Before we left for our trip to Denver Bug made one request. She wanted to go to the Denver Museum of Nature and Science. You see, she had done her homework. Bug found out that Denver had a T-Rex bone which is something not many museums have, and she wanted to see it. Not only that, but we got to see a cast of the T-rex from the AMNH for a second time. You can never get too many dinosaurs.
The museum was great. They have one of the very best gem and mineral exhibits I have ever seen. The girls were thrilled to see all of the aquamarine, which is the state rock of Colorado and the worlds largest uncut rhodochrosite. We also got to go to the planetarium to see Cosmic Collisions voiced by Robert Redford. There isn't much in this world more fun than going to the planetarium with brilliant children who have boundless energy and curiosity.
After a day of nature indoors we spent a day with some natural nature? Hmm, you'll see what I mean.
We drove from Denver out to Estes Park via Boulder. It was a lovely drive through the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. As we started to get into the mountains we pulled off the highway to have a look and to take the Girlies' picture in front of the Estes Park sign. We got a wonderful surprise while pulled over to the side of the road.
Chipmunks! They were everywhere. Big ones, little ones, tiny little baby ones. We shouldn't have fed them, but they were very hard to resist, as were the Girlies.
The cute little critters would come right up to Bitty and clap their tiny hands together. She named them all, and there were more than I could count.
Given half a chance, Bitty would have invited them all into the car.
After a lovely lunch in Estes Park and some yarn shopping we headed for Rocky Mountain National Park. The peaks in this park top out at 12,000'. At those altitudes they were having snow. Being from Texas, being snowed on in June (really being snowed on at all) is very novel.
Look, pretty little snow angels.
This is one of my very favorite pictures from the trip. Isn't my Buster so handsome in his natural habitat... Rocks?
Earlier I told you how Bitty fell in love with the chipmunks. Well Bug loves wildlife too but she was more captivated by these guys -
She took that picture. The Elk were amazing in RMNP. We weren't even 50 yeards from them. We could see all the funny fuzz on their antlers right up close.
Bug took this picture too. I got the impression that this particular elk felt the same way about Bug that Bug felt about her. They watched each other for a very long time.
That's pretty much it for my pictures of the trip to Colorado. We had a wonderful time and I am always amazed at what good travelers my daughters are. They think they want to go to Paris next. We'll have to wait and see on that one.
Rose and I loved the pictures. The chipmunks were especially great. The girls were of course the most beautiful. Great pictures. Love....Grandad and Rose.
Posted by: John Moody | June 16, 2009 at 11:20 AM
I took this very same trip last summer with my family! We spent a week at the YMCA camp in Estes Park. I recognize several of your RMNP photo locations. You took much more beautiful pictures than I did!
Posted by: IamSusie | June 16, 2009 at 10:18 PM
Beautiful critter.... good posting.. have a nice day..
Posted by: Process Maturity,Australia | January 27, 2010 at 11:07 PM