For my second day in Colorado, I chose to seize the opportunity to visit the Rocky Mountain National Park! My itinerary with “Colorado Sightseer” called for a busy and eventful, 10 hour day!
The scenic drive gave us glorious views of lakes, mountains, forests, and old west villages along the way.

During the drive, I snacked on the vegan cinnamon roll I purchased earlier at City O’City in Denver!

Our first stop on this scenic journey was the mountain village of Estes Park. The main street provided tourists with a selection of souvenir shops and restaurants. Artists, craftsmen, and jewelry-makers lined the village square with tents filled with their goods.

When we reached the entrance to the Park, a wooden sign stating “Rocky Mountain National Park” welcomed us!

Our bus drove us past log cabins, streams and waterfalls, wooded areas, and wildlife including blue birds, elk, and deer until we reached the spot where we were to have our scheduled picnic lunch break. We first stopped to walk by the waterfall and rocky landscape to appreciate its beauty.

Finally, lunch time was upon us! The tour company provided a vegan-friendly lunch for me upon request. I ate a sandwich consisting of lettuce, cucumbers, tomato, and carrots and an apple. A bag of potato chips accompanied my meal, as a snack. I was grateful for this meal, as most tour companies only provide veggie sandwiches topped with cheese.

We started making our ascent up the mountainous terrain. At about the hlafway mark, visitors can stop for photos with the summit as the backdrop. It is quite chilly and windy in this region. The snowcapped mountain peaks are in clear view.

Finally, we reached the summit peak! The view was spectacular! The summit was snow-capped and just a gorgeous site to behold, overlooking the surrounding mountains and valley below!

Our group had reached the summit peak, so then we started making our descent downward. After we exited the park, we made a stop at the Continental Divide sign. This is where the Atlantic east and Pacific west drainage separate.

Heading back from the Park, we saw moose and many elk along the way.

Our final stop was Grand Lake Village. Here we visited the shops and some members of the group decided to purchase ice cream or sorbets for a snack.

As we drove further and further away from the higher altitude, the skies began to clear to a bright blue and the temperature got warmer. Our tour guide pointed out that the golden colored dirt spots on some of the hillsides are actually old gold mines!

I enjoyed my Rocky Mountain day tour very much! The day was filled with picturesque mountain views, lovely wooded landscapes, magnificent wildlife, and a vegan-friendly lunch! What a nice way to spend a day!

Upon arrival back in Denver, I headed to a vegan-friendly restaurant for dinner(described in my Denver blog post).