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| A selfie in Grand Lake |
The weather forecast said it might happen. When we woke up we were thrilled to see that it was really happening. It had been snowing for a while and it was continuing to come down. Before it was over, around 2-3 inches of fresh snow blanketed the ground and cars. We celebrated by heading down to the outdoor hot tub, and enjoyed an early morning soak, while the snow continued to come down. The snowfall was tapering off as we were getting ready to leave the hotel. Thankfully the roads were pretty clear so driving wasn't an issue.
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| There's a car under there somewhere |
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| Scraping ice...….a view from inside the cozy car |
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| De-icer was selling fast and furious at the convenience store...…...we were purchasers |
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| Keeping the roads clear. Beth and I had never seen so many snow plows and this wasn't a big "event". |
Our final destination for the day was Steamboat Springs. However, we took a little detour to spend most of the day exploring Grand Lake and the western side of Rocky Mountain National Park. The scenic 105 mile drive to Grand Lake took us through the ski resort town of Winter Park and the ranching community Granby. There were rivers, lakes, forests and steep passes along the way which made the drive very enjoyable all along the way.
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| Lake Granby overlook |
Grand Lake, Colorado
Grand Lake is named after the lake it is located on, which happens to be the largest natural body of water in Colorado. The quaint town, which has a population of less than 1,000, is much smaller than Estes Park, it's neighbor on the eastern side of Rocky Mountain National Park. We expected it to be smaller, but what surprised us was that most of the shops and restaurants had already closed for the season. We did enjoy walking through the town, along the waterfront, and had a really nice lunch at the Sagebrush BBQ and Grill.
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| Downtown Grand Lake...…...finding a parking place wasn't an issue |
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| The Sagebrush was open and very good, especially the peach cobbler with ice cream |
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| Along the shore of Grand Lake |
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| Ice Fishing is a popular winter activity. The ice isn't thick enough yet. |
Sagebrush BBQ and Grill
We had a nice ten mile drive into the national park that took us along a section of Trail Ridge Road that neither of us had explored before. As we drove along we were amazed at two things, the spectacular scenery and the lack of people. We pretty much had this section of the park to ourselves, seeing less than a dozen other cars. The snow was fresh and a little deeper, so there was no hiking today, but our eyes got plenty of exercise taking in the magnificent views.
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| An unusual site along the Trail Ridge Road today...…...another car! |
