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Sunday (7-04) & Monday
(7-05) |
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The first destination of the day was Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument. We saw displays of fossilized plants and insects in the visitors center, then walked a trail to see fossilized Sequoia tree stumps. These stumps of once huge trees have been turned to stone over time. | ||
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Back into the Jeep, we headed west toward Buena Vista. The plan was to get up into the mountains to watch Buena Vista's fireworks. We followed a 4wd road into the San Isabel National Forest for a couple hours, enjoying the views along the way, looking for a good spot to camp. | ||
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From the top of a rock formation we found great views of Buena Vista with the Continental Divide in the background. | ||
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We drove out of the National Forest, which included a 4wd stream crossing and some rugged hill climbs, to eat dinner outside Buena Vista. Then we drove back into the National Forest and made camp. The fireworks were not too exciting but the backdrop was impressive. | ||
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This picture was taken the next morning from atop the rocks upon which we watched the fireworks. The views are much crisper in the low temperatures of the mornings. | ||
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Time for some hiking. We drove out of the mountains, through Buena Vista and north to hike the North Fork of the Clear Creek. After an hour plus drive down a 4wd road we reached the trailhead. Unfortunately we forgot the camera in the car. We hiked 4 hours into the valley in the center of this picture enjoying solitude and beautiful views. | ||
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After our hike we drove west over the Continental Divide via Cottonwood Pass. It was windy atop the pass and a bit cloudy. | ||
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Looking west from atop the Continental Divide was an excellent view of the Elk Mountains with rain coming. | ||
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On the way down the western side of the divide we camped at the North Bank campground in the Gunnison National Forest. | ||