May 29, 2014 (38th Day)

It was a crispy morning and the view of the mountain was breathtaking. It was 48˚, but it did not feel cold. We left the campground at 8:45 am.

We pulled over to take a look at this odd shaped building - Estes Ark. It was not open when we were there, so we just drove around and took pictures.  It is shaped like an ark. It sells exotic and domestic stuffed animals.

What a beautiful view we looked at as we went down to the town center.

We stopped at visitor's center to find out what attractions we should see/do while in town. While looking at brochures/pamplets Edith saw that there is a woodturning gallery not far from Estes Park and suggested to Erwin that we should go check it out. However, an appointment is needed before one can go in the gallery.  Erwin called ahead to see if it was possible for us to come by within an hour.  Yes, we could, so off we went. Got on 7 north and turned left to where the gallery is. Met John Lynch, a well known woodturner.  A very pleasing fellow.  His gallery is awesome.  We took our sweet time to look at almost every thing John made. After the tour John invited us into his house which is a stone's throw from the workshop.  He served us drinks and we all sat down out on the back porch. What a view of Estes Park and the mountains.  Erwin and John spent 4 hours talking woodturning, travel, etc. while Edith was busy taking pictures of birds, animals and nature.  John was really happy to spend time with someone who is very much interested in woodturning. There were lots of hummingbirds coming to several feeders. 

Antique pot bellied wood stove(still in use)

Chimpunk getting peanuts that John left out on the sidewalk             

Wood burned and dyed bowl

John explaining his methods

Going thru the wood scrap bin

Wood blanks that are ready for woodturning 

Erwin and John Lynch

After our visit with John we headed toward Rocky Mountain National Park in hopes of finding a herd of elks.  The drive toward the park was breathtaking with the sight of snow capped mountains and the weather was just right for our outing. The traffic was not so bad, so we moved at a slow pace to be sure we did not miss seeing any animals/birds. 

In one area there were several cars parked on the side of the road, so we knew there was something going on. We decided to pull over and there was a herd of bighorns coming down the bank to get a drink. 

Waterfalls at the national park were at full force because of the melting snow. 

Leftover snow from last winter

Lots of carved signs left on the bark of this birch tree (not a good idea)

Hey, let me cross first!

Magpie

On our way back to Estes Park we came to a screeching halt when we saw a herd of female elks grazing about near Estes Park town center.  Of course, we pulled over, so Edith can go out and take pictures.  They were oblivious to the traffic and gawkers, they just ate and ate.  They walked across the busy road to a greener pasture. All vehicles MUST come to stop when the elks are crossing roads. 

We decided to spend time strolling up/down the street of town center.  As we pulled into the public parking lot there were several photographers lining up to take pictures of something that was on the rock.  We came upon a couple photographers and inquired what was going on.  They informed us that there are great horned owl nests out there. It took us a good while before we were able to spot few owls because of the feather colors that really blend well with the rock formation.

It started to drizzle, so we decided it was time to head out of Estes Park and move on to Loveland where we spent the night at Walmart.