driving around Rocky Mountain national Park

The most spectacular thing about Rocky Mountain national Park is how huge it is and how the mountain ranges seemingly go on forever. But it's that size that I can't capture in a picture. I remember how overpowering the view was when I was there, but my pictures are just so small, nothing like the grandeur that I saw when I was sitting there looking at it.

I got up this morning and drove to the Moraine Park Campground on the other side of Rocky Mountain national Park, I'll be here for one night and head back to Denver tomorrow morning.

I didn't think it would be a problem finding a campsite at Moraine Park because Timber Creek where I boondocked last night looked to be a little better than half-full when I left this morning so I figured it would be the same at Moraine Park, but I was wrong.

The Forest Service signs before I got to Moraine Park Campground said it was full, and the sign at the booth where you check-in said it was full. But I've learned from experience to always check and make sure. And sure enough the ranger said there was a few spots still empty but would probably be full within the next hour and this was at 10:30.

So here it is early September, all the tourists have gone home, there are no leaves changing colors anywhere in the park, and before lunch on a Thursday morning the campground is full. Doesn't anyone work anymore? Doesn't anyone have a job they have to go to?

Unfortunately my boondocking site isn't all that great, it slopes in two different directions, the neighbors are way too close, and worst of all it's in the shade so my solar panels aren't very happy. But I don't mind, I've been to Rocky Mountain national Park twice in the last two years now so I probably don't need to come back again.

I'm looking forward to when I become so senile I forget where I've been so I can enjoy revisiting all these places again, unless of course I forgot where I put the truck keys.....or the truck.

                  theboondork

This quiet stream that you can almost jump across and is barely ankle-deep in most places picks up some help as it flows out of Rocky Mountain national Park and becomes the mighty Colorado.

This isn't quite the headwaters of the Colorado, that's actually upstream about another 3 miles, and since I still feel kind of puny I had no desire to walk that far especially since it's all up hill. It's hard to believe this is the beginnings of the river that dug the Grand Canyon, that caused the Hoover dam to be built, and filled up Lake Mead. Although it's not doing a very good job of that nowadays.

My boondocking spot at Moraine Park campgrounds.