Trail Ridge

It's a week out from Dirty Kanza and it just so happens to be opening day of Trail Ridge road, going across alpine tundra in RMNP, climbing above 12,000'. I had to get a "if I can do this, I can do that" ride in to tell my head and legs that 200miles of gravel roads in Kansas won't be impossible next Saturday. A 70mile out and back with 9'000'+ climbing was what I ended up with. If anything, I'll surely have more red blood cells when I pedal myself around the Flint Hills. Here's some photos from the day. I went out to Milner Pass (the Continental Divide) and back.

getting higher, the lodgepoles get smaller and the snow gets...

Deeper. 

Alpine Visitor center not quite ready to open

Thank you John Deere and the park service. 

...is closed.

taking a leak at 12'000ft

there was a bit of a drop on some stretches

Two years ago

Same place. Today.