This being the last day we headed up into the Rocky Mountain National Park along Trail Ridge Road to the peak of the Continental Divide at a bit over 4000 metres. Lynne and Skip wanted to give us a lastlook and memory of the Rocky Mountains and allow us to use our time doing scenic driving rather than sitting at an airport.

As snow had fallen the previous night we had tro wait for the road to reopen. Once again Skip did a good job on a very narrow and precipitous road getting us up to the Fall River Pass. The Alpine Visitor Centre is located at the junction of Trail Ridge and Old Fall River roads . It was closed because the snow was well above its roof line. We had a walk in the parking lot but at 11796 feet elevation walking was hard work, and the wind was very cold, so we did not last long outside.

Trail Ridge Road climbs some 4,000 feet in a matter of minutes.

Lynne;s commntary went something like this, "The drive begins in montane forests of aspen and ponderosa pine soon became thick subalpine forests of fir and spruce. At the treeline, the last stunted, wind-battered trees yield to the alpine tundra.

Up on that windswept alpine world, conditions resemble those found in the Canadian or Alaskan Arctic. It's normally windy and 20 to 30 degrees (fahrenheit) colder than Estes Park."

We finally arrived in Denver Airport about 3pm, from where we caught the airport shuttle to the Hampton Inn.

After three weeks at heights above 1500m and fulfilling a long held desire to visit the National Parks we were looking forward to returning to sea level to spend time with friends and family.