BHPian vigsom recently shared this with other enthusiasts:IntroductionThis is a pic-o-log of a trip to the United States of America, and visits to some places in cool Colorado. Some details contained here will hopefully help potential travellers who plan to undertake a road trip.How the road trip took shape?All my earlier visits to the USA were primarily for work and I would end up just visiting a couple of folks in Texas or New York, either on the way in or the way out. Trips would be short, and would end in a flash. When a family event in the USA presented itself, more members of the family joined in, and a few of us decided to explore multiple places via a road trip. The itinerary was drawn up, and we were all looking forward to D-Day.Preparations for the visit1. Shoes that could take some climbing too – something that has rough all-terrain soles 2. Wollens, Windcheater, monkey cap, gloves, sunglasses 3. Enough clothing to last the trip without the worry of washing and drying 4. Enough forex to fund the trip 5. Ready-to-eat stuff to be used as and when requiredA bit of overplanning hit usWe’d packed bags such that we’d use one place in the USA as a base, park our bags there and optimise the stuff required for inland travel on the few flights that we were going to take. Idea was – one cabin bag (L+B+H =115cm) and one checked-in bag between two people. We did not estimate that folks we’d be seeing in the USA would give us something like small bags or clothes, and we ended up with bags bursting at their seams.Car for the tripThis was a rented car – a 2023 Jeep Grand Wagoneer that had 54k miles on the clock. The right size, which kind of swallowed all the baggage that we had, with room for some more. Day-1Our first pit stop was a park called Garden of the Gods (GoG), located close to Colorado Springs. There was a dirt track which 4X4s were using to go up. The GoG also offered a nice trail to walk on with beautiful red rock formations. Some pictures here to showcase this place. The dirt track which I climbed up until a distance – key here is to move in the direction opposite to an oncoming vehicle to be able to spot it and move aside Red Rock formations After GoG, we explored the Evergreen Lake, which had very little water. A quick walk around the lake in some chilly weather was a welcome change. Post that, on the drive back, view of the sunset was a treat. Evergreen Lake Driving back from Evergreen Sunset view as captured through the third row window of the Jeep WagoneerDay-2Areas explored 1. Estes Lake and the Estes Park town 2. Rocky Mountain National Park (until where the road was open) 3. Boulder city Departing Superior – view from the third row of the Jeep Grand Wagoneer Views in Boulder city Rocky Mountain National Park – as seen through the moonroof of the car More views of the Rocky Mountain National Park Lake Estes at the foot of the Rocky Mountain Elks near Estes Park Brook at Estes Park Estes Park town Continue reading about vigsom’s road trip for BHPian comments, insights and more information.
