Saturday, August 28th - Trail Ridge Road Open... Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountain National Park is again open after yesterday's snow closure, and will remain open weather permitting... Old Fall River Road remains temporarily closed...

Late Summer Flowers Abound... Throughout the Storm Mountain area can be found many different types of late summer wildflowers in robust bloom... From Asters to Fireweed the hillsides are ablaze with colors... We have recently added a gallery with spectacular photos of many of these local treasures... The gallery can be found below...

Friday, August 27th - Snow Closes Trail Ridge Road... The National Park Service has closed Trail Ridge Road due to heavy snow... Drifts along the road are reported to be up to 2 feet deep... Last night's snow dropped to around 9,000' in elevation... Trail Ridge Road is the highest continuous motorway in the United States, with more than eight miles lying above 11,000' and a maximum elevation of 12,183'...More snow is expected in the high country tonight.... Information on road closures in Rocky Mountain National Park can be found by calling: 970-586-1333

Blanket of August snow covers mountains in RMNP

Thursday, August 26th - Plague Reported In Larimer County... The Larimer County Department of Health and Environment along with the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) are urging residents and visitors in Larimer County to take precautions against rodents which may be spreading plague through their fleas... The plague-causing bacteria may be present in prairie dogs, deer mice, rock and ground squirrels, wood rats, wild rabbits, chipmunks, and other rodents... “The warning is a result of confirmation Tuesday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) laboratory in Fort Collins that a 54-year-old woman from Weld County is suffering from plague. The woman was hospitalized on August 22 after becoming ill on August 18.  She is currently receiving treatment”, states Larimer County Health Director, Dr. Adrienne LeBailly, MD, “We know that plague-infected fleas are present in Larimer County.  Plague was confirmed last week in two pet cats in the county.  One cat was from the northern area of the county near Cherokee Park Rd (WCR 80) and County Road 82E.  The other cat was from the Masonville area.  In 1999, a fatal human case of plague occurred in the Red Feather Lakes area.” The full news release from the County can be found below...

SMERT Fire Training This Evening... The "Storm Mountain Emergency Response Team" will be holding a fire training exercise at 7:00pm Thursday evening with/against the "Big Thompson Canyon Volunteer Fire Department"... The training is to be held at a residents house on Storm Mountain and is expected to be both fun and informative... Anyone interested is welcome to attend... For further information contact: Roger Debenham at 970-593-1091

The High Country Waltz... Area resident and owner of New Dead Things, Peggy Benson, was kind enough to send one of her poems, "The High Country Waltz"... Let your mind wander and you may just feel the "Waltz" yourself...

The High Country Waltz Upon the mountain I listen to the tunes being played Songs of the birds Hum of the bees Sway of the trees Out of the earth The springs flow in harmony Little butterflies twirl and dance through the air Pine needles whisper their song through the wind without a care I dance to the tunes being played The high country waltz High above the mountain The Creator looks down on me He is pleased as he conducts natures harmony For I dance no other dance but The High Country Waltz By: Peggy Benson

Wednesday, August 25th - Flood of Cyclists Expected Through Sunday... Highway 34 and CO 43 will both be flooded with bicycles starting Wednesday, August 25th and extending through Sunday, August 29th, as cyclists from several clubs converge on the area for their competitions... Residents are advised to use caution when traveling throughout the Estes, Drake, and Loveland areas during this time as hundreds of competing cyclists can be expected on local roadways... Law enforcement is also expected be stepped up as an added safety measure for the cyclists... More information on these, and other cycling events, can be found below...

Monday, August 23rd - Early Pick-up Causes Slight Confusion... Parents and children who today got to the bus stop in Drake after 8:00am today were surprised to find that the school bus had already left... This was apparently due to schedule changes and the addition of students to the route... The confirmed times for pick-up and drop-off of students attending Big Thompson Elementary are 7:58am in the morning and 4:39pm in the afternoon, except on Wednesdays when drop-off is at 2:58pm... Parents are advised to be prompt as the bus will not wait more than a couple minutes for students to arrive to the bus stop...

Students getting off bus at stop along Hwy 34  in Drake

Sunday, August 22nd - School Starts Tomorrow For Big Thompson Students... Tomorrow is the first day of school for children living in the area and attending the Big Thompson Schools... Children attending Estes Park Schools will return back next Monday, August 30th... Links to area schools including lunch menus for both Big "T" and Estes Park can be found in the "Community Section"...