Hoofin' it in the Rockies!

Talk about having no idea what to expect from such high altitudes, I didn't even think there was a possibility that the Rocky Mountain peaks would be 45 degrees colder than the "lowlands." When Chris and I set out to visit Rocky Mountain National Park, he casually mentioned, "it'll be cold up there." I thought, probably. So I took a sweater. We ended up surrounded by snow at 12,000 feet. Duh, I guess, but a girl from Miami obviously doesn't know how to dress for a hill, let alone a mountain. 

The park was glorious even though the sky was overcast most of the day. We saw animals galore, including many, many bull elk, deer and even a coyote. I went in saying I never can pick out animals in the wild and left thrilled by my previously unrevealed talent. I thought I saw a dog-like creature about a city block off. Once we went to explore what I thought I had seen, a coyote trotted across the road, casually. Our jaws dropped. Before we entered the park, I said I just wanted to see a coyote, and what luck! 

I think this time in the mountains solidified why I wanted to come on this trip. I dreamt of exploring new terrain, seeing what else occupies the land within our borders. This is where America opened up for me a little deeper. She and I had an emotional breakthrough. She showed me some of her goodies, ones I had only hoped I could see firsthand. one day. This was me seeing new things. It was really thrilling. 

I went on a half mile stroll and saw crocuses just coming up, birds flying overhead and then, a rustling in the bushes behind me, at which point I sprinted back to the car. Poor Chris' allergies were inflamed and neither of us could walk very far in the cold, thin air, but it felt really nice quietly watching the fields below from above. America the beautiful, for real, bro.