{"id":9982,"date":"2025-07-26T22:59:16","date_gmt":"2025-07-26T14:59:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.huangyizhou.com\/?p=9982"},"modified":"2025-12-20T09:19:12","modified_gmt":"2025-12-20T01:19:12","slug":"20250726denver","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.huangyizhou.com\/index.php\/2025\/07\/26\/20250726denver\/","title":{"rendered":"Weekend Trip to Denver"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>A post about things happening on the sidelines of my 2025 annual college reunion: flights, rocky mountain national park, and AI agents playing poker.<\/p>\n<div style=\"width: 615px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/DSC_6064.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/thumbnails\/DSC_6064.jpg\" alt=\"Deer Grazing in Rocky Mountain National Park\" \/><\/a><p class=\"wp-caption-text\"><\/br>Deer Grazing in Rocky Mountain National Park<\/p><\/div>\n<p><script src=\"\/wp-content\/themes\/splide.min.2.4.21.js\"><\/script>\n<link rel=\"stylesheet\" href=\"\/wp-content\/themes\/splide-skyblue.min.css\">\n<script>\ndocument.addEventListener( 'DOMContentLoaded', function () {\n\tvar secondarySlider1 = new Splide( '#splide-thumb-1', {\n\t\tfixedWidth:100,height:67,gap:10,\n\t\tfocus:'center',keyboard:'focused',\n\t\tcover:true,isNavigation:true,\n\t\tbreakpoints :{'600':{fixedWidth:57,height:38,pagination:false,arrows:false,gap:5,}},\n\t} ).mount();\n\tvar primarySlider1 = new Splide( '#splide-major-1', {\n\t\ttype:'fade',pagination:false,arrows:false,\n\t} );\n\tprimarySlider1.sync( secondarySlider1 ).mount();\n\tvar secondarySlider2 = new Splide( '#splide-thumb-2', {\n\t\tfixedWidth:100,height:67,gap:10,\n\t\tfocus:'center',keyboard:'focused',\n\t\tcover:true,isNavigation:true,\n\t\tbreakpoints :{'600':{fixedWidth:57,height:38,pagination:false,arrows:false,gap:5,}},\n\t} ).mount();\n\tvar primarySlider2 = new Splide( '#splide-major-2', {\n\t\ttype:'fade',pagination:false,arrows:false,\n\t} );\n\tprimarySlider2.sync( secondarySlider2 ).mount();\n\tvar secondarySlider3 = new Splide( '#splide-thumb-3', {\n\t\tfixedWidth:100,height:67,gap:10,\n\t\tfocus:'center',keyboard:'focused',\n\t\tcover:true,isNavigation:true,\n\t\tbreakpoints :{'600':{fixedWidth:57,height:38,pagination:false,arrows:false,gap:5,}},\n\t} ).mount();\n\tvar primarySlider3 = new Splide( '#splide-major-3', {\n\t\ttype:'fade',pagination:false,arrows:false,\n\t} );\n\tprimarySlider3.sync( secondarySlider3 ).mount();\n\tvar secondarySlider4 = new Splide( '#splide-thumb-4', {\n\t\tfixedWidth:100,height:67,gap:10,\n\t\tfocus:'center',keyboard:'focused',\n\t\tcover:true,isNavigation:true,\n\t\tbreakpoints :{'600':{fixedWidth:57,height:38,pagination:false,arrows:false,gap:5,}},\n\t} ).mount();\n\tvar primarySlider4 = new Splide( '#splide-major-4', {\n\t\ttype:'fade',pagination:false,arrows:false,\n\t} );\n\tprimarySlider4.sync( secondarySlider4 ).mount();\n\tvar secondarySlider5 = new Splide( '#splide-thumb-5', {\n\t\tfixedWidth:100,height:70,gap:10,\n\t\tfocus:'center',keyboard:'focused',\n\t\tcover:true,isNavigation:true,\n\t\tbreakpoints :{'600':{fixedWidth:56,height:38,pagination:false,arrows:false,gap:5,}},\n\t} ).mount();\n\tvar primarySlider5 = new Splide( '#splide-major-5', {\n\t\ttype:'fade',pagination:false,arrows:false,\n\t} );\n\tprimarySlider5.sync( secondarySlider5 ).mount();\n\tvar secondarySlider6 = new Splide( '#splide-thumb-6', {\n\t\tfixedWidth:100,height:67,gap:10,\n\t\tfocus:'center',keyboard:'focused',\n\t\tcover:true,isNavigation:true,\n\t\tbreakpoints :{'600':{fixedWidth:57,height:38,pagination:false,arrows:false,gap:5,}},\n\t} ).mount();\n\tvar primarySlider6 = new Splide( '#splide-major-6', {\n\t\ttype:'fade',pagination:false,arrows:false,\n\t} );\n\tprimarySlider6.sync( secondarySlider6 ).mount();\n\tvar secondarySlider7 = new Splide( '#splide-thumb-7', {\n\t\tfixedWidth:100,height:67,gap:10,\n\t\tfocus:'center',keyboard:'focused',\n\t\tcover:true,isNavigation:true,\n\t\tbreakpoints :{'600':{fixedWidth:57,height:38,pagination:false,arrows:false,gap:5,}},\n\t} ).mount();\n\tvar primarySlider7 = new Splide( '#splide-major-7', {\n\t\ttype:'fade',pagination:false,arrows:false,\n\t} );\n\tprimarySlider7.sync( secondarySlider7 ).mount();\n\tvar secondarySlider8 = new Splide( '#splide-thumb-8', {\n\t\tfixedWidth:100,height:67,gap:10,\n\t\tfocus:'center',keyboard:'focused',\n\t\tcover:true,isNavigation:true,\n\t\tbreakpoints :{'600':{fixedWidth:57,height:38,pagination:false,arrows:false,gap:5,}},\n\t} ).mount();\n\tvar primarySlider8 = new Splide( '#splide-major-8', {\n\t\ttype:'fade',pagination:false,arrows:false,\n\t} );\n\tprimarySlider8.sync( secondarySlider8 ).mount();\n\tvar secondarySlider9 = new Splide( '#splide-thumb-9', {\n\t\tfixedWidth:100,height:67,gap:10,\n\t\tfocus:'center',keyboard:'focused',\n\t\tcover:true,isNavigation:true,\n\t\tbreakpoints :{'600':{fixedWidth:57,height:38,pagination:false,arrows:false,gap:5,}},\n\t} ).mount();\n\tvar primarySlider9 = new Splide( '#splide-major-9', {\n\t\ttype:'fade',pagination:false,arrows:false,\n\t} );\n\tprimarySlider9.sync( secondarySlider9 ).mount();\n\tvar secondarySlider10 = new Splide( '#splide-thumb-10', {\n\t\tfixedWidth:100,height:75,gap:10,\n\t\tfocus:'center',keyboard:'focused',\n\t\tcover:true,isNavigation:true,\n\t\tbreakpoints :{'600':{fixedWidth:56,height:42,pagination:false,arrows:false,gap:5,}},\n\t} ).mount();\n\tvar primarySlider10 = new Splide( '#splide-major-10', {\n\t\ttype:'fade',pagination:false,arrows:false,\n\t} );\n\tprimarySlider10.sync( secondarySlider10 ).mount();\n} );\n<\/script><\/p>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<p>Having exhausted our roster of major cities with hosts for our annual college reunion, we conducted a survey and settled on Denver for this year&#8217;s gathering-a city that was proposed by me. Among the three-day itinerary, we would spend one day in Rocky Mountain National Park, another with card games in line with our tradition, and the third some random city walk.<\/p>\n<h3><span id=\"Southwest_Airlines_Flight_814_from_Boston_to_Denver\">Southwest Airlines Flight 814 from Boston to Denver<\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Not much to talk about.<br \/>\nI employed the typical Southwest trick, bought Wanna-Get-Away-Plus for an evening flight and then same-day confirm changed to this mid-day flight that suited my schedule better.<br \/>\nOnce onboard, I found that Southwest had kept pace with modern conveniences by offering 60W type-c outlets (it was a 737 Max8 with new hardware).<br \/>\nAbout halfway into the flight, the captain mentioned there was a storm system over Ohio that we couldn&#8217;t climb over, hence we took the Great Lakes route which was very turbulent over Lake Michigan. Later that day, it turned out that my friends arriving from Chicago had all encountered significant delays, a testament to the very weather system I had experienced during the flight.<\/p>\n<p>Southwest Airlines 814<br \/>\nBoston, MA (BOS) &#8211; Denver, CO (DEN)<br \/>\nBoeing B737-Max8 (N8928Q)<br \/>\nSeat 25C<br \/>\nScheduled Departure &#8211; 11:40am<br \/>\nActual Departure    &#8211; 12:00pm<br \/>\nScheduled Arrival   &#8211; 2:10pm<br \/>\nActual Arrival \t    &#8211; 2:02pm<br \/>\n4 hours and 2 minutes<\/p>\n<h3><span id=\"Rocky_Mountain_National_Park\">Rocky Mountain National Park<\/span><\/h3>\n<p>A primary reason I proposed Denver for this year&#8217;s reunion was its proximity to Rocky Mountain National Park\u2014a mere 1.5-hour drive away. Our plan for Saturday, July 26, was to undertake a trimmed version of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.huangyizhou.com\/index.php\/2022\/09\/03\/20220903rocky-mountain\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">my visit to Rocky Mountain National Park three years ago<\/a>, exploring the Bear Lake area in the morning before venturing along Trail Ridge Road in the afternoon.<\/p>\n<h4><span id=\"Bear_Lake_Area\">Bear Lake Area<\/span><\/h4>\n<p>Given that several members of our party would arrive quite late in Denver the previous evening, we opted for a relatively late timed-entry slot of 10am\u201312pm to allow for adequate rest. Surprisingly, by the time we reached the Park &#038; Ride along Bear Lake Road at 11:10am, it was completely full. Our three-car caravan then resorted to various parking strategies:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>aggressively shadowing visitors disembarking from the shuttle bus to claim their parking spots<\/li>\n<li>parking on the shoulder of Bear Lake Road and praying (successfully) that it wouldn&#8217;t get a citation<\/li>\n<li>driving up to Bear Lake, which\u2014rather unexpectedly\u2014had a few available spots as early arrivals (who had entered before the timed-entry system took effect) began departing<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div style=\"width: 615px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/20250726_114340.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/thumbnails\/20250726_114340.jpg\" alt=\"Product Catalog at Bear Lake\" \/><\/a><p class=\"wp-caption-text\"><\/br>Product Catalog at Bear Lake<\/br><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Interestingly, the trail mixes were among the first to sell off.<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n<p>After reconvining, our plan in the Bear Lake Area was to explore the popular Bear Lake, Dream Lake and Emerald Lake trail. We started out 11 strong, but upon leaving the level path around Bear Lake and commencing the uphill walk toward Nymph Lake, 2 of us turned back. At the picturesque and iconic Dream Lake, 2 more elected to rest, leaving just 7 of us to complete the journey to Emerald Lake. Fortunately, Emerald Lake marked the trail&#8217;s terminus, precluding any further attrition.<\/p>\n<div class=\"splide\" id=\"splide-major-1\">\n<div class=\"splide__track\">\n<ul class=\"splide__list\">\n<li class=\"splide__slide\"><a href=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/DSC_5915.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/thumbnails\/DSC_5915.jpg\" alt=\"Hallett Peak from Nymph Lake\" \/><\/a><\/br>Hallett Peak from Nymph Lake<\/li>\n<li class=\"splide__slide\"><a href=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/DSC_5953.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/thumbnails\/DSC_5953.jpg\" alt=\"Longs Peak\" \/><\/a><\/br>Longs Peak<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"splide\" id=\"splide-thumb-1\">\n<div class=\"splide__track\">\n<ul class=\"splide__list\">\n<li class=\"splide__slide\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/thumbnails-s\/DSC_5915.jpg\" alt=\"Hallett Peak from Nymph Lake\" \/><\/li>\n<li class=\"splide__slide\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/thumbnails-s\/DSC_5953.jpg\" alt=\"Longs Peak\" \/><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><noscript><br \/>\nJavascript not enabled, unable to display slideshow.<\/p>\n<style type=\"text\/css\">\n#splide-major-1, #splide-thumb-1 { display:none; }\n<\/style>\n<details>\n<summary>Click here to display photos of the slideshow<\/summary>\n<div style=\"width: 615px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/DSC_5915.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/thumbnails\/DSC_5915.jpg\" alt=\"Hallett Peak from Nymph Lake\" \/><\/a><p class=\"wp-caption-text\"><\/br>Hallett Peak from Nymph Lake<\/p><\/div>\n<p><div style=\"width: 615px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/DSC_5953.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/thumbnails\/DSC_5953.jpg\" alt=\"Longs Peak\" \/><\/a><p class=\"wp-caption-text\"><\/br>Longs Peak<\/p><\/div><br \/>\n<\/details>\n<p><\/noscript><\/p>\n<p>Since I previously visited the area three years ago, I didn&#8217;t take a lot of photos this time.<\/p>\n<h4><span id=\"Trail_Ridge_Road\">Trail Ridge Road<\/span><\/h4>\n<p>Since we wished to make the most of our day, we chose a quick lunch at a McDonald&#8217;s in Estes Park. (Nonetheless, a few communication mishaps delayed us a bit.) After that, we headed back into Rocky Mountain National Park along Trail Ridge Road, stopping at various turnouts along the way.<\/p>\n<div class=\"splide\" id=\"splide-major-2\">\n<div class=\"splide__track\">\n<ul class=\"splide__list\">\n<li class=\"splide__slide\"><a href=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/DSC_5954.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/thumbnails\/DSC_5954.jpg\" alt=\"Overlooking Moraine Park and Beaver Meadows\" \/><\/a><\/br>Overlooking Moraine Park and Beaver Meadows<\/li>\n<li class=\"splide__slide\"><a href=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/DSC_5956.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/thumbnails\/DSC_5956.jpg\" alt=\"Twin Sisters Peaks\" \/><\/a><\/br>Twin Sisters Peaks<\/li>\n<li class=\"splide__slide\"><a href=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/DSC_5957.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/thumbnails\/DSC_5957.jpg\" alt=\"Longs Peak and Pagoda Mountain\" \/><\/a><\/br>Longs Peak and Pagoda Mountain<\/li>\n<li class=\"splide__slide\"><a href=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/DSC_5955.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/thumbnails\/DSC_5955.jpg\" alt=\"Deer Mountain\" \/><\/a><\/br>Deer Mountain<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"splide\" id=\"splide-thumb-2\">\n<div class=\"splide__track\">\n<ul class=\"splide__list\">\n<li class=\"splide__slide\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/thumbnails-s\/DSC_5954.jpg\" alt=\"Overlooking Moraine Park and Beaver Meadows\" \/><\/li>\n<li class=\"splide__slide\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/thumbnails-s\/DSC_5956.jpg\" alt=\"Twin Sisters Peaks\" \/><\/li>\n<li class=\"splide__slide\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/thumbnails-s\/DSC_5957.jpg\" alt=\"Longs Peak and Pagoda Mountain\" \/><\/li>\n<li class=\"splide__slide\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/thumbnails-s\/DSC_5955.jpg\" alt=\"Deer Mountain\" \/><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><noscript><br \/>\nJavascript not enabled, unable to display slideshow.<\/p>\n<style type=\"text\/css\">\n#splide-major-2, #splide-thumb-2 { display:none; }\n<\/style>\n<details>\n<summary>Click here to display photos from Many Parks Overlook<\/summary>\n<div style=\"width: 615px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/DSC_5954.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/thumbnails\/DSC_5954.jpg\" alt=\"Overlooking Moraine Park and Beaver Meadows\" \/><\/a><p class=\"wp-caption-text\"><\/br>Overlooking Moraine Park and Beaver Meadows<\/p><\/div>\n<div style=\"width: 615px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/DSC_5956.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/thumbnails\/DSC_5956.jpg\" alt=\"Twin Sisters Peaks\" \/><\/a><p class=\"wp-caption-text\"><\/br>Twin Sisters Peaks<\/p><\/div>\n<div style=\"width: 615px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/DSC_5957.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/thumbnails\/DSC_5957.jpg\" alt=\"Longs Peak and Pagoda Mountain\" \/><\/a><p class=\"wp-caption-text\"><\/br>Longs Peak and Pagoda Mountain<\/p><\/div>\n<p><div style=\"width: 615px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/DSC_5955.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/thumbnails\/DSC_5955.jpg\" alt=\"Deer Mountain\" \/><\/a><p class=\"wp-caption-text\"><\/br>Deer Mountain<\/p><\/div><br \/>\n<\/details>\n<p><\/noscript><\/p>\n<div style=\"width: 615px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/DSC_5960_DSC_5970-11.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/thumbnails\/DSC_5960_DSC_5970-11.jpg\" alt=\"Mountains from Many Parks Overlook\" \/><\/a><p class=\"wp-caption-text\"><\/br>Mountains from Many Parks Overlook<\/p><\/div>\n<div style=\"width: 615px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/DSC_6003.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/thumbnails\/DSC_6003.jpg\" alt=\"Hayden Spire across Forest Canyon\" \/><\/a><p class=\"wp-caption-text\"><\/br>Hayden Spire across Forest Canyon<\/br><\/p>\n<div style=\"font-size: smaller;text-align: left\">From &#8220;Forst Canyon Overlook&#8221;. Compared to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.huangyizhou.com\/index.php\/2022\/09\/03\/20220903rocky-mountain\/#Forest_Canyon_Overlook\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">my visit three years ago<\/a>, we arrived much earlier in the day, allowing the mountain profiles to emerge less shaded and with greater clarity.<\/div>\n<p><\/p><\/div>\n<p>Despite the clouds growing thicker and more tumultuous as the day progressed, with occasional raindrops spattering our windscreens, we were fortunate never to encounter a shower lasting more than a few fleeting seconds. Even more delightful, the dynamic interplay of sunlight and clouds yielded a spectacular display of god rays at &#8220;Rock Cut&#8221;.<\/p>\n<div class=\"splide\" id=\"splide-major-3\">\n<div class=\"splide__track\">\n<ul class=\"splide__list\">\n<li class=\"splide__slide\"><a href=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/DSC_6024.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/thumbnails\/DSC_6024.jpg\" width=\"92.5%\" alt=\"Mountains across Forest Canyon\" \/><\/a><\/br>Mountains across Forest Canyon<\/br><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Lovely God rays.<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"splide__slide\"><a href=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/DSC_6011.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/thumbnails\/DSC_6011.jpg\" width=\"92.5%\" alt=\"Mountains across Forest Canyon\" \/><\/a><\/br>Mountains across Forest Canyon<\/br><span style=\"font-size: small;\">A patch of land in the center being lit up by the sun.<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"splide__slide\"><a href=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/DSC_6013.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/thumbnails\/DSC_6013.jpg\" width=\"92.5%\" alt=\"Mountains across Forest Canyon\" \/><\/a><\/br>Mountains across Forest Canyon<\/br><span style=\"font-size: small;\">A patch of land in the center being lit up by the sun.<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"splide__slide\"><a href=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/DSC_6016.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/thumbnails\/DSC_6016.jpg\" alt=\"Forest Canyon\" \/><\/a><\/br>Forest Canyon<\/li>\n<li class=\"splide__slide\"><a href=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/DSC_6015.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/thumbnails\/DSC_6015.jpg\" alt=\"Longs Peak and Keyboard of the Winds\" \/><\/a><\/br>Longs Peak and Keyboard of the Winds<\/li>\n<li class=\"splide__slide\"><a href=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/DSC_6014.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/thumbnails\/DSC_6014.jpg\" width=\"92.5%\" alt=\"Mountains across Forest Canyon\" \/><\/a><\/br>Mountains across Forest Canyon<\/br><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Arrowhead Lake visible in front of the mountains.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"splide\" id=\"splide-thumb-3\">\n<div class=\"splide__track\">\n<ul class=\"splide__list\">\n<li class=\"splide__slide\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/thumbnails-s\/DSC_6024.jpg\" alt=\"Mountains across Forest Canyon\" \/><\/li>\n<li class=\"splide__slide\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/thumbnails-s\/DSC_6011.jpg\" alt=\"Mountains across Forest Canyon\" \/><\/li>\n<li class=\"splide__slide\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/thumbnails-s\/DSC_6013.jpg\" alt=\"Mountains across Forest Canyon\" \/><\/li>\n<li class=\"splide__slide\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/thumbnails-s\/DSC_6016.jpg\" alt=\"Forest Canyon\" \/><\/li>\n<li class=\"splide__slide\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/thumbnails-s\/DSC_6015.jpg\" alt=\"Longs Peak and Keyboard of the Winds\" \/><\/li>\n<li class=\"splide__slide\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/thumbnails-s\/DSC_6014.jpg\" alt=\"Mountains across Forest Canyon\" \/><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><noscript><br \/>\nJavascript not enabled, unable to display slideshow.<\/p>\n<style type=\"text\/css\">\n#splide-major-3, #splide-thumb-3 { display:none; }\n<\/style>\n<details>\n<summary>Click here to display photos of the slideshow<\/summary>\n<div style=\"width: 615px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/DSC_6024.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/thumbnails\/DSC_6024.jpg\" alt=\"Mountains across Forest Canyon\" \/><\/a><p class=\"wp-caption-text\"><\/br>Mountains across Forest Canyon<\/br><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Lovely God rays.<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n<div style=\"width: 615px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/DSC_6011.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/thumbnails\/DSC_6011.jpg\" alt=\"Mountains across Forest Canyon\" \/><\/a><p class=\"wp-caption-text\"><\/br>Mountains across Forest Canyon<\/br><span style=\"font-size: small;\">A patch of land in the center being lit up by the sun.<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n<div style=\"width: 615px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/DSC_6013.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/thumbnails\/DSC_6013.jpg\" alt=\"Mountains across Forest Canyon\" \/><\/a><p class=\"wp-caption-text\"><\/br>Mountains across Forest Canyon<\/br><span style=\"font-size: small;\">A patch of land in the center being lit up by the sun.<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n<div style=\"width: 615px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/DSC_6016.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/thumbnails\/DSC_6016.jpg\" alt=\"Forest Canyon\" \/><\/a><p class=\"wp-caption-text\"><\/br>Forest Canyon<\/p><\/div>\n<div style=\"width: 615px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/DSC_6015.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/thumbnails\/DSC_6015.jpg\" alt=\"Longs Peak and Keyboard of the Winds\" \/><\/a><p class=\"wp-caption-text\"><\/br>Longs Peak and Keyboard of the Winds<\/p><\/div>\n<p><div style=\"width: 615px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/DSC_6014.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/thumbnails\/DSC_6014.jpg\" alt=\"Mountains across Forest Canyon\" \/><\/a><p class=\"wp-caption-text\"><\/br>Mountains across Forest Canyon<\/br><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Arrowhead Lake visible in front of the mountains.<\/span><\/p><\/div><br \/>\n<\/details>\n<p><\/noscript><\/p>\n<p>Unfortunately, the weather system had nonetheless brewed formidable winds, which, combined with the considerable elevation along Trail Ridge Road, greeted us with a penetrating chill the moment we stepped from our vehicles. While our excitement at spotting several wild deer at Lava Cliff was sufficient to propel us from the cars for a few photographs, we found ourselves rather less inclined to linger at &#8220;Gore Range Overlook&#8221;. There, confronted by what felt like gale-force winds, we beat a hasty retreat to our cars and pressed onward.<\/p>\n<div class=\"splide\" id=\"splide-major-4\">\n<div class=\"splide__track\">\n<ul class=\"splide__list\">\n<li class=\"splide__slide\"><a href=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/DSC_6030.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/thumbnails\/DSC_6030.jpg\" alt=\"Deer\" \/><\/a><\/br>Deer<\/li>\n<li class=\"splide__slide\"><a href=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/20250726_183502.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/thumbnails\/20250726_183502.jpg\" width=\"89.05%\" alt=\"Lava Cliffs\" \/><\/a><\/br>Lava Cliffs<\/li>\n<li class=\"splide__slide\"><a href=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/DSC_6034.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/thumbnails\/DSC_6034.jpg\" alt=\"Ypsilon Mountain across Fall River Valley\" \/><\/a><\/br>Ypsilon Mountain across Fall River Valley<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"splide\" id=\"splide-thumb-4\">\n<div class=\"splide__track\">\n<ul class=\"splide__list\">\n<li class=\"splide__slide\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/thumbnails-s\/DSC_6030.jpg\" alt=\"Deer\" \/><\/li>\n<li class=\"splide__slide\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/thumbnails-s\/20250726_183502.jpg\" alt=\"Lava Cliffs\" \/><\/li>\n<li class=\"splide__slide\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/thumbnails-s\/DSC_6034.jpg\" alt=\"Ypsilon Mountain across Fall River Valley\" \/><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><noscript><br \/>\nJavascript not enabled, unable to display slideshow.<\/p>\n<style type=\"text\/css\">\n#splide-major-4, #splide-thumb-4 { display:none; }\n<\/style>\n<details>\n<summary>Click here to display photos from &#8220;Lava Cliffs&#8221;.<\/summary>\n<div style=\"width: 615px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/DSC_6030.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/thumbnails\/DSC_6030.jpg\" alt=\"Deer\" \/><\/a><p class=\"wp-caption-text\"><\/br>Deer<\/p><\/div>\n<div style=\"width: 615px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/20250726_183502.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/thumbnails\/20250726_183502.jpg\" alt=\"Lava Cliffs\" \/><\/a><p class=\"wp-caption-text\"><\/br>Lava Cliffs<\/p><\/div>\n<p><div style=\"width: 615px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/DSC_6034.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/thumbnails\/DSC_6034.jpg\" alt=\"Ypsilon Mountain across Fall River Valley\" \/><\/a><p class=\"wp-caption-text\"><\/br>Ypsilon Mountain across Fall River Valley<\/p><\/div><br \/>\n<\/details>\n<p><\/noscript><\/p>\n<p>Fortunately, once we descended from the top of Trail Ridge Road, we found welcome respite at Medicine Bow Curve, where the surrounding mountains offered shelter from the relentless wind. Better still, we discovered a small herd of deer grazing just beyond the turnout. We lingered there for a time, observing them with the quiet fascination one might experience at a zoo, though here the animals roamed free.<\/p>\n<div class=\"splide\" id=\"splide-major-5\">\n<div class=\"splide__track\">\n<ul class=\"splide__list\">\n<li class=\"splide__slide\"><a href=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/DSC_6070.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/thumbnails\/DSC_6070.jpg\" alt=\"Deer Grazing in Rocky Mountain National Park\" \/><\/a><\/br>Deer Grazing in Rocky Mountain National Park<\/li>\n<li class=\"splide__slide\"><a href=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/DSC_6053.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/thumbnails\/DSC_6053.jpg\" alt=\"Deer\" \/><\/a><\/br>Deer<\/li>\n<li class=\"splide__slide\"><a href=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/DSC_6063.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/thumbnails\/DSC_6063.jpg\" alt=\"Deer\" \/><\/a><\/br>Deer<\/li>\n<li class=\"splide__slide\"><a href=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/DSC_6060C.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/thumbnails\/DSC_6060C.jpg\" alt=\"Deer\" \/><\/a><\/br>Deer<\/li>\n<li class=\"splide__slide\"><a href=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/DSC_6068C.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/thumbnails\/DSC_6068C.jpg\" alt=\"Deer\" \/><\/a><\/br>Deer<\/li>\n<li class=\"splide__slide\"><a href=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/DSC_6073C11.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/thumbnails\/DSC_6073C11.jpg\" alt=\"Deer\" \/><\/a><\/br>Deer<\/li>\n<li class=\"splide__slide\"><a href=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/DSC_6050.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/thumbnails\/DSC_6050.jpg\" alt=\"Specimen Mountain over Cache la Poudre River\" \/><\/a><\/br>Specimen Mountain over Cache la Poudre River<\/li>\n<li class=\"splide__slide\"><a href=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/DSC_6049.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/thumbnails\/DSC_6049.jpg\" alt=\"Mountains from Medicine Bow Curve\" \/><\/a><\/br>Mountains from Medicine Bow Curve<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"splide\" id=\"splide-thumb-5\">\n<div class=\"splide__track\">\n<ul class=\"splide__list\">\n<li class=\"splide__slide\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/thumbnails-s\/DSC_6070.jpg\" alt=\"Deer Grazing in Rocky Mountain National Park\" \/><\/li>\n<li class=\"splide__slide\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/thumbnails-s\/DSC_6053.jpg\" alt=\"Deer\" \/><\/li>\n<li class=\"splide__slide\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/thumbnails-s\/DSC_6063.jpg\" alt=\"Deer\" \/><\/li>\n<li class=\"splide__slide\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/thumbnails-s\/DSC_6060C.jpg\" alt=\"Deer\" \/><\/li>\n<li class=\"splide__slide\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/thumbnails-s\/DSC_6068C.jpg\" alt=\"Deer\" \/><\/li>\n<li class=\"splide__slide\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/thumbnails-s\/DSC_6073C11.jpg\" alt=\"Deer\" \/><\/li>\n<li class=\"splide__slide\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/thumbnails-s\/DSC_6050.jpg\" alt=\"Specimen Mountain over Cache la Poudre River\" \/><\/li>\n<li class=\"splide__slide\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/thumbnails-s\/DSC_6049.jpg\" alt=\"Mountains from Medicine Bow Curve\" \/><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><noscript><br \/>\nJavascript not enabled, unable to display slideshow.<\/p>\n<style type=\"text\/css\">\n#splide-major-5, #splide-thumb-5 { display:none; }\n<\/style>\n<details>\n<summary>Click here to display photos of the slideshow<\/summary>\n<div style=\"width: 615px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/DSC_6070.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/thumbnails\/DSC_6070.jpg\" alt=\"Deer Grazing in Rocky Mountain National Park\" \/><\/a><p class=\"wp-caption-text\"><\/br>Deer Grazing in Rocky Mountain National Park<\/p><\/div>\n<div style=\"width: 615px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/DSC_6053.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/thumbnails\/DSC_6053.jpg\" alt=\"Deer\" \/><\/a><p class=\"wp-caption-text\"><\/br>Deer<\/p><\/div>\n<div style=\"width: 615px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/DSC_6063.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/thumbnails\/DSC_6063.jpg\" alt=\"Deer\" \/><\/a><p class=\"wp-caption-text\"><\/br>Deer<\/p><\/div>\n<div style=\"width: 615px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/DSC_6060C.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/thumbnails\/DSC_6060C.jpg\" alt=\"Deer\" \/><\/a><p class=\"wp-caption-text\"><\/br>Deer<\/p><\/div>\n<div style=\"width: 615px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/DSC_6068C.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/thumbnails\/DSC_6068C.jpg\" alt=\"Deer\" \/><\/a><p class=\"wp-caption-text\"><\/br>Deer<\/p><\/div>\n<div style=\"width: 615px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/DSC_6073C11.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/thumbnails\/DSC_6073C11.jpg\" alt=\"Deer\" \/><\/a><p class=\"wp-caption-text\"><\/br>Deer<\/p><\/div>\n<div style=\"width: 615px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/DSC_6050.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/thumbnails\/DSC_6050.jpg\" alt=\"Specimen Mountain over Cache la Poudre River\" \/><\/a><p class=\"wp-caption-text\"><\/br>Specimen Mountain over Cache la Poudre River<\/p><\/div>\n<p><div style=\"width: 615px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/DSC_6049.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/thumbnails\/DSC_6049.jpg\" alt=\"Mountains from Medicine Bow Curve\" \/><\/a><p class=\"wp-caption-text\"><\/br>Mountains from Medicine Bow Curve<\/p><\/div><br \/>\n<\/details>\n<p><\/noscript><\/p>\n<p>Further down the road, we came upon another herd of deer grazing. It was then that I noticed something curious: the deer here, like those we&#8217;d observed earlier at Lava Cliff, were without antlers, whereas the ones at Medicine Bow Curve had been adorned with them. It appeared that outside of mating season, deer of different sexes tend to keep to their own separate groups.<\/p>\n<div class=\"splide\" id=\"splide-major-6\">\n<div class=\"splide__track\">\n<ul class=\"splide__list\">\n<li class=\"splide__slide\"><a href=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/DSC_6074.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/thumbnails\/DSC_6074.jpg\" alt=\"Deer\" \/><\/a><\/br>Deer<\/li>\n<li class=\"splide__slide\"><a href=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/DSC_6075.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/thumbnails\/DSC_6075.jpg\" alt=\"Deer\" \/><\/a><\/br>Deer<\/li>\n<li class=\"splide__slide\"><a href=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/DSC_6077.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/thumbnails\/DSC_6077.jpg\" alt=\"Deer\" \/><\/a><\/br>Deer<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"splide\" id=\"splide-thumb-6\">\n<div class=\"splide__track\">\n<ul class=\"splide__list\">\n<li class=\"splide__slide\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/thumbnails-s\/DSC_6074.jpg\" alt=\"Deer\" \/><\/li>\n<li class=\"splide__slide\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/thumbnails-s\/DSC_6075.jpg\" alt=\"Deer\" \/><\/li>\n<li class=\"splide__slide\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/thumbnails-s\/DSC_6077.jpg\" alt=\"Deer\" \/><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><noscript><br \/>\nJavascript not enabled, unable to display slideshow.<\/p>\n<style type=\"text\/css\">\n#splide-major-6, #splide-thumb-6 { display:none; }\n<\/style>\n<details>\n<summary>Click here to display photos of the slideshow<\/summary>\n<div style=\"width: 615px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/DSC_6074.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/thumbnails\/DSC_6074.jpg\" alt=\"Deer\" \/><\/a><p class=\"wp-caption-text\"><\/br>Deer<\/p><\/div>\n<div style=\"width: 615px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/DSC_6075.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/thumbnails\/DSC_6075.jpg\" alt=\"Deer\" \/><\/a><p class=\"wp-caption-text\"><\/br>Deer<\/p><\/div>\n<p><div style=\"width: 615px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/DSC_6077.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/thumbnails\/DSC_6077.jpg\" alt=\"Deer\" \/><\/a><p class=\"wp-caption-text\"><\/br>Deer<\/p><\/div><br \/>\n<\/details>\n<p><\/noscript><\/p>\n<p>Shortly thereafter, we arrived at Milner Pass \/ Continental Divide. After a very inbalanced group photo with people from both coasts positioned on their respective watersheds\u2014we faced a choice on how to get back to Denver: either following Trail Ridge Road back the way we came from, or heading towards Granby, Berthoud Pass for a giant loop on the map. The decision was nearly unanimous in favor of the latter.<\/p>\n<p>As we descended from Milner Pass, the scenery along Rocky Mountain National Park&#8217;s roadway, while still pleasant, proved less dramatic than what we had witnessed earlier. We made just one additional stop in the park at Farview Curve Viewpoint, where the vistas toward the Never Summer Wilderness were somewhat obscured by trees. The pause served primarily as an opportunity to deliberate over our route ahead.<\/p>\n<div class=\"splide\" id=\"splide-major-7\">\n<div class=\"splide__track\">\n<ul class=\"splide__list\">\n<li class=\"splide__slide\"><a href=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/DSC_6082.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/thumbnails\/DSC_6082.jpg\" width=\"92.5%\" alt=\"Valley\" \/><\/a><\/br>Valley<\/br><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Which Colorado River flows through.<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"splide__slide\"><a href=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/20250726_191535C.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/thumbnails\/20250726_191535C.jpg\" alt=\"Mountains of Never Summer Wilderness\" \/><\/a><\/br>Mountains of Never Summer Wilderness<\/li>\n<li class=\"splide__slide\"><a href=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/DSC_6089.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/thumbnails\/DSC_6089.jpg\" alt=\"Mount Cumulus\" \/><\/a><\/br>Mount Cumulus<\/li>\n<li class=\"splide__slide\"><a href=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/DSC_6090.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/thumbnails\/DSC_6090.jpg\" width=\"92.5%\" alt=\"Hill\" \/><\/a><\/br>Hill<\/br><span style=\"font-size: small;\">An unnamed one to the east of Lead Mountain.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"splide\" id=\"splide-thumb-7\">\n<div class=\"splide__track\">\n<ul class=\"splide__list\">\n<li class=\"splide__slide\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/thumbnails-s\/DSC_6082.jpg\" alt=\"Valley\" \/><\/li>\n<li class=\"splide__slide\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/thumbnails-s\/20250726_191535C.jpg\" alt=\"Mountains of Never Summer Wilderness\" \/><\/li>\n<li class=\"splide__slide\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/thumbnails-s\/DSC_6089.jpg\" alt=\"Mount Cumulus\" \/><\/li>\n<li class=\"splide__slide\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/thumbnails-s\/DSC_6090.jpg\" alt=\"Hill\" \/><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><noscript><br \/>\nJavascript not enabled, unable to display slideshow.<\/p>\n<style type=\"text\/css\">\n#splide-major-7, #splide-thumb-7 { display:none; }\n<\/style>\n<details>\n<summary>Click here to display photos taken at Farview Curve Viewpoint.<\/summary>\n<div style=\"width: 615px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/DSC_6082.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/thumbnails\/DSC_6082.jpg\" alt=\"Valley\" \/><\/a><p class=\"wp-caption-text\"><\/br>Valley<\/br><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Which Colorado River flows through.<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n<div style=\"width: 615px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/20250726_191535C.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/thumbnails\/20250726_191535C.jpg\" alt=\"Mountains of Never Summer Wilderness\" \/><\/a><p class=\"wp-caption-text\"><\/br>Mountains of Never Summer Wilderness<\/p><\/div>\n<div style=\"width: 615px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/DSC_6089.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/thumbnails\/DSC_6089.jpg\" alt=\"Mount Cumulus\" \/><\/a><p class=\"wp-caption-text\"><\/br>Mount Cumulus<\/p><\/div>\n<p><div style=\"width: 615px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/DSC_6090.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/thumbnails\/DSC_6090.jpg\" alt=\"Hill\" \/><\/a><p class=\"wp-caption-text\"><\/br>Hill<\/br><span style=\"font-size: small;\">An unnamed one to the east of Lead Mountain.<\/span><\/p><\/div><br \/>\n<\/details>\n<p><\/noscript><\/p>\n<p>Leaving Rocky Mountain National Park, we made an additional stop at Lake Granby <span style=\"font-size: small;\">(Rainbow Bay Picnic Area)<\/span>. Much like our previous stop, this was primarily to determine our dinner arrangements, now that we were out of the national park and back in cellular coverage. Nevertheless, the views of soaring mountains bathed in the warm hues of the setting sun provided a most welcomed backdrop against the expansive waters of Lake Granby. The decision proved relatively straightforward, as the two-hour drive back to Denver meant that only a handful of restaurants would still be open by our arrival.<\/p>\n<div class=\"splide\" id=\"splide-major-8\">\n<div class=\"splide__track\">\n<ul class=\"splide__list\">\n<li class=\"splide__slide\"><a href=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/DSC_6093.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/thumbnails\/DSC_6093.jpg\" width=\"92.5%\" alt=\"Mountains across Lake Granby\" \/><\/a><\/br>Mountains across Lake Granby<\/br><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Mount Ida appeared pretty prominent in the background left.<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"splide__slide\"><a href=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/DSC_6111.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/thumbnails\/DSC_6111.jpg\" alt=\"Indian Peaks\" \/><\/a><\/br>Indian Peaks<\/li>\n<li class=\"splide__slide\"><a href=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/DSC_6092.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/thumbnails\/DSC_6092.jpg\" alt=\"Mt Adams and Twin peaks\" \/><\/a><\/br>Mt Adams and Twin peaks<\/li>\n<li class=\"splide__slide\"><a href=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/DSC_6112C11.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/thumbnails\/DSC_6112C11.jpg\" alt=\"Byers Peak\" \/><\/a><\/br>Byers Peak<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"splide\" id=\"splide-thumb-8\">\n<div class=\"splide__track\">\n<ul class=\"splide__list\">\n<li class=\"splide__slide\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/thumbnails-s\/DSC_6093.jpg\" alt=\"Mountains across Lake Granby\" \/><\/li>\n<li class=\"splide__slide\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/thumbnails-s\/DSC_6111.jpg\" alt=\"Indian Peaks\" \/><\/li>\n<li class=\"splide__slide\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/thumbnails-s\/DSC_6092.jpg\" alt=\"Mt Adams and Twin peaks\" \/><\/li>\n<li class=\"splide__slide\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/thumbnails-s\/DSC_6112C11.jpg\" alt=\"Byers Peak\" \/><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><noscript><br \/>\nJavascript not enabled, unable to display slideshow.<\/p>\n<style type=\"text\/css\">\n#splide-major-8, #splide-thumb-8 { display:none; }\n<\/style>\n<details>\n<summary>Click here to display photos by Lake Granby.<\/summary>\n<div style=\"width: 615px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/DSC_6093.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/thumbnails\/DSC_6093.jpg\" alt=\"Mountains across Lake Granby\" \/><\/a><p class=\"wp-caption-text\"><\/br>Mountains across Lake Granby<\/br><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Mount Ida appeared pretty prominent in the background left.<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n<div style=\"width: 615px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/DSC_6111.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/thumbnails\/DSC_6111.jpg\" alt=\"Indian Peaks\" \/><\/a><p class=\"wp-caption-text\"><\/br>Indian Peaks<\/p><\/div>\n<div style=\"width: 615px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/DSC_6092.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/thumbnails\/DSC_6092.jpg\" alt=\"Mt Adams and Twin peaks\" \/><\/a><p class=\"wp-caption-text\"><\/br>Mt Adams and Twin peaks<\/p><\/div>\n<p><div style=\"width: 615px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/DSC_6112C11.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/thumbnails\/DSC_6112C11.jpg\" alt=\"Byers Peak\" \/><\/a><p class=\"wp-caption-text\"><\/br>Byers Peak<\/p><\/div><br \/>\n<\/details>\n<p><\/noscript><\/p>\n<div style=\"width: 615px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/DSC_6099_DSC_6110-12.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/thumbnails\/DSC_6099_DSC_6110-12.jpg\" alt=\"Lake Granby\" \/><\/a><p class=\"wp-caption-text\"><\/br>Lake Granby<\/p><\/div>\n<p>The following day, Sunday, July 27, was largely devoted to card games at our Airbnb, as many of my friends felt they needed some rest from yesterday&#8217;s excursion. One of such games that had become our yearly tradition was <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Gong_Zhu\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Gong Zhu (\u62f1\u732a, Wikipedia link)<\/a>. With the advent of LLMs, we wondered whether these systems might play the game more skillfully than humans. More intriguingly, we thought it would be rather entertaining to watch them compete against one another. Thus, a few of us crafted a prompt that outlined the game&#8217;s rules <span style=\"font-size: small;\">(along with some common strategies, as we discovered the models weren&#8217;t quite adept enough to devise tactics from the rules on their own)<\/span>. We then volunteered to serve as human agents for a few leading models by replaying other players&#8217; actions.<br \/>\nTLDR:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Gemini 2.5-pro proved the most capable of all models, performing roughly on par with a <del>seasoned<\/del> casual human player.<\/li>\n<li>GPT o3 was, meh. Okay-ish, but didn&#8217;t rack in as many points as Gemini 2.5-pro.<\/li>\n<li>Deepseek was, just like GPT o3, mediocre. However, as a &#8220;deep&#8221;-thinking model\u2014true to its name\u2014it often left all four human agents waiting for its response, which at times was questionable.<\/li>\n<li>Claude Sonnet 4.0 was the worst of all models (it could be due to that its human agent<del>, aka, I,<\/del> forgot to turn on thinking mode). It frequently lost track of which cards it held and made several moves that were ill-advised.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><span id=\"Red_Rock_Amphitheatre_Dinosaur_Ridge_and_downtown_Denver\">Red Rock Amphitheatre, Dinosaur Ridge and downtown Denver<\/span><\/h3>\n<p>After checking out of our Airbnb on Monday morning, July 28th, we found ourselves with several hours to spare before our evening flights. We decided to spend the time sightseeing in and around Denver. The most celebrated site in the area is undoubtedly Red Rocks Amphitheatre; however, since <a href=\"https:\/\/www.huangyizhou.com\/index.php\/2022\/09\/01\/20220901red-rocks\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">I had already visited it three years ago<\/a>, I won&#8217;t elaborate here.<\/p>\n<p>Next to Red Rock Amphitheater was Dinosaur Ridge, featuring several dinosaur fossils displayed throughout the area as its name suggested. It was a hot day and for most of our party, the 200m (600ft) walk from the parking lot to the first exhibit was about all we could manage. A shuttle bus service was available, though we arrived precisely during its lunch break. After capturing a few photographs of the dinosaur bones, we made our way back to the car and headed into town for lunch.<\/p>\n<div class=\"splide\" id=\"splide-major-9\">\n<div class=\"splide__track\">\n<ul class=\"splide__list\">\n<li class=\"splide__slide\"><a href=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/DSC_6128.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/thumbnails\/DSC_6128.jpg\" alt=\"Dinosaur Bones\" \/><\/a><\/br>Dinosaur Bones<\/li>\n<li class=\"splide__slide\"><a href=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/DSC_6125.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/thumbnails\/DSC_6125.jpg\" alt=\"Dinosaur Bone\" \/><\/a><\/br>Dinosaur Bone<\/li>\n<li class=\"splide__slide\"><a href=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/DSC_6129.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/thumbnails\/DSC_6129.jpg\" alt=\"Dinosaur Bone\" \/><\/a><\/br>Dinosaur Bone<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"splide\" id=\"splide-thumb-9\">\n<div class=\"splide__track\">\n<ul class=\"splide__list\">\n<li class=\"splide__slide\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/thumbnails-s\/DSC_6128.jpg\" alt=\"Dinosaur Bones\" \/><\/li>\n<li class=\"splide__slide\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/thumbnails-s\/DSC_6125.jpg\" alt=\"Dinosaur Bone\" \/><\/li>\n<li class=\"splide__slide\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/thumbnails-s\/DSC_6129.jpg\" alt=\"Dinosaur Bone\" \/><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><noscript><br \/>\nJavascript not enabled, unable to display slideshow.<\/p>\n<style type=\"text\/css\">\n#splide-major-9, #splide-thumb-9 { display:none; }\n<\/style>\n<details>\n<summary>Click here to display photos of the slideshow<\/summary>\n<div style=\"width: 615px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/DSC_6128.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/thumbnails\/DSC_6128.jpg\" alt=\"Dinosaur Bones\" \/><\/a><p class=\"wp-caption-text\"><\/br>Dinosaur Bones<\/p><\/div>\n<div style=\"width: 615px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/DSC_6125.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/thumbnails\/DSC_6125.jpg\" alt=\"Dinosaur Bone\" \/><\/a><p class=\"wp-caption-text\"><\/br>Dinosaur Bone<\/p><\/div>\n<p><div style=\"width: 615px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/DSC_6129.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/thumbnails\/DSC_6129.jpg\" alt=\"Dinosaur Bone\" \/><\/a><p class=\"wp-caption-text\"><\/br>Dinosaur Bone<\/p><\/div><br \/>\n<\/details>\n<p><\/noscript><\/p>\n<p>After lunch, we checked out another &#8220;attraction&#8221; of Denver, the big blue bear outside its convention center. As it happened, the comfort of the air-conditioned interior proved far more alluring than the sculpture itself. We lingered inside for quite some time until the security guards, having finally ascertained that we were not convention attendees, politely ushered us out\u2014the building not being open to the general public.<\/p>\n<div style=\"width: 615px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/20250728_141312.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/thumbnails-m\/20250728_141312.jpg\" width=\"49%\" alt=\"Big Blue Bear outside Denver Convention Center\" \/><\/a><p class=\"wp-caption-text\">&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/20250728_142818.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/thumbnails-m\/20250728_142818.jpg\" width=\"49%\" alt=\"Big Blue Bear outside Denver Convention Center\" \/><\/a><\/br>Big Blue Bear outside Denver Convention Center<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Having lost our refuge from the heat, we decided to explore the nearby 16th Street, a pedestrian mall that came recommended as another local attraction. However, given the oppressive warmth of the day, we found ourselves rather disinclined to do much walking. Before long, we opted to make our way to the airport and wait there for our flights instead.<\/p>\n<h3><span id=\"Southwest_Airlines_Flight_3499_from_Denver_to_Boston\">Southwest Airlines Flight 3499 from Denver to Boston<\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Among the handful of carriers serving the Denver-Boston route, Southwest turned out to be the cheapest, offering $102 for this one-way flight on Monday afternoon that aligned perfectly with our schedule. Given Southwest&#8217;s recent elimination of free checked bags, which has considerably diminished the airline&#8217;s appeal to me, this presented an ideal opportunity to offload some of my accumulated Southwest credits.<\/p>\n<p>The principal disappointment of this flight stemmed from an operational peculiarity: the aircraft assigned to our flight (N8324A) arrived from Canc\u00fan and was parked at Concourse A, the only concourse at Denver International Airport equipped with customs and immigration facilities. However, as Southwest operated all departures from Concourse C, the aircraft required towing across the airport. (Given Denver airport&#8217;s layout, the tow took quite some time.)<br \/>\nCuriously, once the towing operation commenced, Southwest&#8217;s flight information system registered the flight as &#8220;departed.&#8221; Since the tow began punctually, the flight status displayed as &#8220;on time&#8221; until the scheduled departure hour (then the flight disappeared off the system completely), despite the aircraft not yet having reached the departure gate. This created an unfortunate information gap that masked what was, in reality, a significant delay.<\/p>\n<p>Under different circumstances, this delay would have been merely a minor inconvenience. I was reasonably prepared for such contingencies: I could have remained comfortably ensconced in the Capital One lounge (in Concourse A), or I might have extended my leisurely conversations with friends departing on other flights that evening\u2014either option would have largely mitigated any frustration. However, because the delay was never formally acknowledged in the flight information system, I was under the assumption that departure remained on schedule. Consequently, I hastened from the lounge to the gate, only to find out the plane was half an airport away and almost put on a scene there.<\/p>\n<p>Ultimately, the flight crew attributed the situation to a last-minute equipment substitution necessitated by maintenance concerns\u2014suggesting more misfortune than incompetence on Southwest&#8217;s part. The flight eventually departed approximately one hour behind schedule. Befitting the modest fare, the cabin was only half occupied.<\/p>\n<p>Here&#8217;s a video of the takeoff:<br \/>\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"600\" height=\"338\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/6WqeuNg3z-c\" title=\"YouTube video player\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Southwest Airlines 3499<br \/>\nDenver, CO (DEN) &#8211; Boston, MA (BOS)<br \/>\nBoeing B737-800 (N8324A)<br \/>\nSeat 9A<br \/>\nScheduled Departure &#8211; 6:40pm<br \/>\nActual Departure    &#8211; 7:49pm<br \/>\nScheduled Arrival   &#8211; 12:40am + 1<br \/>\nActual Arrival \t    &#8211; 1:09am + 1<br \/>\n3 hours and 20 minutes<br \/>\nHere&#8217;s GPS tracking:<\/p>\n<div style=\"width:100%;aspect-ratio:3\/2;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" frameBorder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wikiloc.com\/wikiloc\/spatialArtifacts.do?event=view&#038;id=244057454&#038;measures=off&#038;title=off&#038;near=off&#038;images=off&#038;maptype=H\" width=\"100%\" height=\"100%\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<p>The flight itself wasn&#8217;t very remarkable. It was very similar to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.huangyizhou.com\/index.php\/2024\/08\/29\/20240829wn\/#Southwest_Airlines_Flight_WN3994_from_Denver_to_Boston\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">my flight from Denver last year<\/a>: both departed around dusk and touched down late in the evening, and both traced a similar path over the expansive Midwestern farmlands and the glittering nocturnal lights of Chicago and Detroit below.<\/p>\n<div class=\"splide\" id=\"splide-major-10\">\n<div class=\"splide__track\">\n<ul class=\"splide__list\">\n<li class=\"splide__slide\"><a href=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/20250728_185938.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/thumbnails\/20250728_185938.jpg\" width=\"93.1%\" alt=\"Southwest Airlines B738 (N8324A)\" \/><\/a><\/br>Southwest Airlines B738 (N8324A)<\/br><span style=\"font-size: small;\">My plane to Boston.<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"splide__slide\"><a href=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/20250728_222929.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/thumbnails\/20250728_222929.jpg\" alt=\"Flying over Chicago at Night\" \/><\/a><\/br>Flying over Chicago at Night<\/li>\n<li class=\"splide__slide\"><a href=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/20250728_223011.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/thumbnails\/20250728_223011.jpg\" alt=\"Flying over Chicago at Night\" \/><\/a><\/br>Flying over Chicago at Night<\/li>\n<li class=\"splide__slide\"><a href=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/20250728_225419.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/thumbnails\/20250728_225419.jpg\" alt=\"Flying over Detroit at Night\" \/><\/a><\/br>Flying over Detroit at Night<\/li>\n<li class=\"splide__slide\"><a href=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/20250728_225451.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/thumbnails\/20250728_225451.jpg\" alt=\"Flying over Detroit at Night\" \/><\/a><\/br>Flying over Detroit at Night<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"splide\" id=\"splide-thumb-10\">\n<div class=\"splide__track\">\n<ul class=\"splide__list\">\n<li class=\"splide__slide\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/thumbnails-s\/20250728_185938.jpg\" alt=\"Southwest Airlines B738 (N8324A)\" \/><\/li>\n<li class=\"splide__slide\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/thumbnails-s\/20250728_222929.jpg\" alt=\"Flying over Chicago at Night\" \/><\/li>\n<li class=\"splide__slide\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/thumbnails-s\/20250728_223011.jpg\" alt=\"Flying over Chicago at Night\" \/><\/li>\n<li class=\"splide__slide\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/thumbnails-s\/20250728_225419.jpg\" alt=\"Flying over Detroit at Night\" \/><\/li>\n<li class=\"splide__slide\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/thumbnails-s\/20250728_225451.jpg\" alt=\"Flying over Detroit at Night\" \/><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><noscript><br \/>\nJavascript not enabled, unable to display slideshow.<\/p>\n<style type=\"text\/css\">\n#splide-major-10, #splide-thumb-10 { display:none; }\n<\/style>\n<details>\n<summary>Click here to display photos of the slideshow<\/summary>\n<div style=\"width: 615px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/20250728_185938.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/thumbnails\/20250728_185938.jpg\" alt=\"Southwest Airlines B738 (N8324A)\" \/><\/a><p class=\"wp-caption-text\"><\/br>Southwest Airlines B738 (N8324A)<\/br><span style=\"font-size: small;\">My plane to Boston.<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n<div style=\"width: 615px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/20250728_222929.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/thumbnails\/20250728_222929.jpg\" alt=\"Flying over Chicago at Night\" \/><\/a><p class=\"wp-caption-text\"><\/br><a href=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/20250728_223011.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/thumbnails\/20250728_223011.jpg\" alt=\"Flying over Chicago at Night\" \/><\/a><\/br>Flying over Chicago at Night<\/p><\/div>\n<p><div style=\"width: 615px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/20250728_225419.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/thumbnails\/20250728_225419.jpg\" alt=\"Flying over Detroit at Night\" \/><\/a><p class=\"wp-caption-text\"><\/br><a href=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/20250728_225451.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2025\/07\/26\/thumbnails\/20250728_225451.jpg\" alt=\"Flying over Detroit at Night\" \/><\/a><\/br>Flying over Detroit at Night<\/p><\/div><br \/>\n<\/details>\n<p><\/noscript><\/p>\n<p>END<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A post about things happening on the sidelines of my 2025 annual college reunion: flights, rocky mountain national park, and AI agents playing poker.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[595,536],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.huangyizhou.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9982"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.huangyizhou.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.huangyizhou.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.huangyizhou.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.huangyizhou.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9982"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"http:\/\/www.huangyizhou.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9982\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10098,"href":"http:\/\/www.huangyizhou.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9982\/revisions\/10098"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.huangyizhou.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9982"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.huangyizhou.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9982"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.huangyizhou.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9982"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}