Grand Lake, Colorado
Elevation 8,437 feet (about 3,000 meters)
Temperature: 75 F
The Thomsen Family Reunion 2010 has gathered my siblings, our kids, spouses (spice?) and parents from San Francisco, Las Vegas, Walla Walla, Chicago, Milwaukee and Stockholm. There are 23 of us hanging out in cabins about 2 miles from the entrance to the Rocky Mountain National Forest. We've spent the last few days swimming, horseback riding, hiking, and hanging out with family. This morning I played 18 holes of golf. The air at this altitude is crippling however. It doesn't matter how good shape one is in, walking up 10 steps has you bent over catching your breath.
We took a walk along the Colorado River and saw coyote spoor, bear scratches on a tree, and paw prints from coyote and moose. Unfortunately, half of the trees in the park are dead because of the Pine Beetle. They carry a fungus that destroys mature pines (mostly Ponderosa here) but leave the new saplings alone. So the hope is that when all of the mature trees die, the young ones will grow up in their place. The danger though is all of the millions of acres
of deadwood that will pose an immense fire hazard.
We drove over the Continental Divide at about 12,000 feet. Rain that falls on the East side of the Divide eventually flows into the Atlantic and rain that falls on the West side flows into the Pacific. The scenery is incredibly beautiful above the treeline.
Elevation 8,437 feet (about 3,000 meters)
Temperature: 75 F
The Thomsen Family Reunion 2010 has gathered my siblings, our kids, spouses (spice?) and parents from San Francisco, Las Vegas, Walla Walla, Chicago, Milwaukee and Stockholm. There are 23 of us hanging out in cabins about 2 miles from the entrance to the Rocky Mountain National Forest. We've spent the last few days swimming, horseback riding, hiking, and hanging out with family. This morning I played 18 holes of golf. The air at this altitude is crippling however. It doesn't matter how good shape one is in, walking up 10 steps has you bent over catching your breath.
We took a walk along the Colorado River and saw coyote spoor, bear scratches on a tree, and paw prints from coyote and moose. Unfortunately, half of the trees in the park are dead because of the Pine Beetle. They carry a fungus that destroys mature pines (mostly Ponderosa here) but leave the new saplings alone. So the hope is that when all of the mature trees die, the young ones will grow up in their place. The danger though is all of the millions of acres
of deadwood that will pose an immense fire hazard.We drove over the Continental Divide at about 12,000 feet. Rain that falls on the East side of the Divide eventually flows into the Atlantic and rain that falls on the West side flows into the Pacific. The scenery is incredibly beautiful above the treeline.
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