Day of Contrasts
Woke up early to the sound of birds singing and several elk and a moose browsing in the brush next to my camp site. Not much luck with the photos unfortunately.
It was a chilly morning with frost on the motorcycle seat and, even after two cups of coffee, it was still 39 degrees when I left the campsite at 7:00 AM. Given the cold start, I was a little concerned about the temperatures in the pass but it was a bit of a weird temperature pattern. It was 39 degrees at the campsite, warmed quickly with elevation gain to 57 degrees about half way to the summit, and then dropped again to 50 degrees at the summit (and was extremely windy). It then warmed quickly again on the way down on the east side of the park. Only one photo from near the summit (panoramic attempt with the iPhone).
Panoramic looking west.
When Bill and I passed through the park a couple of weeks ago, we took highway 36 out of the park and through Estes Park. Today I took highway 34 out of the park and found it a much more scenic way out. Amazing views through canyons and switchbacks. My only complaint was the individual that didn’t understand the “slow traffic must use pullouts” applied to them. But they were from Illinois so…
By the time I was east of Ft. Collins I was definitely missing those cooler temps in the mountain. I was missing the mountains as well as the topography had quickly changed from mountainous to relatively flat. I stopped for some more birding in the Pawnee National Grasslands and it was already in the mid-90’s by 11:30 AM. After birding for as long as I could stand, I headed east with the plan of getting to Scott’s Bluff National Monument. I stopped for lunch in the little town of Reymer for lunch. The food was fine but nothing to write home about but I did have a lot of fun listening to the locals talk about tornados, babies, types of lawnmowers, and, of course, the weather. The latter included the current high temperatures but also the most recent tornado. An older gentleman even brought me his phone (unsolicited) so I could see a photo of the twister. And the place had AC so it was fun to linger.
After lunch I headed out again and was finally headed north towards Nebraska. The temperature cracked 100 degrees and it just became too much for me. I ended up stopping for the day in Kimball, NE.