Rocky Mountain National Park holds many fond memories for me, accumulated since my first visit there in 1967. Over the years, some aspects of the park have changed. There are now many more visitors; roads and campgrounds are more congested. There are more and larger parking lots and more people on the trails (many of them larger as well, although they don't tend to get very far on the trails). Pine bark beetles, proliferating as the climate warms, have devastated wide swaths of trees. But, still, nature prevails. One can still find solitude and beauty in the park, and it is well worth seeking. This image of Mills Lake is intended to make this point. I stitched together several photos from different angles to create this panorma. Take note of the fact that this image was made in mid-August after a snowstorm that closed Trail Ridge Road for a day.
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