I didn't realize that my hotel in downtown Greeley sat directly across the street from the railroad tracks.

Nor did I realize how frequently trains pass through the downtown area.

I was awakened Monday morning to the sound of one passing by the hotel.

The train, itself, wasn't the problem. The fact that the train whistle blows at each crossing, sometimes as early as 6 AM, does get your attention, especially when the crossing is right across the street.

I counted at least 4 trains passing by the hotel this morning and snapped a few pics of one of them.

Here I was in Greeley, Colorado enjoying my Thanksgiving week off and starting day one by watching the trains pass by. Dr. Heather, however, still had to "Adult" this morning and give her students an exam. This meant I had some free time to explore the area on my own. I decided to head toward Loveland, Colorado this morning and find a place to take some pictures of the Rocky Mountains.

The Rocky Mountains dominate the landscape and are visible from just about anywhere in the Greeley area. If I was ever confused about where I was, I could look for the mountains to orient myself.

In the photo above, I was looking off to my left. Seeing the mountains meant I was heading north.

Greeley is like any other city with a population of 100k people – it can get crowded at times. The good news is that wide open space is never that far away.

US Route 34 is one of the main thoroughfares connecting Greeley and Loveland. The area in between the two cities is marginally crowded, filled with housing developments and shopping malls. The good news is that wide open space is a short distance away via one of the many secondary roads that connect with Route 34. I turned left onto County Road 17 heading south and saw nothing but a farmer's field off to my left (looking east).

I took the photo above from County Road 17 about 10 minutes from downtown Greeley. Getting away from the crowd is easily done which is precisely what I was doing at that moment – looking for an isolated spot with a great view of the mountains.

I wanted to get closer to the mountains, and started looking for a left turn to take me west and came across something familiar. Johnstown, Pennsylvania near my hometown is located in the mountains in Cambria County. History buffs may recognize the city as the namesake of the Johnstown Flood from 1889. Nowadays, the city is known more for its economic woes. Johnstown, Colorado looks to be a bit smaller and a little less active. I immediately sent a "Look where I am" photo to my brother.

I made a left turn onto County Road 54 and headed west toward the mountains.

I discovered that being on top of a small hill, like I was in the photo above, gave me an awesome view !

Then starting down the other side of the hill lessened the view somewhat.

This looks like a good location for a house.

County Road 54 and headed west toward the mountains.

In front of me were several more of these small hills.

I needed to find a turn ahead of me, (closer to the mountains), that would take me upward, (a higher elevation), onto a road less traveled (so I could stop and take pictures).

County Road 54 and headed west toward the mountains.

County Road 54 and headed west toward the mountains.

County Road 54 became County Road 18 and crossed under Interstate 25. Just past the interstate, I turned left onto County Road 9 heading south, but more importantly, up. I then turned right onto County Road 16 heading west toward the mountains again and also heading up.

The road split beyond the sign ahead in the photo above where County Road 16 came to a tee intersection at County Road 11.

At this point, I encountered something I wasn't familiar with – the unpaved County Road. Heather tells me that this is quite common in this area. The photo above shows the triangle where County Road 16 (from the right) meets with County Road 11 (where I was standing).

But I also found what I was looking for. This spot, where County Roads 16 and 11 meet, turned out to be the perfect spot to take pictures of the Rocky Mountains.

I didn't have to worry about traffic on an unpaved County Road. So I pulled over and started shooting. I tried to label everything as best as I could. But as much as I like to be sure I get everything right, all I can do here is look at a topographic map and give it my best guess. I think the prominent peak on the left is Sheep Mountain (8,450 ft). The snow capped peaks directly behind it may be Mummy Mountain (13,425 ft), and Hagues Peak (13,560 ft).

The photo above zooms in on a section of the previous photo and I think zooms in on Sheep Mountain (8,450 ft). I think the snow capped peak in the background on the right is Mummy Mountain (13,425 ft).

Panning slightly to the right from the previous photo, my best guess (L - R): Sheep Mountain (foreground with the green trees 8,450 ft), Mummy Mountain (behind Sheep Mtn 13,425 ft), Hagues Peak (13,560 ft), Rowe Peak (covered by clouds 13,420 ft), Gibraltar Mountain (13,300 ft), Mount Dunraven (12,571 ft), the very edge of Mount Dundicking (12,312 ft). West Creek flows in the valley between Mummy and Dunraven Mountains.

In the photos above and below, I am looking toward the northwest. The views are stunning. Unfortunately, I'm not able to positively identify any of the peaks.

Panorama looking northwest.

The pointed peaks on the far left foreground may be Palisade Mountain (8,264 ft), and Alexander Mountain (7,105 ft). The snow capped peaks in the background in the center are possibly Stormy Peaks East (12,020 ft), and Stormy Peaks West (12,148 ft). The prominent pointed peaks just right of center are possibly Storm Mountain (9,918 ft), and Lookout Mountain (10,626 ft).

I zoomed in on the left side of the previous photo to get a perspective shot. I think the snow capped peaks in the background on the left side of the photo below are the previously mentioned Stormy Peaks East (12,020 ft), and Stormy Peaks West (12,148 ft). The pointed peak on the right is possibly Storm Mountain (9,918 ft). The camera can't do justice to the scale of what I'm seeing. Those tiny looking evergreen trees seen off in the distance on the side of the mountains are probably 25 - 50 feet tall !

The snow capped peaks in the background on the left are possibly Stormy Peaks East (12,020 ft), and Stormy Peaks West (12,148 ft). The pointed peak left of center is possibly Storm Mountain (9,918 ft), followed by Lookout Mountain (10,626 ft).

I panned the camera further to my right in the photo above.

I think Elk Tooth (12,848 ft) and Ogalalla Peak (13,138 ft) are on the far left, followed by Mt. Copeland (13,176 ft). The peak in the center may be Mahana Peak (12,632 ft), followed by Isolation Peak (13,118 ft).

Elk Tooth, 12,848 ft (L), Mt. Copeland, 13,176 ft (R).

Possibly Mt. Copeland, 13,176 ft.

Mt. Copeland, 13,176 ft (L) and the Twin Sisters and Long's Peaks (R).

Zooming in on the Twin Sisters Peaks (consisting of Twin Sisters Mountain (11,384 ft), Twin Sisters Peaks East (11,428 ft), and Twin Sisters Peaks West (11,413 ft)), with Long's Peak (14,255 ft) in the background.

Twin Sisters Peaks with Long's Peak in the background.

I could have spent the rest of the day in this spot checking out the Rocky Mountains. But the time when Heather and I planned to meet after she was done at work was approaching.

So it was time for me to head back to Greeley. I hopped in the car and made my way back to US Route 34.

The interchange seen in the photos above and below is that of US Route 34 and Business US Route 34 on the western side of the city.

I decided to exit the bypass and take the business route into town for no particular reason.

Even as I was getting closer to town, the wide open spaces were still plentiful. I was only about 8 miles away from the center of a town with a population of 100k people when I took the photo above. Yet I had plenty of wide open space all around me.

Traffic did pick up eventually, especially around the University of Northern Colorado where I was heading next.