Most awesome vacation we have ever been on

[Jim Kallinen]

We left on June June 13th our 19th wedding Anniversary expecting to drive 500 miles to Gorden,NE
for our first night. Turned out the motel I had booked had overbooked and we were left without a
a room for the night. So we pushed on and Stayed at a Holiday Inn Express in Alliance,NE. Much
nicer and adding the days drive up 579 miles. June 14th we were booked at the Mountain View Hotel
in Centennial,WY. Historic old Hotel, was really nice till 2:30am when the Church next door started
playing piped music for an hour. We were up early and headed over the Snowy Range Road HWY130 WY.
Climbing up over 10,675ft. Plenty of Snow left up here.

  Snowy range Wyoming

Next morning after heading over the Snowy Range we were heading for weeks destination in Colorado out
at Granby Ranch on the 16th green of the head waters Golf Course. This place was incredibly beautiful.
Could wake up to this place the rest of my life easily. We took a side trip up to Grand Lake to kill
some time since we could not check in till 4pm.

  Trip to Granby,CO from Centennial,WY

Spent the next day getting unpacked and relaxing at the house since weekends in the mountains of Colorado
the weekend warriors from Denver take over and the place is a Zoo, Granby Ranch is really cool since they
open up the Ski hill to Mountain Bikers in Summer and have some awesome courses set-up.
  Downhill and Cross-Country Mountain Biking

Here is the home we rented for the week.

  150 Fairview Drive, Ski & Golf Paradise

Monday took us our first trip up into the really high country of Rocky Mountain National Park. $20 and you get a
7 day Pass to enter the park. Great deal. We drove up Trail Ridge road and drove over 2/3rds of the way over to Eastes
Park before the Crowds drove back west. But it was an incredible drive, Most scenic mountain drive we had ever seen.

  Rocky Mountain National Park 6-17-2013

Tuesday the 18th we decided to take a road trip down to Silverthorne, Dillon and Frisco in the heart of Summit County
Colorado Ski Country.  Was a beautiful drive and we took a new route home over Ute pass that was cool when at the top
of the pass we stopped to pictures and discovered a UH-1 helicopter delivering telephone poles to a crew on the ground
high up mountain slope getting ready to set it.  Have video of it and will add it when ready.

  Road trip to Silverthorne,Dillon & Frisco

On Thursday we decided to make the trip over the top on Trail Ridge road down into Estes park for the day. Talk about a
night and day traffic situation from western to eastern sides of the park. Was real Zoo in Estes Park and hung out for
a couple hours walking the River Walk and exploring the shops. My wife loved it, my son and me could not wait to get out
of town and back up the Mountain. Another beautiful mountain drive day.

  Trip over the top and back to Estes Park,CO

Saturday was our last day at Granby Ranch and we headed north to Laramie,WY for a stay at the AmericInn. Nice Hotel but
very busy this time of year just off I80.

  Trip from Granby Ranch to Laramie 6-22-2013

We took our time coming home planning 5 nights to drive back to MN. Really did want to return home.From Laramie, WY we went
on down to Scottsbluff,NE and my 2006 Honda Odyssey Surprised us with the best mileage it ever recorded. 31mpg. Then again
it was all downhill and we were fully loaded with the AC running the trip.

  Laramie to Scottsbluff journey

From Scottsbluff,NE we decided to head north into the southern Black Hills, never seen the southern Black Hills
so we booked a night at the Hot Springs,SD USA Stay Hotel. Another really nice Hotel. We explored the area had
a good time.

  Scottsbluff to Hot Springs,SD

Early the next morning we took off for the drive to Murdo,SD and stopping along way at Ellsworth AFB South Dakota
Air & Space Museum. Morning light was awesome and we there in time to watch a B1 bomber taxi out and takeoff on a
mission. Talk about LOUD. Had never heard to full Military power takeoff of a B1 before.  Was AWESOME.

  Hot Springs to Murdo,SD

While Staying the night at the Best Western In Murdo,SD we decided to wait till early morning the next day
to tour the Pioneer Auto Show Museum, even meeting the owner who my son happens to his brother who works our
High School he goes to after finding out where we were from. Even gave him a couple free frisbees and Hat.

  Pioneer Auto Museum,Murdo,SD

 
 Our Final night was spent in Mitchell, SD at the Holiday Inn Express with waterpark. My son loved it. Cabelas
was next door and Walmart,Menards and we ate supper at Whiskey Creek Steakhouse, awesome food. Next morning
we drove the final 236 miles back home. Stopping in Sioux Falls at Falls park and again in MN at Redrock Dells
park to take photos of the falls.

  Falls park, Soiux Falls,SD and Redrock Dells.MN

Many of the shots taken during this trip were taken in HDR format. High Dynamic range photos that use 3 images to make
one shot using Photomatix software to make the shot merge into one.

Used my GoPro HD Hero2  on one drive over the top of Trail Ridge Road. Here is the video sped up by 300% down
to 7 minutes versus 23 minutes.

  https://vimeo.com/69338538  
 
 
 

Edited July 17, 2013 by Jim Kallinen

[alpilotx]

Hi Jim,

 

I followed your trip - at least a little bit - on your facebook account, and it definitely looked like a good one !

For me its also always a joy to see impressions from other mountain ranges (I love mountains) than our European Alps ... as it shows the great diversity of the mountains around our planet.

 

With a little luck (well its planned, but life has always some uncertainties) I will spend some time in our Alps in August and begin of September.

[Jim Kallinen]

Andras, I really love following your Alpine mountain adventures on Flickr and facebook. That is what prompted me to plan this trip. Been a long time since I was last out there in 1982

Working for a Cable TV firm. Never had a lot time to get up into the mountains, but when did, it was awesome.

[Ntr09]

Awesome trip Jim! Really nice photography. 

 

-NR

[alpilotx]

Andras, I really love following your Alpine mountain adventures on Flickr and facebook. That is what prompted me to plan this trip.

Wow, now you surprise me Jim ... I never thought that my pictures can have this "effect" :-) but of course I am glad to hear.

I really hope, that my plans will work in August, because if the do, then they might yield some more, nice pictures.

[Jim Kallinen]

I hope you get the time to go, I am taking my son along on a trip to Northern Minnesta along Lake Superior for a week in Grand Marais. We will

be going mountain biking and taking a sailing day trip and maybe a charter fishing trip.  And if time allows a Float plane ride along the shore.

We are scheduled August 17th to the 24th.  He turns 17 on the 20th .

[alpilotx]

Hi Jim,

 

My first trip is over ... and it was ... quite nice (even if weather was far from perfect):

[Jim Kallinen]

Beautiful pictures Andras. Sorry the weather was not as nice. Loving that Sony you have.

[scubajuan_new]

You guys just took me away for a holiday  Great pictures!

[Hueyman]

Nice pictures ! And glad to see you're a Met' fan too !

[alpilotx]

Jim, here is part two :-)

 

(we ended up somewhere else than originally planned, but it we did not regret)

 

[Jim Kallinen]

WOW, those are great photos Andras. I checked them out on your flickr page in a full screen slideshow.  Beautiful region around Lake Como.