They say that flatlanders, such as ourselves, need to acclimate before doing anything strenuous. Estes Park is 7,522 feet above sea level, so we knew we were at altitude. Altitude and elevation gain don't mean much to those of us from Florida, but figure it this way: Gainesville is about 530 feet above sea level and the highest elevation gain would be climing to the 76th row in Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on a Fall Football Saturday. We figured our plan of action was to slowly acclimate ourselves, so we decided the first day to drive through the park on Trail Ridge Road. We started out by entering the Rocky Mountain National Park through the Fall River Entrance Station (8,240') about nine a.m.. This road starts on the east side of the park close to Estes Park and continues through the northern part of the park to the west side, then straight south until you get to the Grand Lake area; total drive is about 48 miles.

Several people had told us that in all their travels, this route was one of, if not the, most spectacular drives they'd ever taken. After this day, both of us agree wholeheartedly. Trail Ridge Road is the highest continuous paved highway in America. Eleven miles of the road stretch out above treeline, topping out at 12,183 feet above sea level. You can imagine the spectacular views seen as we drove through the park. Andy didn't hesitate to stop and take photos.

Stopoffs such as Beaver Ponds, Rainbow Curve, Rock Cut, Lava Cliffs, Medicine Bow Curve, and Milner Pass (Continental Drive) proved more than just names on a map. Each one had it's own scenery and mystique about it. We stopped along one ridge, close to Forest Canyon and parked the car. This was our first venture out into the wilderness–Ute Trail. We didn't know what to expect, but figured since we traveled by plane & car the day before, we needed to get out to stretch our legs. We didn't know it before we started out, but it turns out that Ute Trail is an eight mile hike starting at about 10,000 feet, with an elevation gain up to 1,038 feet. No, we didn't hike the whole thing (we're flatlanders, remember), but we hiked probably at least a half-mile. This trail is above the timberline, called "alpine tundra," and the views were awesome.

Becky had made a comment about having so many "firsts" with me during our 25 years of marriage. She's right, we'd done some great things together. This was our first extended vacation without kids or without attending a conference or meeting. It really felt good, just the two of us. We both miss our kids, but we know that they're doing what they are to do at this point in their life. We look at it this way: we're doing what we are meant to do at this point in our lives. I also mentioned to Becky that if I am to leave this earth before her, that she continue to do these firsts. "Ditto" was her answer.

We stopped a couple of more times, but then got to Grand Lake. We were looking for a place to picnic, but couldn't find the spot we wanted by the map. Instead we lunched alongside a trail overlooking Grand Lake. We didn't spend too much time in this area. One thing we did notice was that many of the pine trees that lined the roads were brown and dead or dying. Someone mentioned that they were infested with the pine beetle; we know all about that from the damage it caused in Gainesville.

Along the way back, we decided we'd try a couple of short hikes, the first being Coyote Valley. The map indicated this was a short one mile hike, with an elevation gain of a whopping ten feet–we can DO this! Turns out this trail winds alongside the Colorado River, which at the widest was about twenty feet and a few inches deep. The trail was not crowded at all and we enjoyed the short hike. This trail was also handicap accessible, so flat was in. It was warm, too, but both of us had put on some sunscreen; being at this altitude, you're much closer to the sun and more susceptible to sunburn.

Our next stop was close to the Continental Divide. There were a lot of cars in the main parking lot at Milner Pass, so we decided to stop a short way before. We hiked a little ways around a small pond–didn't see any wildlife, but it was very peaceful and quiet.

We decided next to stop at Beaver Ponds; we both wanted to see a beaver, but none were to be found. However, hold on to your hats. While out on the deck at Beaver Ponds, one of the other visitors pointed out a beautiful elk with a full rack, still in summer velvet. He was probably a hundred yards away and just taking his time moving about munching good alpine grass, no doubt. We headed back toward the parking lot, but then decided we'd try to get a little closer to him–Andy's new camera needed some elk pictures.

While we were inching our way toward where we thought he might be, there was a number of onlookers standing on the road pointing and talking excitedly. We still couldn't see him from where we were, so we decided we'd join the crowd. Sure enough, about thirty yards out was this humongous elk, laying down behind a large bush. We could see his rack, his nose, and his butt. Several of the people were hooting and hollering, trying to get him to stand up. Becky & I were patiently waiting, exchanging glances like "shut up and let him be." Then, one guy started barking like a dog and sure enough, the elk stood straight up, looked around and sniffed the air. We knew he knew we were all there oohing and ahhing and that's when I grabbed a half dozen pictures of this magnificent creature. He must've stood at least six feet atr the shoulder and weighed close to eight hundred pounds. After a few minutes, he just sat back down, munching whatever it is that elk munch. This was by far the best photo op of the day.

After a long road trip and views like this, we decided it was time for dinner. Tonight's delight: chicken Indiana Jones style ("I'm making this up as I go along," one of the great lines of the Raiders of the Lost Ark movie.) We put the chicken in a cast iron pan, poured in some yellow rice and water, and added onions and a can of seasons tomatoes. Throw a top on it and let it cook for a hour. Red wine added a nice touch. Wow! Talk about a great meal. We stayed up and played rummy for an hour or so; Becky started beating the crap out of me, but then I caught up and we went to bed all tied up. No, wait, let me rephrase that....