Rocky Mountain National Park

We drove into Rocky Mountain National Park. The road on the Grand Lake entrance was under construction, so some was gravel while they were re-paving the road. Some parts were down to one lane, and a pilot car would navigate a row of cars. When we went in the evening, the workers weren't there, so it was 2 lanes. We hiked in the valley that runs along the river.
Such green valleys and blue skies!


James liked climbing the big rocks.
We saw lots of elk ~ they were easy to spot every evening in the valley. Yes, the trees are brown and dead. The pine beetle has been destroying certain pine trees, so it changes the landscape. The beetles only eat a certain pine tree, and leave the rest. It's sad to see so many dead trees, but the forest is ever changing. The park ranger said it's allowing other plants to grow, that normally don't get as much sunlight. What will it look like in 50 years?
We drove further up the mountain. This is the valley from above. You can see the winding river. This isn't even close to the top of the mountain.