On to Wyoming!

We left Grand Lake early in the morning (well, for us), because we had a long day ahead of us in the car.

After a quick stop at a bakery in Granby, CO (gotta fuel up, ya know), we hit a wildlife viewing area for a short walk around a reservoir. Graham has always loved birds, and he got the opportunity to see numerous geese and ducks.

Then, it was up highway 125 towards Walden, CO. The first 20 miles of this drive, along Willow Creek, were one of the prettiest I think we've ever driven. The beautiful alpine vistas, with the rambling creek made for a gorgeous drive. Unfortunately, all around, you can see the devastation being wrought by the pine beetle as slope after slope is now featuring dead pines or these little teepee like piles of cut-down trees.
After that, there was a lot of flat driving through upper Colorado and Wyoming. Long stretches of plateaus and general flatness make for a sort of unrelenting are-we-there-yet-dom. But for part of the trip, we were following part of the pioneer trails, those followed by those on the Oregon, California, and Mormon Trails.

One stop we made was at Independence Rock, near Altova, WY. There is a rest stop and you can climb the rock itself, a 128-ft granite outcropping. The boys all scrambled up. On top you can see thousands of names where emigrants left messages for each other and just in general celebrated making it that far along the trail. There is a story in the guidebook of a woman following her husband by 3 years, and knowing he was alive for the first time by finding his name on the top of Independence Rock. There is a much larger granite outcropping called Enchanted Rock that we have climbed numerous times in Texas. This was a little steeper, but not quite as high. And, of course in 80 degree weather, it was still a bit of a trial.
At the rest stop at Independence Rock, there were two busloads of Mormon teens and their chaperones, traveling the route that their ancestors had taken. They were all dressed in period clothes, which looked sort of interesting when paired with their non-period jewelry and accessories. We saw the group again at a Mormon historic site a few miles down the road where they were getting to experience handcarts.

One of the things we found interesting was the way that all the rock formations have names, given to them by pioneers generally. Subsequent groups would then use those rock formations as a trail map. The picture here is of Hell's Gate, a narrow groove cut into the rock wall by a long-ago river.

And, if you're keeping track of the pie situation, we have no new pastry to add to the total. Although, the raspberry muffins at Ian's Mountain Bakery in Granby, CO could count as pie. And we let Graham have cotton candy ice cream for lunch, so he certainly met his sweet quotient.