Opened in 1913, the Lincoln Highway was the first coast-to-coast highway across the U.S. In 1959, the Wyoming Parks Commission had a monument built and placed at Sherman Summit, the highest point on the highway, 8,878 feet above sea level. It was later moved about a mile to its current location at a rest area on I-80. The Abraham Lincoln Memorial Monument consists of a 12.5-foot-tall Lincoln head perched atop a 30-foot-high pedestal. You can't miss it.
Jana with Big-Head Lincoln
Vedauwoo Recreation Area is part of Medicine Bow National Forest. The granite hoodoos and outcrops of the area are popular with rock climbers, but it's also a cool place to hike. The area's 8,000-foot elevation made for some thin air, but at our normal slow speed, it was fine.
Vedauwoo Recreation Area
The 3.2-mile Turtle Rock Loop circles a large rock formation shaped vaguely like – you guessed it – a turtle. It was a nice, mostly flat trail through aspen trees and between boulders, always with a view. There was also a marshy area where moose should have been and a small but pretty waterfall.
Or should it be Vedauwoo "Rock-reation" Area?
Along Turtle Rock Loop
Tiny waterfall
The first transcontinental railroad route was completed in 1869. From 1880 to 1882, the Ames Monument was built beside the railroad's highest point, at 8,247 feet. The pyramid is 66 feet tall, with the stone blocks weighing up to 20 tons each. It took 85 full-time workers, numerous draft animals, and multiple wooden cranes to build. In 1901, the tracks were moved three miles south to a lower elevation with less snow, leaving the monument stranded alongside a sparsely used gravel road.
Lonely Ames Monument, abandoned by a diverted railroad
Former highest point of the first transcontinental railroad
Tree in the Rock: This small pine was growing out of a crevice in the rock when the Union Pacific Railroad built its original line 50 feet to the south in 1868. Supposedly, railroad workers purposely diverted the tracks around the little tree, and passing locomotives stopped and gave it drinks of water. When the Lincoln Highway was built in the 1910s, it also went around the tree, as did US 30 in the 1920s. In the 1960s, when I-80 finally came through, the road builders left the tree in an island between the eastbound and westbound lanes, with access for passing motorists to stop and visit. It's a survivor!
Tree in the Rock Historic Site
The Wyoming capitol building's original dome cupola, aka “Dome on the Range,” lies abandoned in a field just off I-80 in the unincorporated community of Granite, next to an also abandoned schoolhouse. It was a nice place for a picnic. From here, we drove south on minor roads into Colorado.
Dome on the Range, Wyoming
Welcome to Colorado
Horsetooth Reservoir
Lodging: Saddle and Surrey Motel, Estes Park, Colorado. Estes Park is a gateway town to Rocky Mountain National Park, so hotels are very expensive, but this one was at least affordable. The room was large and had a king bed, and the WiFi signal was acceptably strong. We'll be here three nights.
Surrey but no saddle
We arrived in Estes Part midafternoon, giving us a little time to relax before we headed into town. Deer and elk just wander the streets here. It's crazy! Our first stop was Lumpy Ridge Brewing Company on St. Vrain Avenue, just up the street from our motel. The beer was half price due to happy hour, but it wasn't my favorite.
Wandering elk in Estes Park
Next, we headed downtown. Parking was easy, leading us to believe that even though it's still August, high season has already ended. Estes Park is beautifully situated in the mountains and is reasonably cute, but of course very touristy. Most of the restaurants seemed overly expensive, but we got good steak dinners at a reasonable price at Lonigan's Irish Pub & Grill right downtown.
Snazzy old theatre, downtown Estes Park
From there, we walked to Rock Cut Brewing Company. It was really hopping on this Friday night, but they only had one beer I was interested in, and it was good but not great. So far, I'm unimpressed with the Estes Park craft beer scene. Maybe we'll have better luck tomorrow. Still, we had fun.