Estes Park, Colorado

After setting up the campsite and letting the kids check out the campground, we ventured into Estes Park.  It’s a nice little town nestled among some pretty big mountains.  There is both a lake in town and a river that runs through it.  We went to the Visitors Center to pick up information, and then walked along the Riverwalk to check out the downtown area. 

The Riverwalk goes right along a fast moving river that rushes past you as you walk by.  It’s actually loud.

My guess is that Estes Park is busy all summer long, and today was no exception.  There were people everywhere.

We were pretty hungry, and found a Mexican restaurant along the Riverwalk that didn’t have a really long wait.  The food was delicious.  Ruth said her cheese enchiladas were the best she’s ever had, and my fish tacos were really good too.  The mango salsa was really spicy.  Jeff got steak tacos and Henry got a beef taco and both of them liked their food too.

If there is a Dairy Queen within a five mile radius, Ruth will find it.  As we walked off lunch, she spotted one on the corner, so we got ice cream for dessert.  All afternoon, the clouds were getting bigger and grayer, so we decided to head back to the Jeep.  We have left the top off when we parked it, so we didn’t want it to get soaked if it rained.  Before heading back to the campground, we drove up to the Stanley Hotel, which sits on a hill in Estes Park with mountains behind it.  The man in the Visitor Center told me that Stephen King stayed there years ago, and his time in the hotel was the inspiration for his book, The Shining. 

And then the rain came.  Fortunately, it was a quick shower and was over shortly after we got back to the campground.  Jeff took Ruth to the pool and I took Henry to play miniature golf.  I made spaghetti with meat sauce for dinner, in my effort to clear out as much of the heavier food items out of the RV before we head out to Grand Junction.  If it’s in a jar, bottle or can, it’s got to go.  We need to lighten the load before hitting the 7 to 8 percent grades getting west of Denver.

After dinner, the kids went back to the playground, which is right by our campsite.  There’s a playground sized zip line there, and they like playing on it.  When 7:30 came around, it was time for Ruth and I to go to the dance.  We had a nice time dancing, and Jeff and Henry stayed at the campsite, watching TV outside. 

While I was getting the spaghetti out of the cupboard for dinner, I found a yellow cake mix.  I had seen some recipes for baking a cake in a crock pot on a RV forum website, so I thought I’d give it a try.  I mixed a can of cherry pie filling, some Squirt soda, a little bit of canola oil and the cake mix in a lined crock pot (no cleaning afterward!) and set it on high.  By the time Ruth and I were back from the dance, we had warm cherry cake ready to eat.  It was pretty good for the first time trying it.  Next, we might try a chocolate Coca Cola cake – maybe add cherries again.

It can get really hot here during the day – in the 80’s, but at night, it’s cool.  That makes for comfortable sleeping.  Since the plan is to go to Rocky Mountain National Park tomorrow morning, it’s time to get everyone to bed.