[News Update: TUESDAY, MAY 22, 12:30AM]

GAS PRICES ALONG THE FRONT RANGE

One week ago, I began putting out a report on gasoline prices around the area. I have watched as gas prices have soared anywhere from 15 to 30 cents a gallon except for Aspen which shot up almost 50 cents per gallon. And it is Aspen who takes the honors with the highest gas prices in the state. Longmont gets the honors for the lowest gas price in the region, coming in at $3.16 gallon. Our town, Estes, slipped from second highest in the state to third with Silverthorn and Trinidad tying for second place. Still this is an ignominious honor for Estes and I so wish I didn't have to report this not so honorable deed, but it is what it is. I'd have no problem telling gas station owners in Estes that I get my gas in Lyons or Boulder because I am down that way at least 2 or 3 times a week. It may be awhile before you hear me say "fill her up" in our humble little abode at the base of the greatest mountain range in the world.

LARIMER COUNTY

ESTES PARK

Shell - $3.42 -- EZ Auto Wash -- 534 S. St. Vrain Ave
Conoco - $3.53 -- B And B Food Mart -- 1100 Woodstock

FORT COLLINS

U Pump It - $3.16 -- 6250 South College (CASH ONLY)
Safeway - $3.24 -- 1502 East Harmony Road
Diamond Shamrock - $3.29 -- 100 East Harmony Road

LOVELAND
Sam's Club - $3.18 -- Eisenhower
Western - $3.18 -- W. Eisenhower and Taft
Sam's - $3.18 -- Eisenhower and Madison

BOULDER COUNTY

BOULDER

BOULDER GAS - $3.21 -- 2900 BASELINE ROAD
BOULDER GAS - $3.21 -- 28TH and VALMONT
BOULDER GAS - $3.21 -- 2700 BASELINE Rd

LYONS

U Pump It - $3.21 -- 4065 Ute Hwy (36)

LONGMONT

Western - $3.16 -- 1500 Main St.
Albertsons - $3.19 -- 1700 Main & 17th
Peerless Tire - $3.20 -- South Main Street (US-287)

LOUISVILLE

Citgo - $3.24 -- 350 S. McCaslin St.
Conoco - $3.29 -- McCaslin between Dillon & Centennial
SEVEN ELEVEN - $3.29 -- Centennial and McCaslin

SUPERIOR

Conoco - $3.29 -- McCaslin Rd and Marshall Rd

[News Update: Friday, 1:15AM, May 4]

Estes Park, Older Than You Think, and As Popular As Ever

The archaeological record shows that humans have lived in the area for at least 12,000 years. Remains from the Clovis culture, the first known people to cross the Bering Strait land bridge from Asia into North America, have been found within the park. Later, around 2,000 B.C., the McKean people, one of the Paleo-Indian cultures, conducted game drives in which animals were funneled towards natural "traps" where they would be descended upon by groups of eagerly awaiting hunters.

It was only 10,000 years ago that this popular family vacation destination first attracted Ute and Arapaho Indian families who summered in the Estes Park area and wintered in the Middle Park region south of Grand Lake. Remnants of the trail they used to cross the Continental Divide still are visible in Rocky Mountain National Park. In about 1800, the first of the many adventurous explorers from the east arrived, including the intrepid "mountain men" who came in search of beaver pelts and bear skins. One of the first organized explorations to see the Rockies was led by Major Stephen H. Long in 1820. As head of the Yellowstone Expedition, his mission was to probe the secrets of what was a very new and wild part of this country. Longs Peak, the 14,000-foot centerpiece of the park, is named in his honor though he never scaled the peak.

When gold was discovered in Colorado in 1859, significant numbers of people began to make their way into the Estes Valley. Although most of the gold mining was south of here, one miner did wander into the area: Joel Estes, the man for whom the village was named.

In 1864, William Byers, the owner and editor of the Rocky Mountain News, visited the area and named it Estes Park in honor of his host. However, Estes found the high altitude and short growing season made cattle ranching impractical, so he sold his homestead to Griff Evans who established a dude ranch. One of Evansı guests, the Earl of Dunraven, was so enamored of the area he decided to buy the entire valley for his own resort and hunting preserve. Dunravenıs questionable actions to achieve that goal eventually were thwarted by area ranchers and mountain men. Colorful characters like Mountain Jim and Isabella Bird (a Victorian lady from Great Britain who chronicled her visit to the area in A Lady's Life in the Rocky Mountains) dot the areaıs history.

Large cattle ranches were established in the 1870s by individuals like Alexander Q. MacGregor, who brought in prized herds of Aberdeen Angus. The MacGregor Ranch and Museum occupy the site of the founderıs operation and is still a working ranch. Another settler, W. E. James, built the Elkhorn Lodge and supplemented his income with a "fish ranch." James and his sons would catch 500 to 800 trout a day for restaurants in Denver.

F. O. Stanley, originally a guest at the Elkhorn Lodge, came from Massachusetts in 1903 seeking a cure for tuberculosis. Stanley is credited with developing a critical photographic process and co-inventing the Stanley Steamer automobile with his twin brother F. E. Stanley. The mountain air proved so beneficial that he settled here and built the Stanley Hotel as a luxury travel stop. The facility, which opened in 1909, cost more than half a million dollars to build and the publicity created a boom in the areaıs resort business. In an effort to capitalize on the growing numbers of people taking vacations by train, Stanley ran regular ³mountain bus² trips up the Big Thompson Canyon, probably one of the first shuttle services in the Rocky Mountain region.

Since those early days, Estes Parkıs reputation as a resort destination has grown. Millions of people have stayed and enjoyed vacations here since Stanleyıs days. In 1993, Pope John Paul II spent several days near Estes Park enjoying a respite during his U. S. visit that year. In 1994, the Emperor of Japan included Estes Park on his travel itinerary.

What the visitor sees downtown today is vastly different from what was visible even 25 years ago. In 1982 a man-made earthen dam burst in Rocky Mountain National Park, sending the river out of its banks and into downtown Estes Park. The result was major destruction along the main street. The community used the disaster as a catalyst for major renewal of the downtown core and earned the nickname "THE GUTSIEST LITTLE TOWN IN COLORADO." Today, visitors are greeted by a main street lined with Victorian lights, trees, mountain flowers and sidewalk benches, walkways alongside the riverfront and lakefront and a landscaped riverside sculpture garden.

The entrances to Rocky Mountain National Park are 10 minutes west of Estes Park. Now more than 80 years old, ³Rocky² stands as one of the crown jewels of the nationıs national park system. With its alpine tundra, rugged mountain grandeur, cascading waterfalls, tranquil meadows, massive glaciers, towering peaks, thousands of species of wildflowers, birds and wildlife, it is hard to imagine the area as anything else but a national park.

With elevations ranging from 7,000 feet to more than 14,000 feet, the Estes Park area comprises a diversity of ecosystems offering outstanding opportunities for wildlife viewing. Matching the habitat with a particular species is key to finding that species. There are four general types of habitat: alpine tundra, subalpine forest, montane forest and wetlands.

Alpine tundra is the area above tree line and is home to marmot, ground squirrels, pika, coyote, elk and big horn sheep. Subalpine tundra extends from the twisted, windblown pine at tree line through the dense, moist fir and spruce forests to the lodgepole pine and aspen at lower elevations. Residents include chipmunks, ground squirrels, pine marten, porcupine, bobcat, black bear and elk.

Montane forest fills most of the area around Estes Park, Roosevelt National Forest and lower elevations of Rocky Mountain National Park. It is characterized by open ponderosa stands on dry south-facing slopes, Douglas fir on moist northern slopes and scattered aspen groves. This is the favorite habitat of Abertıs squirrel, coyote, mountain lion, mule deer, elk, fox and big horn sheep. Wetlands are found from the plains to the alpine tundra where marshes and willow thickets spring up in water-forming habitat for beaver, deer, coyote, bobcat, raccoon, muskrat, porcupine, fox, black bear and weasel.

[News Update: Wednesday, 8:30PM, May 2]

MOOSE YEARLING KILLED ON HIGHWAY 36

On Tuesday night, a yearling moose was killed by a vehicle on Highway 36 just outside of the town of Estes Park. The vehicle was located nearby with front-end damage. The length of the skid marks caused the Highway Patrol to look further into the matter due the fact that the driver may have been speeding. There has been no additional information as to whether or not the driver was apprehended.

This was a very sad day in Estes Park, as word spread quickly around town. This very yearling and his mother had been spotted just the day before galloping through a nearby pond and eating along the water's edge. Kris Hazelton, publisher of the Estes Park News, took some wonderful pictures of the moose, of which were displayed on a local website and also on the Channel 7, KMGH website in Denver. It was a very a happy occasion to see these two frolicking and enjoying themselves right out in broad daylight.

We were all blessed to be able to see pictures of this lively young one and are thankful Kris was able to share the yearling's last moments with all of us. You can view pictures of the yearling at the following website: Click Here To View Mother And Yearling

Each year to protect raptor nesting sites, Rocky Mountain National Park officials initiate temporary closures in the Lumpy Ridge and Sheep Mountain areas of the park. To enable wildlife managers to gather information and ensure that raptors can nest undisturbed, specific areas within the park are closed temporarily to public use during nesting season. All closures went in to effect on March 3 and will continue through July 31, if appropriate. These closures may be extended longer or rescinded at an earlier date if determined necessary.

Closures include Checkerboard Rock, Lightning Rock, Batman Rock, Batman Pinnacle, Thunder Buttress, The Parish, Alligator Rock, Sheep Mountain, Deer Ridge Buttress and Twin Owls, Rock One.  These closures include the named formations as well as areas extending 100 yards in all directions from these formations. The perimeter around Alligator Rock extends for 200 yards in all directions. Closures include all climbing routes, outcroppings, cliffs, faces, ascent and descent routes and climber access trails to the named rock formations. Check the parkıs website at http://www.nps.gov/romo/planyourvisit/area_closures.htm for updated information on raptor closures.

The National Park Service is committed to preserving birds of prey. The same cliffs that attract raptors also appeal to climbers. The cooperation of climbing organizations and individuals is essential to the successful nesting of raptors in the park.