Trip 5280

The name for this trip comes from two different avenues. Firstly, 5280 is the number of feet in a mile, and my voyage both started and ended in Denver. Thus, I found it quite fitting to give a little credit to the mile high city. I also crossed the threshold of 5280 trees planted after my first sale of the trip! Thank you all for your support in helping me get to this point.

I was a part of three art shows on consecutive weekends on this particular trip: Denver, Breckenridge, and Frisco, CO. I was also able to sneak up to Yellowstone National Park, one of my favorite places, to capture some new photographs as well. I met some wonderful people, sold some work, and got to experience the park in a month of the year that I never have before! There were far more people in Yellowstone than I expected this time of year, but as always there were plenty of animals too. I did see a Grizzly, never a guarantee, but it was after sunset so I have no photos to prove it. Additionally, as opposed to some other trips to Colorado in the summer, the weather largely cooperated with me this time which is always a huge plus when setting up at outdoor events.

In between shows, I was able to visit and camp on Shrine Pass Road, located off Interstate 70 near Vail, a favorite camping location of mine for this area. I was also able to get up to Piney Lake, which is a very cool and secluded area just North of Vail. It is well worth the visit if you get a chance, BUT it is not for the faint of heart. The road has always been notoriously bad, but it has gotten far worse from the first time I ventured to Piney some 8 years ago. So fair warning, only traverse it if your vehicle can take the beating as it is impossible to avoid all of the pot holes and wash outs.