add up to a big wow factor for the whole family. They show off their skills, beauty and grace in exhibitions that provide an extension of the bonding between big human and little equine. Spending time with a horse, learning to communicate and trust, understanding and breaking through fears and eventually knowing the thrill of working in unison are show goals. No bigger than a large dog, American miniature horses are “miniature” versions

of well-balanced horses, 34 inches tall at the maximum, eager to please, gentle and affectionate and are extremely versatile, excelling in a variety of disciplines including driving, halter, jumping, obstacle and others. • If you hanker for a more exotic horse, seek the sleek, chic Arabians, at the Fairgrounds at Stanley Park, from July 2 through July 5, beginning at 8 a.m. The Arabian horse boasts intelligence, spirit and stamina. This breed has a distinctive head shape and high tail carriage. One of the oldest breeds, it is also one of the most easily recognizable horse breeds in the world. Horses that resemble modern Arabians date back 4,500 years. Brought from the Middle East by both war and trade, Arabians added speed, refinement, endurance and good bone structure to other breeds. • If you want a little more pizzazz in your pony, check out the hunter-jumpers. Hunter-Jumper horse shows are held throughout the world, representing the disciplines while promoting the welfare of the horse and fairness in competition. Hunters originally were ridden in fox hunts. Competitions involve horse and rider negotiating fences that resemble natural obstacles that might be found in the hunting field. Jumpers may be any breed or size and are judged on their jumping ability, with speed, strength and the ability to clear the jump as cleanly as possible the criteria. Riders and horses are judged in both competitions. The Half Penny Hunter-Jumper Show will be held at the Fairgrounds at Stanley Park, from July 15 to 16, the Copper Penny Hunter-Jumper Show will be held July 17 and 18, the Hunter-Jumper Horse Show Festival I takes the arena July 22 through July 25 and the Hunter-Jumper Horse Show Festival II bounds into view July 29 through August 2. Events are free and begin at 8 a.m. For more information, call (970) 577-9900 or (800) 44-ESTES.

Clockwise from top, rider shows off dressage moves; miniature horse and cowboy head to the ring; and jumper clears hurdle.

• To top off those horsehairs, take in the Dressage Equestrian Show, complete with top-hatted and tail-coated riders and spiffed-up mounts strutting their stuff, at the Fairgrounds at Stanley Park, Aug. 20 to 23, beginning at 9 a.m. Dressage, a French term meaning “training,” and occasionally referred to as “horse ballet,” provides competitions ranging from amateur levels to the Olympics, which develop a horse’s natural athletic ability and willingness to perform, while maximizing its potential as a riding horse. A dressage horse at its peak can smoothly respond to a skilled rider’s minimal prompts by performing the requested movement, in a relaxed, seemingly effortless manner. Although dressage has ancient roots, it was first recognized as an important equestrian technique during the Renaissance, when the European riding masters developed a training system known as “classical dressage,” which is still used as the foundation of modern dressage technique. Sponsored by the Colorado Springs Dressage Association, the event is free. For more information, call (970) 577-9900 or (800) 44-ESTES. Dressage and jumper photos by Walt Hester; miniature horse photo by Juley Harvey

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Big bird on the ground, walking around White-Tailed Ptarmigan

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o see a White-Tailed Ptarmigan, you are going to have to get into some of the most beautiful and harshest landscapes on earth, the alpine tundra, and even then you can have a hard time finding them, they blend in with their habitat so well. The White-Tailed Ptarmigan is the smallest of the ptarmigan, a chicken-like bird in the grouse family, and also the southernmost dwelling of the ptarmigan in North America. (The others are the Willow Ptarmigan and the Rock Ptarmigan, which are not found in the Lower 48). Ptarmigan may be hard to find, but they are easy to identify if you are looking at a specimen. Does it have feathers all the way down to the toes? If it does, it's ptarmigan; if not, it's probably a dusky (blue) grouse. If the bird in question is any substantial distance below treeline, it is almost certainly not a ptarmigan or it's a very lost one. You won't find ptarmigan at the Alluvial Fan, for instance. They rarely come downhill much farther than the banks of willows around treeline, even in the winter. And they don't need to, being well-adapted to life in one of the most brutal habitats you can find. Ptarmigan (all three species) molt, gradually turning white with the onset of winter and blending in with the landscape. In the spring, they molt again, returning to a honey-colored tone flecked with a few white feathers.

Dusky Grouse The Dusky Grouse, we can presume, knows who he is, even if his name was officially changed a few years ago, when it was decided that the birds of the central Rockies and the birds of the Pacific Northwest were distinct. Their's become Sooty Grouse, ours became Dusky Grouse. But old habits die hard, and most locals will know what you are talking about when you mention Blue Grouse. Fool Hen is another name the bird will answer to, a sobriquet that hints at how easy the birds can be to approach. You can often walk right up to them. The Dusky Grouse is one of the largest grouse — an adult male can weigh every bit as much as a pheasant — and one of the few animals (along with black bears) that actually migrates to a higher elevation to winter. The male grouse is a solitary bird for most of the year, a big blue-grey bird from which its former name originated. Females are smaller and more of a mottled brown color, though the tips of the tail feathers of both is a band of dark grey that make the birds easy to identify. Grouse range from the foot of the Rockies to treeline, and most of the birds that are encountered in the Park are hens with their brood groups — sometimes as many as six or seven birds in a group. In the fall, when the berry crop ripens, grouse are often found around chokecherry patches, a food source they will stick to - competing with black bears - until the crop runs out.

Turkey

Like wild turkeys across the country, the numbers of birds roaming the mountains seem to be on the increase in recent years and you never know where they will turn up. They have been spotted around the Fall River entrance to Rocky Mountain National Park, along Bear Lake Road near the Park-and-Ride, on the edge of Wild Basin near Meeker Park… this spring one showed up walking along US 36 near Mall Road. There are five subspecies of wild turkey in the United States, and the local bird is the Merriam's Turkey. The differences among them can be subtle — the Merriam's tend to be blacker than other birds — but identifying a turkey, in general, is obviously a no-brainer. There just is not any other bird near its size out walking around in the mountains. Merriam's Turkeys are bird of the mountains and prefer a habitat of ponderosa forest, and if they are in the vicinity in the springtime, they can often be heard gobbling as the toms try to lure in hens. Their tracks are unmistakable in the dirt again, there's nothing around here that is going to be of the same size in the same habitat. But turkeys can be hard to locate. They seem to move around quite a lot. Unlike grouse and ptarmigan, turkeys are notoriously hard to approach, and have extremely keen eyesight. Snow forces them to lower elevations during the winter.

2009 Trail Vacation Edition — 69

Thomped Big flows get paddlers’ attention

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Photo by Walt Hester

A kayaker negotiates the Big Thompson through downtown Estes Park during run-off.

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he Big Thompson River, in a sense, runs backward. Normally, flows on local rivers peak in June, when snowmelt is pouring out of the high country. This is the time of year paddlers keep a play boat strapped to the tops of the trucks, when mild-mannered trout streams are transformed into cranking kayak courses. And, sure, the Big T runs fairly wild then, at least that freestone part upstream of Lake Estes. But then begins the long, steady decline in streamflows that ends in the late fall trickle. Due to the machinations of the Northern Colorado Water Conservation District and the Bureau of Reclamation, though, that is exactly when the Big T below the lake, funneling water through the Colorado-Big Thompson water project and satisfying water calls for eastern plains agriculture, is the biggest. The flows can reach 500 cubic feet per second, and at that rate few paddlers want to touch it. It cranks. Nobody wants to get Thomped. Still, around those epic flows there is a window of opportunity for dropping a boat into the canyon. Backing up into the early summer, run-off season, there are other options, particularly ones that fit around a working boater's schedule. The river can be run from the YMCA, out on the Highway 66 spur, down into town, to the confluence with the Fall River, behind the shops on Elkhorn Avenue, and into Lake Estes. It's a fairly bony run on a narrow river, with lots of rocks requiring technical moves — a solid Class III float. A more hardcore float — Class V+ — comes on a remote stretch of the North St. Vrain, from Highway 7 down to Buttonrock Reservoir, a run known about paddlers as the Proving Grounds. It's gnarly water, and running though country that is effectively wilderness if you pass through it by boat. Experts only: It's a long run that takes eight hours or more on average to get to the reservoir, and one for serious and experienced river runners only. That run is one of three established sections of paddle-able water on the North St. Vrain. The Shelley's Cottages run that begins around Shelley's Cottages on US 36, with a number of possible takeouts. The Town of Lyons also dropped some features into the river from Meadow Park on the North down to the Black Bear Hole on the main stem of the St. Vrain.

Ken Scott Signed Metal Sculptures

Fall River Condos On the River For Sale Excellent Rental Income Quiet, Completely Remodeled Beetle Kill Tongue & Groove & Trim

Stop In Today And Explore! A special place just for fun at

Fred Kropp Broker Associate Cell: 970-227-1368 Office: 970-663-0733 Fax: 970-669-7872 [email protected] www.bluetreerealestate.com

239 W. Elkhorn next to the waterwheel • (970) 586-5523 Open 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Daily

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Nature’s Beauty Images of Rocky Mountain National Park and Estes Park by Walt Hester

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Index to Advertisers

Aerial Tramway .....................................................14 American Wilderness Tours .................................45 Big O Tires ............................................................15 Big Thompson Indian Village ..............................25 Blue Tree Real Estate ...........................................70 Bob’s Towing & Repair .........................................31 Boulder Valley Credit Union ................................44 Brownfield’s Trading Post ....................................29 Coldwell Banker-EVP..............................back cover DeLeo’s..................................................................27 Donut Haus ..........................................................48 Eagle Plume’s .....................................35, 36, 37, 38 Estes Park Good Sam...................inside back cover Estes Park Medical Center...........inside back cover Estes Park Rent All...............................................63 Estes Valley Rec & Park .........................................8 Fall River Jewelry ...................................................3 Fall River Village ............................................20, 21 Family Medical Center .........................................11 Fun City ..................................................................3 Grand Lake Chamber ...........................................47 Gwynne’s Greenhouse ..........................................68 Inn of Glen Haven ................................................32 Jackson Stables.....................................................43 Kind Coffee ...........................................................43 Local Roots ...........................................................29 Local’s Grill...........................................................44 Longmont Hot Air Balloon ..................................66 Macdonald Bookshop ...........................................14 Mainstreet T’s .......................................................44 Marys Lake Lodge.................................................66 Molly B’s ...............................................................45 Mountaineer .........................................................44 National Park Players ...........................................59 National Park Village............................................17 Old Church Shops ..........................................54, 55 Omnibus ...............................................................70 Outlets at Loveland ..............................................51 Penelopes ..............................................................57 Photos by Sandi....................................................25 Plum Creek..................................inside front cover Prudential Rocky Mountain Realtors ....................5 Prudential - Doug Bailard....................................27 Prudential - Jay Harroff .........................................9 Rambo’s Longhorn Liquor Mart ..........................63 RE/MAX Mountain Brokers..................................24 Rocky Mountain Connection ...............................11 Rocky Ridge Music ...............................................32 Stanley Hotel ........................................................41 Tiny Town ...............................................................9 Trading Post..........................................................59 True Value...............................................................6 Twisted Pine..........................................................16 Village Goldsmith ...................................................4 White Lion ............................................................44 YMCA of the Rockies ............................................48

Estes Park Medical Center

Your peace of mind while on summer vacation – we’re here 24/7!

FULL SERVICE, CRITICAL ACCESS HOSPITAL AND LEVEL IV TRAUMA CENTER

970-586-2317

www.epmedcenter.com 20-07522

“Providing Excellent Health Care and Promoting Community Wellness in the Estes Valley” 555 Prospect Avenue – Just 3 blocks off Highway 36 to Stanley Avenue; then right on Prospect. Follow the signs to the Emergency Room.

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EMERGENCY CALL 911

How To Make Your Vacation Permanent.

“Thanks to you, we were able to accomplish our long-time dream of having a get-away in beautiful Estes Park. We highly recommend Coldwell Banker Estes Village Properties. You skillfully took care of all the details and made it a very enjoyable process.” J. & B. Wall—Estes Park, CO and Colorado Springs, CO

“I can tell you without hesitation that moving to Estes Park and working with Coldwell Banker Estes Village Properties are two of the best things that have happened to us. We were always treated like friends, rather than just clients.” C. & C. Hillerson, Estes Park, CO

“They helped us find exactly the home we wanted for retirement. Their service is anchored in professionalism and integrity, with a genuine friendliness that continues after the transaction.” D. & J. Britton—Estes Park, CO

“When I was transferred to Estes as an employee of the National Park, they told us to talk with Coldwell Banker Estes Village Properties. Now we know why. They were excellent. No question, we’ll recommend them to our friends.” T. & N. Greer—Estes Park, CO

There’s almost always a way. Whether it’s buying a retirement home now and renting it to generate income until you’re ready to move in, or finding the perfect retreat to move into right away, we’re experts at helping you explore every option. Stop by or give us a call and let us help you find your perfect get-away, too.

Marcia Duell Broker Assoc., GRI

Randy Good Broker Assoc.,

Vicky Holler Broker, CRS, GRI

Dave Kiser Broker Assoc.

Mary Murphy Broker Assoc. GRI EcoBroker®

Wayne Newsom Broker Assoc., CRS, GRI

Scott Thompson Broker Assoc.

ESTES VILLAGE PROPERTIES, LTD. Where the Estes Valley has been coming for real estate solutions since 1985.

970-586-4425

1-800-726-1405 / www.estesparkrealestate.com 320 East Elkhorn, P.O. Box 4130, Estes Park, CO 80517 Each office is independently owned and operated. ©2009 CBEVP