I like decisions when you can't really lose no matter which one you choose.

Clicking the infrared pic might make you feel cooler, or it might scare the Bajesus out of you.

Red Rose

I've been giving a lot of thought to taking a trip up into the mountains to cool off for a few days, and I've narrowed options down to Rocky Mountain National Park or Tincup, Colorado. The pros and cons of each of these locations are as follows.

Rocky Mount National Park is only about an hour and a half away, so I wouldn't have to do much driving. The scenery is beautiful, and picture-taking opportunities are almost unlimited.

The downside is that Rocky Mount National Park is packed with people this time of year, so pull-off areas, trails, and any place with a view are likely to attract many turistas, making parking and moving around difficult. And as for camping in the Park, GOOD LUCK! It usually stays booked up all summer, and even if you can find a spot, you are around so many people it's more like a tailgate party than a campground. Unfortunately, tourists have to deal with that, but I don't. There's some boondocking outside the Park, but it's only around 8000 feet, so I'm not sure how cool the weather would be; but because of the crowds visiting the Park, even nearby boondocking is hard to find.

Tincup also has beautiful scenery, but nothing compares to Rocky Mountain National Park. Tincup is farther away, about three and half hours over Cottonwood pass and the twisty mountain roads. But I've never seen it crowded except on holidays, and there's plenty of boondocking. It's a little over 10,000 feet in elevation, so there should be plenty of cool weather, maybe even some frost at night which would feel great at the moment. There's a lot of picture taking available, again, not as varied as Rocky Mount National Park, but I don't think my camera would mind.

So as you can see, there are a lot of pros and cons to both areas. The biggest problem I have with Rocky Mount National Park is the crowds, and the biggest problem I have with Tincup is the long drive. Packing for both places will be the same, So it looks like, as usual, I will probably wait until the day I leave to figure out which way I'm going to go.

Theboondork

I took this infrared picture of my family's front yard the other day thinking that maybe what looks like a snow covered landscape would make me feel cooler... But it didn't, it's still 95° outside, and only a change of altitude will make that go away. Hopefully that change of altitude will change my attitude and I will appreciate the heat when I return.