Tag Archives: wildlife

Estes Park Colorado

Posted on by

From Diamond Resorts Destination Page

Estes Park Colorado

Good Morning Travel friends! Sorry I missed last weekend. It was just a busy 2 days. I’m one step closer to being travel ready. I got my first COVID shot. 2nd one coming up this week. I hear we will need a booster every year!

 

Well let’s get back to vetting Colorado locations, shall we? How about Estes Park next? That’s a familiar name. I think Estes Park is a fairly well known destination. I also think it’s a winter destination known for skiing. But just wait til you hear what the web has to say. Might as well start there.

Google for Estes Park

 

Photo from Wikipedia

Estes Park is a town in northern Colorado. Located as a base for the Rocky Mountain National Park, it’s home to wildlife including elk and bears, plus miles of trails. The park’s Trail Ridge Road winds past craggy peaks, forests and tundra. Nearby are the wilderness areas of Roosevelt National Forest. The Estes Park Aerial Tramway connects the town to the summit of Prospect Mountain for views over the valley. ― Google

Estes Park in Summer

Estes Park is a popular winter vacation destination but what can we do in the summer. Turns out, quite a lot. I found a link marked Extreme Estes Park from Trip Advisor. Loaded with hiking and private tours; looks like lots of adventures waiting.  There’s a Rocky Mountain Jeep tour. (Jeep tours are always fun) . I like the sound of the Evening Wildlife tour in Rock Mountain National Park. It has 5 stars! Nearly every Summer Safari they see Moose cows and sometimes bulls, Elk bulls and cow herds with calves, Mule Deer, Bighorn Sheep on the distant mountains through the spotting scope, Yellow-bellied Marmots, American Pika, and a number of small cute critters only found in the Rockies like Least Chipmunk, Ground Squirrels, many different birds and some hawk & eagles.

Of course being a photography nut this tour caught my eye: Evening Private Wildlife Safari in RMNP
Here’s the description-For the Landscape option we can shot Sunrise at an Subalpine Lake, on the Tundra, or along the river of a Mountain Meadow. Wildlife like Moose, Elk, Mule Deer, Marmots, Pika, and on lucky days Bighorn Sheep can be captured. 

All guests have access to our arsenal of Nikon pro cameras and lens like the D810 and 600mm lens.

 I’ll need more than 1 trip to see everything I want to see.

Fraser & Keystone Colorado

Posted on by

Fraser & Keystone Colorado

Lets take 2 Colorado locations today, Fraser and Keystone. Why 2 you ask? Because they are both very close to other locations we’ve already discussed. Fraser is only 2 miles from Winter Park so I’m sure the research I did for Winter Park also applies to Fraser.

From Diamond Resorts Web page

In Fraser we would stay at Indian  Peaks Condos. At Indian Peaks, a lot of effort has been placed into seeing that your vacation home meets your expectations, but this resort is not for you if you need your hand held; there are no organized activities. No basket-weaving, no Stampn’ Up! This resort is all about immersing yourself in nature and the beauty of the Rockies, with more than 800 miles of marked trails through National Forest and National Park at your doorstep. Not for the faint of heart either, a few of the units are on the third floor, spectacular views but no elevator.

From Great Sandunes National Park web page

There are somethings I’d like to see and/or do in Fraser. There’s Great Sand Dunes National Park to name one. A sandbox of epic proportions, the entire dune field encompasses 30 square miles and the tallest dune towers 750 feet high. Feeling adventurous? You can even go sledding down the dunes. It will satisfy the kid in you!

Fraser Wildlife

From Fraser Activity Web Page

Left your hiking boots at home? Don’t worry, there’s no need to hit the trails to see Colorado’s wildlife in its natural habitat. Hundreds of scenic roads lead safely past elk, bighorn sheep, moose, bison, bald eagles and other watchable wildlife — making this the perfect activity for travelers of all abilities. With a pair of binoculars, you won’t even have to unbuckle your seatbelt

Keystone

Keystone is centered around River Run Village, which sits at the base of the slopes. The town sits at 9,280 feet above sea level, with the mountain summit at 12,408 feet. It’s located less than an hour and a half from Denver, in busy Summit County.

Keystone is more urbane than some other mountain towns in the sense that it has a very upscale, high-end bunch of spas, athletic groups, and restaurants that cater to those looking to be wowed. 

As to be expected in a ski resort, there is a gondola to the top of a mountain. The Scenic Gondola Ride is a perfect activity for the whole family. Ride to the top of Keystone Mountain where you can enjoy incredible views of Lake Dillon, the Continental Divide, & the Ten Mile Range. 

Keystone is only 10 miles from Breckenridge and Vail is about 37 miles. Check the posts for Vail and Breckenridge for more comments on the area. 

Memory Lane

Posted on by | 2 Comments

Memory Lane

It’s a rainy Saturday morning. The weather folks say we’re getting a nor’easter with snow in the mountains. Seems like the perfect day to continue with my trip down Memory Lane. Last week we talked about Key Largo, Colonial Williamsburg, The Grand Canyon, and Maui. Let me see…where else have I been?

Airport CowboyJackson Hole Wyoming- 2017

My trip to Jackson Hole was a top 10 trip even though I almost got snowed in the day I was leaving. Located on the southern end of Grand Teton National Park the views are extraordinary. The Teton range rises from the valley floor with nary a foothill. Like a dragon spine the mountains are just there! Tall, jagged and majestic.  Throw in the wildlife and the history and you truly get a taste of the old  west.

 

 

A pair of Bull elk

Majestic Bull Elk in the Elk Reserve

Bear Up a tree

Black Bear

Jackson hole is not far from another amazing place. Yellowstone National Park.

Before the Charge

2 Grumpy Bison

Yellowstone National Park- 2017

Filled with geysers, mud pots and majestic mountains, Welcome to America’s First National Park.  This, like the Grand Canyon, should be on everyone’s must see bucket list. There is no place like it. This is also where I thought I was going to become a statistic- DOA in Yellowstone when 2 Bison decided my little rental car was challenging them. That was one scary moment! 

Old Faithful Erupts

Old Faithful

 

Besides the Bison I was lucky enough to see Grizzly 399 , the most famous grizzly bear mother in the world. This was a real high for me. I just wish she’d turned around for a frontal picture.

3 bears out for a stroll

Grizzly 399 and cubs

As long as we’re talking about wildlife, I can’t forget the trip to South Dakota that I took with my sister. 

Mount Rushmore

South Dakota -2010

When Sandy said let’s go to South Dakota I was puzzled. What’s in South Dakota? But it turned out to be a great trip. Besides the huge stone monuments of Mount Rushmore and Sitting Bull there were National Parks, wildlife, cave systems and the amazing scenery of the Badlands! We even got to see wild horses and visit a dinosaur dig!

 

 

Race the wind

Wild Horses

Badlands

That’s about all I have time for today so we’ll say goodbye with my little prairie dog friend. This is the iconic photo from the South Dakota trip. 

 

Prairie Dog with Flower

Wildlife Abounds in Key Largo

Posted on by | 2 Comments

 

Wildlife abounds in Key Largo

Key Largo seems to be a pretty urban setting for wildlife. There are souvenir shops all along RT 1. Mixed in with the Denny’s, Wendy’s and McDonalds are local restaurants , resorts, marinas and fish places. Not exactly what you’d expect for a wildlife nature reserve. Still when I pulled into Ocean Point the first thing I spotted was a feral cat. Definitely feral it was shy and very scruffy looking. The next thing I saw was a sign saying “Don’t feed the Raccoons.” OK both are urban wildlife but wait till I tell you what happened Monday Morning.

Wildlife aboundsMonday Monday

As I was pulling out from my overnight parking something dark slipped into the brush. I froze and watched but didn’t get another glimpse of it. Raccoon, feral cat or something else, I couldn’t tell you. Back in my car I headed for the local Publix (Grocery store) to pick up some breakfast items.  When I came out of the store there was a chicken on my front bumper. Now chickens roam wild in the Keys. Key West is known for them so I wasn’t too surprised to see it there. What did surprise me was when a big huge hawk came swooping down right in front of me trying to grab that chicken! Feathers flew and that chicken started squawking but in the end she avoided becoming the hawks breakfast. I admit I was flabbergasted. I’ve never been that close to the action so to speak. (Unless you count being chased by Buffalo in Yellowstone.)

Wildlife abounds in Key Largo

 

 

 

Wildlife in Key LargoLittle lizards and all

In the afternoon I stopped into John Pennecamp Coral Reef State Park to check out the snorkeling, scuba diving and glass bottom boat trips. It’s been windy so they’ve been canceled so far. They told me to check back on Wednesday. This happened when I was in Key West too. They do have shore snorkeling at Cannon Beach for free.  You just need to rent or buy gear. But watch out for crocodiles.  The Keys and the southern tip of the Everglades are the only place in the US where we have crocodiles and alligators.  I didn’t see any today but I did spot a couple of iguanas and a little anole.

 

Wildlife abounds in Key Largo

Whale Watching in February

Posted on by

Watch out for the Whales

February is the highpoint of the whale season in Maui. The whale season is said to run from Mid December to Mid May but I can vouch for February. You can even watch the whales from shore! I love the whales. I think they are amazing animals and here you get to see the tiny babies as well as the adults. Of course “tiny” is relative. A 2 ton baby isn’t tiny by human standards but next to its mama, its just a bit of a thing.

Whales

What’s a Little Motion Sickness?

My dinner cruise price included a whale watch trip. I hadn’t planned on going whale watching this visit because I forgot to pack my motion sickness patches. The whale watches can get a little rough and I am prone to sea sickness. How many people do you know that can get sea sick while scuba diving? I did!  But that’s a story for another day! Anyway I had a whale watch coming to me so I decided to cross my fingers and take a chance.

Stock Photo

Whale Watching with Hawaii Ocean Project

The Whale watch boat was berthed in Lahaina Harbor, a very popular starting point for many whale watching companies. To pull out of the harbor everyone has to be seated. This is true for all of the cruises. The crew of our ship made all the proper announcements but they didn’t enforce them. Adults and children were still wandering the decks as we cast off. They went on to announce that serious photographers should be seated on the lower deck in the bow. I found my seat in the bow and prepared my camera. I shouldn’t have bothered.

Were there Whales?

just missed but got the splash

We saw whales. There was a lot of breaching and tail slapping. I can’t criticize the trip for that. But I will say I won’t go on this trip again. Getting shots of whales is hard enough without playing a dodge game with people holding their cell phones up in front of everyone. I was competing with heads, elbows and children being lifted on shoulders. This is not a trip for a serious photographer. There are other whale watching boats that have stadium seating so no one has an obstructed view. Or I’ll take one of the smaller rafting tours. All the seats on those are good and its very exciting. Let the families go out on this trip. I’ll find a different one next time.

Tail Slapping