Trail Through Time Slideshow

On to Utah

The drive to Moab, Utah, the next stop in our travels, was scenic the entire way.  We saw more of the Colorado Monument area and then watched the scenery change on both sides of the road.  We saw the Colorado River for awhile, and then it left us.


Off I-70 in Utah



The landscape got more arid as we crossed into Utah.  Over on Jeff's side of the motorhome, there was a thunderstorm over some smaller mountains that was interesting to watch.  There was also a 12,000 foot tall mountain surrounded by clouds.

Soon after we exited I-70 to take Route 191 down to Moab, the scenery got better and better.  Lots of red rocks, as well as signs of erosion creating balanced rocks, hoodoos and other formations.  Everywhere you looked, there was something amazing to see.  I gave up trying to take pictures and shot some video.

We arrived safe and sound at the KOA campground here in Moab after driving through the heart of town.  Looks like a nice little town, with some restaurants and shops.  We need to do a grocery store run to pick up a few supplies for the next couple days.  We'll be here until Tuesday.

While we're here, we'll check out Arches and Canyonlands National Parks, and other sites in the area.  I think there's some petroglyphs from ancient native Americans nearby on something called Newspaper Rock.

Ruth and Henry have already hit the pool and report that it's cold on one end and okay on the other.  Jeff said it was cold and passed on going in.  There are lots of international visitors here too - some Germans, French and Danes.  It's probably a pretty cheap vacation in the U.S. for them right now.

Since we were on the road when Derek Jeter got his 3,000 hit, we're going to watch a little bit of the replay of the game and then head out to Arches National Park.  I have the breakdown of areas that are best to see in the late afternoon, so we'll check them out tonight and then do the rest later in our stay.

A Trail Through Time



Collared Lizard



About 30 miles west of Grand Junction is the Trail Through Time, a hiking trail through areas where dinosaur fossils are still being excavated.  This land is part of the Morrison Formation, the same as Dinosaur Ridge near Denver.  It's 1.6 miles in total, including an upper and lower path. 

Along the way, we finally saw a Collared Lizard, which eluded us at the Colorado Monument.  It's blue and green, so it's hard to miss.  The park ranger at the Colorado Monument told us that while we might think the lizard is posing for us to take its picture, but it's really standing its ground and telling us its not afraid of us.

Along the trail, signs note fossilized dinosaur bones trapped in rock, as well as signs of fossilized plants.  The rocks varied from almost black, to rust to red to gold to gray.  There was also colorful moss growing on some of the rocks, making some look almost tie-dyed.

Jeff and Henry did the whole route, while Ruth and I did half of the upper path and part of the lower one. It was pretty hot, but not too awful.

Henry's hand on top of a dinosaur
bone in a big rock.





Goodbye, Grand Junction

As we were heading out of Grand Junction this morning, we thought of a few things we forgot to mention about our time here.

First, we thought it was worth mentioning the way streets are named and numbered.  One place we visited was on 26 1/4 road.  Not 26, not 27 Road, but 26 1/4 Road.  I think I saw 22 1/2 and B 1/2 Road too.  Odd.

Last night, we found an ice cream parlor on Main Street in downtown Grand Junction.  It's a nice little downtown area, with sculptures and fountains decorating the sidewalks.  They made their own ice cream and gelatto.  It was delicious.  I had the cherry almond gelatto and it was fabulous.  Jeff had cherry vanilla ice cream, Ruth had huckleberry ice cream and Henry went with his usual of cookies and cream.

Lastly, this town broke our streak of spotting Amish people touring the U.S.  Two years ago, we saw Amish people just about everywhere we went.  We've seen a bunch on this trip, including one incredible sighting on the side of Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountain National Park that we should have posted on the blog.  I'll have to go back and do that.  But no Amish in Grand Junction that we could see.

We didn't make it to the top of the Grand Mesa this visit.  It's the tallest flat-topped mountain in the U.S. and has more than 100 lakes on it.  We also missed the Farmer's Market, which would have been nice to go to and get some fresh fruit and vegetables.  And to add to the list of things we didn't do in Grand Junction, we missed the Blues Traveler concert near Grand Junction last night. 

As far as campgrounds go, the KOA in Grand Junction was pretty good.  They had a nice pool, a small mini-golf course and fabulous showers.

It was an interesting mix of desert, mountains, orchards and vineyards and beautiful sky.  The mountains, which surround the city, included so many colors that you wondered how they came to be. 

Goodbye, Grand Junction.

Dinosaur Discovery Museum

We forgot to mention our visit to the Dinosaur Discovery Museum in Fruita yesterday.  It's a great little museum with information on dinosaurs that roamed this area millions of years ago.  We've been to a few dino sites in our travels before, but this is the first one that has both real bones, casts of bones, assembled skeletons and motorized, lifelike dinosaurs.  It also has a model of the Fruitadens, the smallest dinosaur found in the Fruita area.

Kids can push a button to bring some of the dinosaurs to life.  The scariest is the Tyrannosaurus Rex, who roars and moves his head around, opening his mouth wide to show just how dangerous this dinosaur must have been.  There was also a dinosaur, that when you pushed the button, he would take a drink of water, move his head around, and spit water on unsuspecting people walking by.  The grossest one was a lifelike dinosaur with the head of another dinosaur in its mouth, and the rest of the dead dinosaur on the ground below.  Yuck. 

We saw two real dinosaur femur bones on display, and one had teeth marks on it showing where it was bitten into by another dinosaur.  They also had some casts of dinosaur footprints that you could touch, as well as some fish fossils that were pretty interesting.

Jeff, Henry and Ruth had fun standing in an earthquake simulator that showed how the earth's surface cracks and lets you feel the shaking sensation.

We bought a few arrowheads and polished rock slices in the nice little gift shop. 

Living the Dream

After being unsuccessful in finding desert bighorn sheep yesterday, Henry asked to go back to a spot in the Colorando Monument where a woman we met had seen them earlier.  So we got up and out earlier this morning and went to the Monument Overlook to try to find them.  Again, we were unsuccessful.  We dropped in at the Visitor Center so the kids could turn in their Junion Ranger booklets and get their badges, and one of the part-time park staff said she hasn't seen one in eight years.  That made us feel better.

Being that we got up and out early with not everyone having breakfast, after our time in the monument, we were starving.  We went back to the TripAdvisor app to find a place, since it was so successful in picking our dinner last night.  We first selected Garfield's, but it was only open for dinner.  So we went with Plan B - the Blue Moon Bar and Grill.  Reviews said the food was good, especially the burgers.  The app did not lie.  It was a dark and cool place, with tin ceilings.  Had an old feel to it, like the building had been there a long time.  Food was great. 

After lunch, we headed back to the motorhome so Jeff could get some work done.  I was going to do double duty:  get some laundry done and take the kids to the pool.  But sadly for the kids, not five minutes after they got in, the campground management closed the pool because a storm was nearby and they spotted lightning.  So the kids headed back to the campsite and I continued with the laundry plan.

In the laundry room, I met a woman from Minnesota who just arrived here last night. She and her husband recently retired, and this summer, they're starting on their trip of a lifetime.  We shared stories of places we've visited, and she told me we got out of Estes Park and Denver just in time, because they just had bad storms and flooding.  Listening to her talk about how they're about to start their dream road trip, it made me happy that we're working on our trip of a lifetime now, instead of 15 or 20 years from now. 

The temperature has dropped and there's a cool breeze.  There hasn't been any rain or thunder yet, but the skies to the north of us are still really dark.  It looks pretty cool, to tell the truth.

Wine Tasting and Dinner

I had no idea that Grand Junction has a significant number of wineries producing a wide variety of wines.  The climate and soil here is conducive to grape growing.

We originally planned to take the kids to the Dinosaur Discovery Museum in Fruita (pronounced "fruit-ah), but we ran out of time before it closed.  I did a little web surfing and found a winery nearby that was open until 6:00 p.m.  So off we headed to check it out.

It's called Whitewater Vineyards, and their Riesling has won the best in Colorado award.  They offered a free wine tasting, so I tasted some dry and sweet reds and whites.  The had some really nice wines.  I would have gladly bought a case, but in the back of my mind, I remembered that we had to cross back over the Rockies to get home, and a lighter motorhome is a happier motorhome going up and down a 10,000 foot pass. I got four bottles and hope they can ship me some when I get home.

I had planned to make dinner, but Jeff said it was too hot so instead of heading back, we went in search of a place for dinner.  I checked my TripAdvisor app and found high ratings for Leon's Taqueria, saying it was the best authentic Mexican food in Grand Junction.  It's on the outskirts of town.  The prices are very reasonable, bordering on cheap.  I went for the steak burrito, Henry got a taco salad, Ruth got cheese enchiladas, and Jeff got the creamy chicken enchiladas.  I thought about ordering the enchiladas too, but went with the burrito.  While it was good, it couldn't hold a candle to Jeff's dish.  It was out of this world.  He joked about asking the server for a second order.

Back at the campground, now that the temperatures dropped and a breeze appeared, we pulled out the chairs and sat outside.  I worked on trip planning and the kids watched a movie outside.  Jeff did a little more work and then joined us outside.  It wasn't too buggy until 9:00 p.m., and by then it was time to head in and get the kids to bed.

Later that night, we heard the pitter-patter of rain on the motorhome roof. 

If it's Sunny, We Must Go to the Pool

That is Ruth's motto for this trip.  She'd probably say we have to go to the pool when it's cloudy too.  Going to the pool is her main focus of this trip, second only to going to the game room or playground.

Ruth brought money and a purse on this trip, and she and Henry have enjoyed going on their own to the game room to play video and pinball games.

After our hike in the Colorado Monument and lunch at the Rockslide Restaurant and Brewery, we headed back to the campground so Jeff could get some work done and do his P90X workout.  He puts on quite a show for people in the campground.  Usually, he does it early in the morning when only a few people are up, but here in Grand Junction, he's been doing it mid-day.  Today is yoga day.

I took the kids to the pool and Jeff met us there.  Even though it gets close to 100 degrees during the day, the pool is always on the chilly side.  Not sure if it's because it gets cool at night or if they add fresh water daily.  It was hot enough for me to get in this time, and Jeff came in when he joined us. 

We had the pool to ourselves until a family from Germany came and joined us.  We had to tell the kids to get quiet when they saw the rather tight bathing suit the father was wearing - completely different than the one their dad wears.  There were a few "Oh my God's" and a bit of giggling that we tried to suppress. 

The pool was very refreshing and a great way to spend the middle of the day.  There is an awning on one side of the pool that shades some of the patio and the pool, so after getting a bit of sun, I sat in the shade so I wouldn't get sunburn.

The kids and Jeff also played a round of min-golf at the campground.  It's a small course, but kept them entertained.

Colorado National Monument

This morning, we headed out to the Colorado National Monument, about 20 minutes from our campground.  We had not heard of this site managed by the National Park Service until we began researching things to do in the Grand Junction area. 

The roads through the monument area wind around  the canyon rim and up through mountains that are being worn over time by water, wind, and ice.  The area is very colorful, with golds, reds, and other rock colors, as well as various shades of green with the trees and shrubs.

Henry was hoping to see a desert bighorn sheep.  They were reintroduced into the park in the 70's and are thriving.  Sadly, we didn't get to see one today.  We did see a few lizards, thanks to Jeff pointing them out.

We took a hike uo to a place called Devil's Kitchen.  The path ends inside a "room" surrounded by rocks, hence the name Devil's Kitchen.  In the corner of it is a balancing rock - one sitting right on top of another.  There are a few of the

se visible in the park.

The most critical thing you need when venturing out at the Colorado Monument is bug spray.  They have these little biting gnats that are really annoying.  And mosquitoes.  First we used the 40% Deet on all of us, and then Jeff and I had to resort to the 100% Deety spray to keep the little buggers away.  We noticed the flag man for a road construction team wearing what looked like a beekeeper's hat on to keep the bugs away from his face.

In the summer, you have to go there early in the morning or later in the evening to avoid the heat.  It gets to 100 degrees pretty quickly here in the sun, and even with strong sunscreen on, I've been getting some sunburn fairly quickly.

This was a great find, and we're glad we were able to check it out.  Grand Junction really has a variety of landscapes to take in and enjoy.  The monument is a beautiful place to spend some time and see what wonders nature can create.  It would be really interesting to see it around sunrise or sunset to see the light play on the rock formations.  Maybe tomorrow.

Here's a slideshow of some of the pictures we took today.

Dinner with Friends

One of my colleagues at work took a new job at the Grand Junction airport, so we met him and his wife for dinner tonight.  The restaurant is called The Ale House, and Andrew said the original is in Breckenridge, Colorado.  They serve lots of beer made in Colorado, including the Breckenridge Brewery.

It was great to see Andrew and meet his wife.  They gave us tips for things to see and do around Grand Junction and we caught up on some work stuff as well.   He advised us to make use of bug spray with Deet if we go up to the Colorado Monument, and from the welts on his legs, it's clear he means it.  Fortunately, we have all kinds of insect repellent in the RV, from the "Family-Friendly" stuff that smells nice but doesn't do anything to 40 percent to 100 percent Deet.  I do not mess around when it comes to mosquitoes.

One of the best part of these road trips is meeting up with friends around the country.  It's great to see them again, and gives us new people to share stories with.

The Drive to End All Drives

It's 10:00 p.m. here in Grand Junction, Colorado.  We've traded in the aspen and pine trees of the alpine environment for a hot, mountain desert environment.  But before I talk about Grand Junction, I need to write about the drive here from Estes Park.

This was one of the days I had been dreading since we started the trip: the ride over the Rocky Mountains to get across the state of Colorado.  And I'm only the co-pilot. 

The ride down to Denver was uneventful.  Jeff and I drove separately from Estes Park to Longmont because of the windy descent out of the mountains, and hooked back up along the side of the road.  West of Denver, we began our ascent from about 5,000 feet to 11,000 feet, the highest point of our drive.  And that was just get through a tunnel - not the top of the mountain. 

Jeff did an amazing job driving.  He stayed calm and kept the engine from overheating by running the heater when we were going up.  Whenever possible, he got a running start to hills to make it easier.  The ascents seemed longer and more gradual, whereas the descents were more steep.  So Jeff put the engine in lower gear so he wouldn't burn out the breaks.  He was so good about it that the kids never knew how hard it was for him to get the RV and Jeep up that mountain. 

And then he did it again at the Vail Pass, about 25 miles farther down the road, and about 10,000 feet high.

We got to see Vail from the interstate, but didn't take the exit.  Too painful to maneuver with a RV towing a Jeep.  We also passed Breckenridge and some other ski towns.  It was a scenic drive.

There is a beautiful stretch where we were driving alongside the Colorado River through the Glenwood Canyon.  The mountains in the Canyon are gorgeous.  While I was taking in the scenery and trying to figure out how to take pictures from my seat in the RV, Jeff was dealing with the winds, trying to keep the RV on the road.  Usually, I feel the wind pushing us around, but I didn't this time.  Again, Jeff did a great job driving.

It is amazing to watch the scenery change as we made our way west on I-70.  The colors of the mountains changed, the types of trees changed, and even the texture of the mountains changed.  We started to see gold and red colors in the rocks of the mountains, and sometimes it seemed like there was sand near the top.  In some areas, you could see how the wind shaped the rocks, and how the water shaped it in other areas. We watched the river gush past, and in one spot, very brave people were getting on rafts to go whitewater rafting.  There was something interesting to see around every corner.

As we got closer to Grand Junction, I looked out Jeff's window, and was surprised to see so much green - farm fields and trees.  Out my window, looked like a mountainous desert. Very few trees - just rock and sand.

Out Jeff's window, I saw one of the many wineries in Grand Junction.  There were also lots of fruit orchards.  They have a farmers market here, and we might try to go find it. 

The town has about 48,000 people living in it.  No real high rises - the taller buildings have three or four floors.  There's a dinosaur museum nearby that is supposed to be very good, as once again, we're in prime dinosaur fossil territory.  We're also near the Colorado Monument, which is actually part of the National Park Service sites.  We might check that out tomorrow.  Another landmark near Grand Junction is the Grand Mesa, which is a huge, flat mountain near Grand Junction that has more than 100 lakes on it, and lots of great scenery.

This gives us some options for things to do in the coming days.

Goodbye, Estes Park

Jeff had a 6:30 a.m. conference call this morning, so he had to drive down toward Estes Park to get a good cell signal.  I woke up early too, and started packing things up in preparation for our drive to Grand Junction, Colorado.  The kids wrote out some postcards.

Because we're in the RV, we'll have to drive back down to Denver and then over to Grand Junction on I-70 West. There's going to be some steep places along the drive out of Denver, which ought to be interesting.

Rocky Mountain National Park Slideshow

Here are about 70 pictures from Rocky Mountain National Park.  We underestimated how much we'd like this place.

Henry's review of the day

On July 4, we got up early to go Rocky Mountain National Park to beat the crowds. In a magazine, it said it had 3,000 elk, 800 bighorn sheep, and they don't know how many moose there are. About 12 miles into the park we saw 3 elk then a guy said there's about 50 near a snow patch. So we went through there but there was a hill so we only saw a couple. At the Alpine Visitor Center we saw a bull elk and a guy said there's two on the other side. There was a trail next to the elk and I wanted to go on it but it was closed. After that I suggested we go to the Continental Divide. When we were going to the Continental Divide we passed a mountain and Dad spotted some bighorn sheep. I was frustrated because I couldn't see them at first and then Dad spotted a marmot!  A marmot is less than two feet long ! When we got to the Continental Divide and we got our pictures taken, and then we drove back to where the 50 elk were but now they were on both sides of the road so we just started clicking our cameras. We drove back to the campground. Me and Dad played 2 rounds of mini golf. The first hole I made a hole in one. We tied that round. In the 2nd round on the first hole I got another hole in one! We saw the fourth of July fireworks in Estes park.  Happy 4th of July!

July 4th in Estes Park, Colorado

We took a break back at the campground before heading back into Estes Park for the fireworks that night.  Ruth had to have her pool time and Henry played another round of miniature golf.  He got two holes in one.

The fireworks were at 9:30 p.m., but we were warned that we should get into town early to get a parking spot.  So we left around 4:00 p.m., figuring we could walk around town and get dinner before getting a spot to watch the fireworks.

I did a little shopping and picked up a necklace and earrings.  We sat and watched the river go rushing through town.  I’m sure Henry will want to write about his marmot sighting along the Riverwalk when he writes later.  Ruth asked for ice cream, so we all had a small treat to tide us over until dinner.  Nothing like dessert before dinner…

After walking through town, we had dinner at Mama Rosa’s Italian Restaurant on the Riverwalk.  It was a nice place with homemade pasta and sauces.  We weren’t rushed at all, which was nice because we still needed to kill time.  Jeff said the lasagna, their house specialty, was delicious and the rest of our meals were also very good. 

After dinner, we headed back to the Jeep, which we had parked in a prime spot to watch the fireworks and then get out of town quickly before the massive traffic jam started.  We heard the waiter say that it can take an hour to get out of town once they’re over, so we planned to leave a bit earlier than that.

We originally planned to watch the fireworks from the golf course next to our parking lot, but when Henry had to go to the bathroom shortly before they began, and a family sitting near us was starting to make the evening less than pleasant, we decided to just hang out at the Jeep and watch them.

It was a great show.  The fireworks go off over Lake Estes with a mountain backdrop.  The kids wore their glow in the dark red, white and blue bracelets, which also served as mini-flashlights when you tried to move about in the dark.

Independence Day In Rocky Mountain National Park

We decided to spend July 4^th in the national park during the day, and then go to the fireworks in Estes Park at night.

It’s a short 10 minute drive from the campground into Estes Park and in a just a few more minutes, we were in Rocky Mountain National Park.  We stopped at a grocery store on the way to pick up water and a few picnic supplies.  We’re all trying to stay hydrated to avoid headaches and other issue from the increase in altitude.  The little grocery store carried bread and rolls from a great bakery in Montana that we found two years ago, aptly called “Wheat Montana,” so I picked up a loaf of thickly sliced white bread.  We also took the opportunity to take the top off the Jeep to give us better views for the drive.

Jeff did the research on this park and decided on taking the Trail Ridge Road today.   It’s not a loop, so you drive out as far as you want and then make your way back on the same road.  It goes pretty high up – the Alpine Visitors Center is more than 11,000 feet in elevation.  And while it is a marvel that brave people built the road and plow the snow there every year, it would have been nice if someone could have coughed up some extra money to put in some guardrails.  Seriously, at times it’s just the white line marking the end of the lane, and then a drop-off down the side of the mountain.  Jeff was a masterful driver and put up with my periodic reminders to pay attention to the road instead of looking for animals.

We made our ascent up the road and watched the exterior temperature drop as we went higher and higher.  Soon, we were at the alpine level and could smell the evergreen trees.  It’s a wonderful scent, and if they bottled it and sold it at the gift shop, I would have bought some. 

There was a lot of snow at this elevation, and there were more than a few streams flowing down to the road with melting snow.  From time to time, I held my Flip video camera up outside of the Jeep to film the drive.

The views were just amazing.  At one point, Jeff and the kids took a short hike across the tundra to a lookout point.  In the park, they really call this area the tundra and explain that it’s fragile, so you have to stay on the paths.  This was a little difficult this early in the summer, because most of the path was covered in snow.  Jeff actually went knee deep in the snow at one point on the hike.  I thought the view was just fine from where I stood on the sidewalk and I have a fairly good idea where all of the insurance policy information is, so I hung back and watched them walk out there. 

People were talking about an elk herd up on the mountain down the road, so we got back in the car and headed that way.  There were a couple elk laying down on the side of the mountain on our left and farther up the mountain, we saw the antlers and head of a few elk up on the right. 

We stopped at the Alpine Visitors Center to stamp the kids’ National Park Passports and have lunch.  We picked up some post cards, t-shirts and a few treats for the drive in the store there.  They had prickly pear bark, which is made of bits of the fruit from the prickly pear cactus in white chocolate.  Henry got some Rocky Mountain animal cookies.  We had a picnic lunch outside and watched an elk up on top of the nearby mountain.  Then it was off farther down the Trail Ridge Road. 

We passed the Continental Divide and decided to stop there on the way back for a photo at the sign.  We soon came to a sign that said we were two miles above sea level – 10, 560 feet high.  We came to a spot where we could turn around and start to head back, and as Jeff was driving, he spotted some Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep high up on a mountain to the right.  The man has eagle eyes, because none of the rest of us could see them.  There was no pull-off area nearby, so he drove up to a spot where he could turn around and go back.  On the second pass, he took some pictures and showed us where he was looking.  To the naked eye, they were smaller than a ball of cotton and not as white.  There were a few adults and some babies walking on the rocky cliffs.  It boggles the mind how these sheep can do that without falling off the mountain.   Because cars kept coming behind us, Jeff took one more pass at viewing them, and then we went to park at the Continental Divide pullout. 

A nice couple took our picture so we could all be in it, and then we took a walk down to see the nearby lake.  We looked back at the mountain we saw the sheep on, and some had made their way into view.  We pointed them out a park volunteer and ranger so they could show other people.  At one point, one of the sheep was standing in perfect profile on a ledge of the mountain.  Simply amazing.

But the wildlife show was not over yet.  As we made it back to the area where we had seen a few elk on the ride out, we watched a group of males with huge antlers come up over the ridge of a mountain.  Since the Jeep top was off, I jumped up in my seat to snap some pictures.  As we came down around the bend, there were more on each side of the road.  Some were walking up on top of the mountain in the snow, and others were grazing on grass on the lower right of the Jeep.  Henry and I were snapping pictures like crazy.

The beauty wasn’t just in seeing the elk; it was seeing the elk with these huge, beautiful snow-capped mountains behind them.  It was almost scenery overload, it was so beautiful.  You had to take the time to take it all in.

We had to keep moving, so we headed on back to the entrance to the park.  We didn’t see any more animals other than Ruth spotting a mule deer, but from beginning to end, the park was incredible to see.

A Chilly Start to Independence Day

Wow, did it get cold last night!  It went down to the 50’s and at some point in the middle of the night, I got up to make sure the kids had their covers on.  Good thing I did, because Henry had kicked off his sleeping bag and only had a light quilt on him.

We are starting to adjust to the time zone change, because I slept until 7 this morning.  That’s still early, but it’s much better than 6.  And Jeff is sleeping past 4 a.m. 

After I got up, I packed picnic lunch supplies and my camera equipment, and then made oatmeal with cinnamon and apples for breakfast.  Henry was up shortly after me, and was really cold.  He came down from his bed and got under a blanket on the pullout couch next to Ruth while the oatmeal cooked.

Ruth was the last one up.  She said she needs her beauty sleep.  Once everyone was fed, dressed and cleaned up, it was time to head to the park.  We wanted to go early to try to avoid some crowds and see the park under clear skies.

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.

Into the Rockies

The drive from Strasburg to Estes Park, Colorado was only about 2 hours, which made for a great travel day.  That is, until we had to climb a mountain with little opportunity to pick up speed beforehand. 

We have a Western U.S. mountain map that alerts you to steep grades on interstates and other roads, and there were no alerts for our drive.  But awhile after we exited Longmont, we could see that we were beginning to head up a mountain.  There were early curves and traffic lights, so there wasn’t much opportunity for Jeff to accelerate enough to make the climb easy on the RV.  The engine got hotter than normal, so part way there, we pulled off to give it a break.  Estes Park is a busy place, with Rocky Mountain National Park there, so there was lots of traffic on the two lane road.

We got back on the road after the engine was cooler, and our campground snuck up on us faster than expected.  There was not enough time to stop, so we had to go up the road and find a place to turn around.  The best option, which was on the other side of the road, still required us to unhook the Jeep so Jeff would be able to turn around and pull out.  As I was sitting in the Jeep, I watched Jeff back up, right into a barbed wire fence along the pullout.  He only bumped it a little bit.

I made it just fine back to the Jellystone campground, but as Jeff was about to make the left into the campground, a car actually passed him on the left.  He was able to stop in time to avoid hitting the car.  Unbelievable, but true.  According to the children, there was much yelling and finger pointing, and some peaches on the kitchen counter flew off during the maneuvering.

It’s a nice campground, with Yogi Bear theming.  The kids like the Jellystone campgrounds because they have activities, in addition to a pool and miniature golf.  Tonight, they have a dance in an outdoor pavilion.

We have a view of the mountains and a spacious site to set up our chairs and roll out the awning.  One night, we’ll have a campfire and roast marshmallows.

Estes Park, Colorado

There will be light blogging for a bit because the wifi is pretty spotty up here in the Rockies. We're writing posts and will get them up on the blog when we have a better connection.

Happy Independence Day!

Slideshow of Day Three in Denver

We'll be adding more soon.