Highway 287

I was on Day 2 and in Colorado when I finally was able to get the camera out and get some shots. Heading north toward Denver, I took this shot and the one to the left.

The morning of Day 3, north of Denver, on Oxford Road. Looking west toward the Rocky Mountain National Park

There are no mountain peaks in this shot; I was just impressed with the various colors of the clouds. Taken south of Denver

Virginia Dale is a community of around 1500 people on the 287 in Colorado, just a few miles from the Wyoming border. Its history began in the 1860s as a stage station. A few buildings, including the one in the picture below, still remain from the old days. Church services are held each Sunday in the community church.

Heading north on the 287 in Colorado, looking west toward the Rocky Mountain NP mountains

The post office/cafe in Virginia Dale is one of only a handful of structures left from its heyday.

It's not long on Day 3 before the rains start up again. During a break, I'd try to capture some of the Wyoming landscape. Even with gray skies, the beauty is evident. This and the next two shots were taken along the section of 287 referred to as Split Rock.

The next few shots were taken along the Highway 287 in Wyoming between Rawlins and Dubois.

I was ecstatic to wake up the morning of Day 3 in Dubois and see sunshine. It held all day, my best picture-taking day. This shot was taken on the 287 just outside the Dubois city limits headed north.

Moose!!

The Togwotee Pass offers the first glimpse of the Teton Mountains.

Once inside the Grand Teton National Park, a wonderful view of the range can be seen reflected in the water at the Oxbow Bend turnout.

It's hard to admit that I zoomed through Yellowstone faster than a raging buffalo, but I did stop to eat an avocado and watch a herd graze along the riverbank. Had I not been here before, I would have definitely had to add many, many days to this trip.

On August 17, 1959 after a few hundred campers had just settled in in several campgrounds along the Hebgen Lake and Madison River in Gallatin County, Montana, a devestating 7.3 earthquake created landslides and destruction that would take the lives of 28 people. A new lake, as a result of the disaster, was formed and appropriately named Earthquake Lake, seen in these photos.The ruin is still evident today, but the portion of the 287 that had been completely wiped out has since been repaired. A visitor center just off the Highway 287 captures the horrific scene through videos, pictures and exhibits.

Cattle herders and long narrow roads into the hills make up the beauty of the Montana landscape.

For a short distance, maybe 15 miles, I left the Highway 287 and traveled this Montana Highway 395. It was just as scenic, and I stopped along side the road atop a hill to get these remaining shots.

Reluctantly, I left the beautiful backroads and hit the Interstate 90 to head west. This shot was taken outside Missoula.