Rocky 2

Alluvial Fan with Bridge Goddess in lower left.

Bridge Goddess close up.

She charms the trolls that live under most bridges.

Our last day trip from our RMNP Moraine Campground was a clockwise loop on route 36, with stops at the Alluvial Fan, the Fall River Visitor Center and the Estes Park Safeway.  The Alluvial Fan was the sight of a roaring downhill flood 30 years ago.  The flood ripped out all existing vegetation so now the area has all new growth. 

Fall River Visitor Center.

I love the construction design and materials used in most national park/monument visitor centers and lodges.  The massive peeled logs, the natural stone, the soaring ceilings and huge view windows are awesome.  Fall River Visitor Center is typical, albeit not even close to the most impressive of the breed.  

Which one is the most impressive?  I’d have to think long and hard on that question, but the old lodge on the north rim of the Grand Canyon would be one of the finalists.  Many ski lodges have similar designs and materials; Timberline Lodge on Mt Hood in Oregon is one such.