Detailed planning might not seem necessary for road trip lasting less than a day. But all week, I’ve been stewing over what to do first when I cross that Great Divide and meet up with the Colorado River again. What to see? Which hike? Where to eat lunch? Can’t I do it all in one day?????

The biggest problem I face is that the West Side captivates me. It started when I was a little kid, and mountains seemed so big. The Holzworth Homestead seemed an idyllic retreat from the world I knew. Guarded by sleeping giants to the west and looking out over a peaceful valley to the east, I knew that was where I wanted to live. The wild animals even looked peaceful.

Today was really no different.

It was a bit hard to wake up and drag myself out of bed, but once I was up, I was ready. On my way up, I stopped at Rainbow Curve to catch the view of the valleys below. My next stop was at Forest Canyon overlook. Windy, but the views were great. All around the rocks, marmots and chipmunks scampered about. I didn’t really get a good shot of the marmots, which were out in great numbers. But I could hear them all around me.

As I got back on the road, I realized that I was in a parade of sorts. I guess it’s a tradition. Antique car owners were out enjoying the sunny day en masse. Not realizing that I had pulled into traffic in the middle of their group, I stopped at Rock Cut to let them pass. As I neared the Alpine Visitor Center, I saw just how many old cars there were in this group. A slight traffic jam had occurred in the parking lot.

I decided not to stop – the west side was calling. A little while later, I decended on a small valley and Poudre Lake. Still partially frozen, the lake and valley looked very different than my past visits, which were always in the late summer.