I dream of Colorado

After dreaming about it for so long, I finally made it to Colorado and this time I took my parents with me. My first goal was the Rocky Mountain National Park. The fall greeted us as we drove up the mountains. Patches of yellow, orange and red escorted us along the way. Yellow grass, blue sky and sheep-like clouds formed the view wherever we turned.

The first sign for what we were about to encounter next was literally at the entrance sign. As soon as we stepped out from the car we were surrounded by cute little squirrels like this Golden-Mantled Ground Squirrel, beautiful jays and magpies. It seems that all these little creatures associate humans and food so they come right out to see if they are going to be lucky. One man standing next to me told me that the minute he opened the door a magpie immediately jumped in it to look for food.

It is very tempting to feed the wild animals, especially when they are begging for food. However, feeding wildlife is illegal and dangerous to the animals, as well as humans. One of the things one should always keep in mind is that different animals have different reactions to the same type of food. For example, most humans love avocados but it is extremely toxic to birds and also to horses, cattle and goats. Sometimes, feeding wildlife can be lethal. 

During our first day at the park we roamed around Horseshoe Park and Bear Lake. Around sunset we saw dozens of elks; bulls, cows and calves, coming from the mountain's forest toward the meadows. We heard the studs call and saw them rounding up their harems and chasing away satellite bulls who were fighting in the background.    

After seeing all the elks I was desperately looking for moose. When the sun set down I found one, but it was already too dark to take a photo. Meeting some of the locals, I ask them about the best places to see moose. They laughed and told me that the best place to see them is in their backyard. They also said that "moose are mean animals, they will stomp you to death. Mothers with calves are especially protective and you should keep away from them. You know, our old mayor was killed by a moose".

Early morning, two hours before sunrise we drove into the park. The moon, or should I say super-moon, was over the mountains looking very impressive. The sun began to rise and colored the meadows and the elks with gold.

After the sun came out we took the "Trail Ridge Road" up to the sky. During our first stop on the trail, we were again surrounded with squirrels and birds looking for food. This time, the Clark's Nutcracker, also appeared. The squirrels were fearless and they climb the humans as if there were rocks. One of them was climbing my hand while I was taking their photos. 

The weather and landscape changed dramatically as we drove to the top. It was freezing cold and occasionally snowing. At the top of the trail I was looking for pikas. If the pika looks familiar it is probably because of the pokemon Pikachu which is basically a pika. We started walking and found some elks and bighorn sheep. After a few minutes of sitting near the rocks and staring at them they finally showed up, running between the rocks and collecting food for the upcoming winter.

Stopping at the Alpine Visitor Center along the way we saw two yellow bellied marmot as we were walking through the back door of the center. They were collecting food and couldn't care less about all the people that gathered around to watch them. 

At this point we all had mild symptoms of  mountain sickness in the form of a headache, so we headed down the mountain. The Rocky Mountains were breathtaking, the view was spectacular and looking back it all felt like a dream. I only wish I could dream this dream forever.    

More Photos from Colorado - Mount Evans, Garden of the Gods & Pikes Peak: