25 replies to this topic

[ProfHall]

This was our first fall visit to the park...except for a one-day adventure I had in '03 stealing away from meetings in Denver. We went up to celebrate my wife's birthday, and we had a great time. We arrived in EP Friday evening at 6:30...only to find a still-crowded town with long waits at restaurants. We decided no table till 8:45 at Sweet Basilico was not going to work, and found a good dinner at Moma Rosa's instead. We were welcomed in great style at McGregor Mountain Lodge (thanks, Michael!)...as we soaked in the pleasant evening, sitting in our chairs outside the cottage, the elk were bugling all around and two or three meandered right in front of us!

The weather forecast was for a "mixed" day on Saturday...but I was hoping to see the full moon setting over the divide. We got up and looked out the window to see if we should venture out or go back to bed, and the huge moon was sailing right above our window. Off we go! It was almost bright enough to drive from the Fall River entrace around Deer Ridge Junction and up to Sprague with just the moonlight. Almost. We were there in time to see a beautiful moonset and sunrise:

[ProfHall]

We drove back around Moraine Park, and saw many, many elk out in the meadows. Up near one of the cabins/houses to the left side of the meadow, there must have been twenty or more in one group milling around right beside the building. Of course, I had to have the "standard" photo:

[Allie]

And your "standard" photo is spectacular - my favorite view of the park. Beautiful, Prof.

Allie

[ProfHall]

It was definitely time for OUR breakfast now, so we headed in to Molly B's. (Review will come later...let's just say, "YEAH!" for now.) The day was looking like rain was coming so we got cleaned up and headed downtown for "EVERYTHING MUST GO!" sales all over the main drag. Believe it or not, there were so many folks pushing around, it wasn't very appealing and we didn't buy anything! We had a pretty good lunch at Redstone Inn (on the back side of all the downtown streets along the river). Of course, the day was getting sunny by the time we strolled up to Malok's office spot to look around. He was very gracious to share some time with us during his working hours...Christmas ideas abounded!

Since it was nice, we headed out TRR with wine and cheese for sunset viewing. Don't tell anyone about the wine part... We went up to Forest Canyon, and saw a group of bighorns just before reaching the parking turnout. (Editor's note: that photo isn't ready yet! I'll come back to this...)


We made our way back down to Rainbow Curve and watched the clouds make shadows over on the famous CCY and Mummy mountains, and could even see the all the visitors (not ALL are tourons) coming in to claim parking spots for elk watching in Horseshoe Park.

[ProfHall]

We finally got back in to town and ate at Penelope's - good burgers, but too much salt! Oh, and real, fresh-cut potatoes for the french fries...yummy!

Sunday dawned with the predicted drizzle and cloudiness, so it was off for hot coffee and good breakfast at Molly B's again. Even though the cup never really got empty, and it was good, we stopped at *$ for more to go...and headed down Hwy 7 to see what we could see. Let me tell you it is weird to drive along KNOWING Longs is over there and not be able to see more than about 200 yards past the edge of the road!

We did stop for this:

[ProfHall]

And, we kept going, and visited Wild Basin. Now, even though there was some "event" at the event center/lodge place right there at the parking area at the hwy, this wet, cold morning there was not another person visible as we drove along the road toward the trail head. This was my first visit to the Wild Basin, and we will be going back. This is amazingly beautiful...and, with the "socked in" low clouds, there were no views at all of the nearby peaks. It was lovely it a very wild and isolated way, without needing any big open vistas. Just passed the bridge over the St. Vrain (north or south?) we pulled into a little parking spot and enjoyed the sounds of the water over the rocks:

[ProfHall]

EDIT: I fogot to note the first time that we ate a great lunch at DeLeo's. I've already reviewd this so won't say more than any trip to EP should include a visit here.

Sunday afternoon was McGregor time - sitting by the fire and enjoying the quiet. We went to dinner at Twin Owls (another first - it's not in the summer vacation with kids budget!), and then got ready for returning home. We got up to nearly icy rain, but had an uneventful drive to the airport in Denver, and even though the plane left late, we got home on time!

I'll come back and add some photos...I just pulled a few before coming in to give an exam tonight.

Edited by ProfHall, 09 October 2006 - 05:48 PM.

[DeeCeeM]

Wow - now that's a prompt trip report! Welcome back!

- keep 'em coming!

[ProfHall]

Now a few additional comments about the actual subject line: elks and tourons. Both were in evidence in abundance this weekend!

I already mentioned seeing a few pass by the front of our cottage at McGregor Friday night. Then there were the meadows full in Moraine Park Saturday morning. While it may be an amazing thing to watch the elk, the incredible traffic jam of folks cramming the park Saturday evening was just too touristy seeming...and of course, folks were doing all kinds of things that qualify as touron. Our closest encounter with elk came Sunday morning on the way to breakfast. Just as you come by the little park and parking area above downtown on Elkhorn, where the first shops on the right seem to be built into the rock, there was the buck elk in the middle of the street, while assorted female beauties meandered across or remained up the slope nibbling breakfast. It took a while to get him to move on across so traffic could move...Our most interesting elk "encounter" was at about 3 am Saturday night/Sunday morning when two or three males woke us up bugling close to McGregor!

In the same area we saw the big male Sunday morning, coming back from lunch we saw a very large female elk on the sidewalk near the Spruce House (Christmas store? is that the right name?)...and a mom and a dad with kids walking right up to it, so that someone else could take pictures of them beside the elk. I wish I had the authority to write "touron tickets..." The next worst touron encounter was heading up TRR not far above Deer Ridge Junction. There was no shoulder on the right going up, no place to pull over, so the van just stopped and everyone got out to take pictures of the two deer up on the hill in the trees. No one could go around with folks coming down TRR, so we sat until this lady decided she had seen enough. She stood IN THE LANE OF TRAFFIC to take her pictures! If you know who this was on Saturday afternoon, please inform her for me that she is a First Class TOURON!

We also saw a pack (?) of coyotes who looked to have been pups from a litter but were now pretty big. There were about five or six of them in the brown sagegrass along TRR between the Bear Lake Road turn and the entrance to the park...they were running and playing and rolling each other around. Very fun to watch. We saw a grey fox near McGregor, and big horns near the Forest Canyon overlook. Oh, and we saw Daisy, too!

Ok, that's enough for now. Double-oh, do I win anything special for getting this done the day I got home?

Edited by ProfHall, 11 October 2006 - 10:04 AM.

[ProfHall]

One last post in this "report"...I can't say enough nice things about McGregor Mountain Lodge. I know folks comment on it on the forums alot, and even have to torment smudge about pants, but the place is great and we had a wonderful visit there. I think there is already at least one official review, so I won't make one, other than to say you should really consider the Lodge when you are heading to EP.

[John]

Great report and pictures! Where is DeLeos? What do they serve?

[misssilly]

Great comments about the tourons, Prof! I can picture them well.

And thanks for the pictures!!!

Jen

[foxfire]

Nice report and pix you posted there Prof. Thanks Fox p.s. The berry shot is so cool! Yeppers!

[Jo]

I'm so glad you had such a great weekend, even though the weather wasn't great last weekend and the tourons were being tourons. Those stories are very familiar!

I loved the photos, especially the one of St. Malo. A different perspective and I like it.

Jo

[becky]

I loved the berry pic, too (and all the rest!) It's interesting on a drizzly day, to spot beauty other than in a vista looking up.

Thanks for sharing your report and pics!

Becky