Damn tourists!!!

So, you’re probably wanting me to explain now. My day started out at the local Safeway. I (like a moron) forgot to clear my camera card (and I only have one) so I found a photo machine to make a picture CD with. This old man and his grandson stand behind me thinking it was the lane where you pick up prints. That lane was to my left. He proceeds to ask me in a not-so-pleasant tone “are you going to make god-damned copies all day?” I glared at him and turned around and went on with my business. I refused to give him the time of day. DAMN TOURIST.

After we proceed to leave the store we get cut off by more DAMN TOURISTS in the parking lot. What the heck?!

The picture to the right represents the scene of our next run on with DAMN TOURISTS. I was toodling along behind some cars to go see the waterfall (pic to the left) when I looked over and put my hand out, which was met by a car windshild. The guy backed right into me!!!! DAMN TOURIST. Let me say that no, I was not hurt. He stopped when he heard my hand smack his back windshield. Left you see what we came to see. Truly beautiful. Despite the DAMN TOURISTS.

So, to get to the view you see to the right (stunning) we had to go up what is called Old Fall River Pass. Now, let me explain. This is a very primative road used before they paved the other road. We have a SUV so we thought we’d be “big and brave” and go up this road. It’s nine miles one-way and DIRT. We’ve been up it before, but never in the RAIN. Yes, in the rain. Try climbing a dirt road in the rain one way. Closer to the top above the tree lines was a ton of snow. We have never seen so much snow in July. I even managed to throw a snowball. It was unlike Kansas snow. It was mini ice balls. Really pretty.

Even in the tundra area there is life. The temperature went from a balmy 73 degrees to 41 degrees at the top of the mountain in Rocky Mountain National Park. It was cold but a dry cold. These flowers are representative of the abundant life up there. I thought they deserved to be a bit bigger than the rest of my pictures. Plants in the tundra only grow a fraction of an inch a year — to what you are seeing is many decades of growth.

Finally get to the top of the mountain and to the mountain store. You guessed it. More DAMN TOURISTS. Lots of them played in the snow, gawked at three Elk and just flocked in every nook and cranny.

Overall, it was a great day. Oh, and by the way…I just realized I’m a DAMN TOURIST too. But I’m trying not to mimic the other DAMN TOURISTS’ behavior!