Labor Day Weekend (Mount Evans)

We didn't have any plans for Labor Day weekend which I thought was a little odd since we didn't have to worry about school or work, although there was some homework. Friday we had to do a little shopping because as part of our agreement to lease we needed to show we were taking precautions to block Ellie from the stairs. We drove to the Babies R Us to buy some safety gates and then decided to stop at the Park Meadows Mall. This mall looks fairly new and is very up to date. The inside is designed to fit a mountain/cabin type feel and most of the stores are high end shopping; Armani Exchange, Crate & Barrel, Anthropologie, Pottery Barn, etc. But Ellie's favorite store, Pedigree Pet shop. It was full of dogs and she loved every minute of it. Her favorite part, when the sales person let Jake hold the Saint Bernard puppy and Ellie got to pet it.

Saturday we decided to take a trip to Mount Evans (warning, this part was posted by my nerdy side and contains nerdy facts). Unfortunately I didn't pay that much attention while doing my research so we left the house after Ellie ate lunch and we were dressed for valley temps, about 90 degrees.

Mount Evans is one of Colorado's Fourteeners (mount peaks that are higher than 14,000 feet above sea level) at 14, 264 above sea level. The real drive behind this adventure was the drive. Mount Evans has a paved road that goes to 14,130 feet above sea level, almost to the top. The road was started as a Peak to Peak Highway (from Longs Peak to Pikes Peak) that was never finished and after driving the road, its easy to see why. The Mount Evans road was opened in 1931.

As you drive up this road, you eventually drive above the tree line and enter what is considered Alpine Tundra.

Only specially adapted animals, like the Mountain Goats, live up in these areas.

At the top, to the West is the Continental Divide (as seen vaguely behind Ellie and I to the left).







To the East are a few small mountains, Denver, and then the plains. I couldn't find any information on how far across the plains you could see. This is seen behind us in the picture.

As you can probably see from the pictures, it was quite windy and when the sun wasn't peaking through the clouds, very cold.

The car registered around 50 degrees. Some information I have says the average temp is about 42 degrees up top and it can snow on any day during the summer.

Although I didn't snap a picture, there is an observatory used by the University of Denver, but even more interesting there are old ruins of the Crest House restaurant and souvenir shop. The building burnt down in 1979. The observatory is the highest in North America. From the parking lot, there is a short hike to the very tip top of the mountain.

Here is Jake and Ellie on the very top of Mount Evans looking down on Summit Lake. The environment around and above the lake is extremely harsh and although located in the alpine, it mirrors the arctic. The ground is permafrost and there are rare plants here that are normally found only above the Arctic Circle.

The tree Jake and I are standing next to is a Bristlecone tree, which grows twisted to have a stronger foundation in extreme environments. This tree is generally the last tree growing before you travel above the tree line.

I found this plant very interesting. I don't know what it is called

but it looks similar to Thistle but has more thin hairy spines in addition to the thicker thistle spines. As you were driving, they actually look like hairy, spiny eye balls.

Hopefully I can take my nerdy side back up to this area and spend more time enjoying it, but we took the trip when we did because the top 5 miles of the road close after Labor day (hence the rush and lack of preparedness for the weather conditions). Luckily we had the blanket in the car and I did pack a jacket for Ellie.

I may not be able to care for myself or my husband, but I will always make sure my child is cared for.

If you ever make it to Denver during the summer, I highly recommend this as a sight seeing location, even if you don't have a nerdy side to indulge.