Rocky Mountain National Park is the place to be during the Elk rut!

We left Grand Teton National Park and drove through Wyoming to Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado. Fall is a great time of year in Rocky Mountain National Park. In the fall the elk come down from the mountains to the meadows for the rut (aka mating). In the elk world the girls get to pick their mateand they go for the biggest and strongest bulls with the loudest bugles. So the guys try to attract the girls by bugling loudly and by making themselves look big and strong when they “strut” around the girls. It’s fascinating to watch their “courting” antics. In fact it’s so entertaininnng that 100’s of people travel from all over Colorado every day to watch the rut in the fall. They bring chairs, tables, appetizers, wine and beer – it has become a social outing and a yearly tradition!

It’s also the time of year when the aspen leaves turn to gold – beautifully bright in the sunshine!

Our last stop before heading home was Colorado Springs. We wanted to go up to Pike’s Peak. There were warnings about engines overheating on the way up and brakes failing on the way down since it’s a very steep road. We had a choice of riding the cogwheel train or driving Scooter up the road – we decided to take Scooter ( much cheaper and a challenge!). Scooter did great – no problems going up or down! They have a ranger that does a brake check on the way down and they will stop you if your brakes are too hot. They checked Scooter's brakes and said they were the coolest they had ever had !Plus we drove the smallest car they’d ever had on the road to the top- 14,115 feet elevation! Way to go Scooter!!!

Highlights:

• Watching the elk “courting” during the rut

• Fall colors in the mountains

• The drive up Pike’s Peak and the views from the top

• Garden of the Gods park in Colorado Springs

Next stop – HOME! Our great adventure is reluctantly coming to an end but it’s not quite over yet. We’re hoping for 3 safe days of driving with 1,200 miles left to go – just two more nights at Walmarts along the way and we’ll be home. We'll miss the sense of adventure each day on the road brings but we'll enjoy the  luxury of having permanent hook ups, slideouts always out and my very own, private laundromat - no quarters required for operation!! Our next post will be our last one for this trip - stay tuned for the final leg home - it's not over til we're in the driveway!!!