Bighorn at Sheep Lakes and Rainbow Curve
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With clear skies, we decided to stop at a few overlooks for photos of the mountains. One of them looked down over Sheep Lakes, and as I peered from above, I spotted a bighorn sheep on the ground below.
View from Horseshoe Park
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I turned to Danny and said, “We gotta go.”
We jumped in the car and drove down toward the lakes. The bighorn was still there when we arrived, calmly grazing as if he hadn’t just triggered a rapid descent. We hung back and watched until he eventually started making his way toward Sheep Mountain. As he approached the road, park volunteers stepped in and held traffic so he could cross safely. I had been hoping for an up-close look at a bighorn, and this was exactly that moment.
Afterward, we headed into town for propane and stopped at a gift shop just outside the park. I locked eyes with a nine-foot stuffed moose that I immediately decided needed to come home with us. Danny forbade it and issued the ultimatum: him or the moose. After a brief moment of contemplation, I chose Danny and settled for a Rocky Mountain t-shirt instead.
Back at the camper, we grabbed lunch and then set out to drive Trail Ridge Road up to Rainbow Curve, where the road was still closed due to heavy snow farther ahead. As we climbed in elevation, we stopped at overlooks and saw an entirely different perspective of areas we had been exploring for days.
At Rainbow Curve, a crowd had gathered, and squirrels and chipmunks were busy panhandling for snacks. A Clark’s Nutcracker perched nearby, working his head-turn routine for anyone holding a camera. We walked a little way past the road closure and I was thrilled to spot a pika darting among the rocks below. Shortly after, rain started rolling in, so we headed back down the mountain.
We made one final stop at the Beaver Ponds Boardwalk, where two moose grazed in the willows, likely a mother and her yearling. We stayed and watched them for a while before calling it a day.
We jumped in the car and drove down toward the lakes. The bighorn was still there when we arrived, calmly grazing as if he hadn’t just triggered a rapid descent. We hung back and watched until he eventually started making his way toward Sheep Mountain. As he approached the road, park volunteers stepped in and held traffic so he could cross safely. I had been hoping for an up-close look at a bighorn, and this was exactly that moment.
Afterward, we headed into town for propane and stopped at a gift shop just outside the park. I locked eyes with a nine-foot stuffed moose that I immediately decided needed to come home with us. Danny forbade it and issued the ultimatum: him or the moose. After a brief moment of contemplation, I chose Danny and settled for a Rocky Mountain t-shirt instead.
Back at the camper, we grabbed lunch and then set out to drive Trail Ridge Road up to Rainbow Curve, where the road was still closed due to heavy snow farther ahead. As we climbed in elevation, we stopped at overlooks and saw an entirely different perspective of areas we had been exploring for days.
At Rainbow Curve, a crowd had gathered, and squirrels and chipmunks were busy panhandling for snacks. A Clark’s Nutcracker perched nearby, working his head-turn routine for anyone holding a camera. We walked a little way past the road closure and I was thrilled to spot a pika darting among the rocks below. Shortly after, rain started rolling in, so we headed back down the mountain.
We made one final stop at the Beaver Ponds Boardwalk, where two moose grazed in the willows, likely a mother and her yearling. We stayed and watched them for a while before calling it a day.