Since I've never been to Rocky Mountain National Park, we decided that today was the day.
Dad got up early, grilled some chicken, packed a picnic lunch and we were off.
After a beautiful drive through Lyons we drove into Estes Park around 10:00 am. As we drove past the Stanley Hotel, it was just as I imagined - grand against a beautiful backdrop of mountains.
We entered the park around 10:30 am and spent the entire day driving through at our leisure - stopping along the way to do some short hikes. The weather couldn't have been better - the skies were deep cerulean and, even at the highest points (over 12,000 feet), the weather was in the 60's - almost a heat record!
We ate a picnic lunch of BBQ chicken, celery stuffed with soft cheese, crackers, and superbly-ripened strawberries by a beautiful lake (complete with birds and chipmunks - like living in a Disney movie) and hiked around the lake after lunch. Saw may large-horned deer and even a female moose.
Here are some pitures from our day (although the pictures just aren't like being there)...
On the way home, we drove thorugh Grande Lake and stopped in Winter Park to ride the "buckets" - a 2.5 minue train ride to a few quaint shops - and indulge in some delicious ice cream.
By the end of the day, we felt like this:
When we got home, we retreated to our upper balcony to watch the fireworks. We had a perfect view of the local fireworks, as well as a distant view of the fireworks downtown.
All in all, it really was a pefect day...
No comments:
Post a Comment