Here are some photos from Alan and Brandon Swanson's August 1998 trip to Denver, Colorado to visit Steve Nyberg.
We had a great time, visiting many sites in and around Denver, as well as high up in the mountains.
Brandon Live at Red Rocks Amphitheater! This is the famous concert hall built between 2 towering red rock cliffs, just west of Denver. This park is like a slice of Utah.
Alan and Brandon at Red Rocks, with the stage and the skyline of Denver in the (hazy) background. The hogback ridge visible in the middle distance has lots of Dinosaur bones too. Alan let loose with a unique rendition of the Flintstones theme, to the delight of the dozens of visitors in the theater area.
Alan and Brandon celebrate on the high ridge above Loveland Pass. They are a little winded after climbing to this 12,500 foot ridge on the Continental Divide.
Here's Alan updating his web page with the latest images, and Brandon watching Arthur and the Disney Channel. We're getting ready for another busy day!
The Three Stooges before being pushed into the icy waters of Echo Lake. Mt Evans, our destination, is in the background left. Can you believe they actually built a road up there?
Summit Lake at 12,700' is in a dramatic bowl under Mt Evans. Nearby we made some late-August snowballs.
Alan and Brandon bravely stand on the edge overlooking the Chicago Lakes valley. This is at 12,800 ft near Summit Lake on the way to Mt. Evans.
Hungry Mountain Goats look for handouts near the summit of 14,264 ft Mount Evans.
This is the summit rock of 14,264 ft Mount Evans, one of 54 different 14-thousand foot mountains in Colorado. The road to the top is the highest in the U.S., and is only open from June to September each year.
Later in the trip, we drove to Rocky Mountain National Park in northern Colorado. On the way, we crossed over the Divide at Berthoud Pass, then camped on the shores of Lake Granby at Arapahoe Bay Campground. The wind was strong at first, but then the evening was beautiful, with a perfect calm over the lake and the brilliant Colorado stars. Our moonlit walk without flashlights was memorable, indeed.
The next morning, we drove into the National Park via Trail Ridge Road, a spectacular alpine highway. This is the view from the Alpine Visitor Center looking down on the Fall River Valley.
From the Visitor Center, its a challenging walk in the thin air up to a 360 degree viewpoint shown below.
Brandon made it! From here, he can look at a hundred miles of mountain ranges and forests, such as the Never Summer Range behind him.
Along Trail Ridge Road, this dramatic rock cut frames Longs Peak in the distance. Steve can't believe that he actually climbed that mountain in '91 - its a 15 mile round trip with a vertical mile of climbing!
The Estes Park Tram is a good way to get a bird's eye view of this large town east of Rocky Mountain National Park. Like Dr. Dolittle, you can talk to the squirrels and have them eating out of your hand - just bring some peanuts.
Tired hikers near Bear Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park. Bear Lake is a very popular hiking area, with a string of 4 lakes leading up to the high peaks of the Continental Divide.
Dream Lake is the 3rd lake in the chain along this trail, and it would be a great place to take a nap on a warm, sunny day (like today!).
A camera just doesn't do justice to Emerald Lake, the highest lake in the chain. Perched directly under vertical Hallett Peak, we couldn't even get the whole scene in the camera view! Climbers were slowing inching their way up that peak, and it was fun to try to spot all of them. Hiking all the way to Emerald Lake was a great finish to our trip to Rocky Mountain National Park!
We hope you enjoyed the pictures!
Go to Alan Swanson's Home Page
My 2002 Trip to the Sierras and Cascades
My 2001 Trip to Colorado
1999 Road Trip with Matt and Sue
1998 Summit Attempt on Snowmass Mountain, Colorado
Alan and Brandon Swanson - 1998 Vacation in Colorado
1993 Bike Tour