Rocky Mountain National Park at Estes Park

This has been a wild week in Colorado...with weather and sickness mixed with all of the pleasantries of being in one of the most beautiful natural places in the U.S.  The elevation continues to mess with all of us as dehydration is a task easily accomplished. Boyd can't drink enough to stay hydrated. I got so sick that I spent an entire day in bed.  Mixed up in all of this bad has been a very positive and memorable alpine experience.  

Erica took Blythe horseback riding in RMNP and Blythe says she wants to ride horses when she grows up.  They climbed to a peak and looked out over the continental divide.  Boyd fished and fished and fished and he was able to catch some rainbow trout.  One trout jumped on his line in the fast moving river at the campground and that hooked him.  We had no luck fishing at Sprague Lake in RMNP or Mary's Lake but did finally have some success using a clear bobber and power bait on a two foot leader at Lake Estes.  The weather was just too cold for the fish to come up but we had fun all week exploring the lakes in and around Estes Park. 

The weather in Estes Park was cold when we arrived and the further we climbed the mountain into RMNP the more the cold intensified.  It was great to hike around Bear Lake and play in the snow and then drive down a thousand feet below and find milder temps to hike in.  We spent six nights here and every morning and evening we would be bombarded by Elk.  For us, they were incredible to watch as the calves played around the does and the growing velvet racks on the bulls were incredible to see so close-up.  For the people whonlive here I see why they view the elk as pests as they own the place.  It humbly reminds me that they were here first and that we have the privilege of living along side them...just have to build tall fences around your gardens.

We keep telling ourselves that the best part of the year traveling has been our time spent in the RV. In contrast to being abroad in an Airbnb in an unfamiliar setting, there is a peace that we feel when we are on the road here in the US that makes this last leg of the journey a little bittersweet.  When you throw in the fact that we know the end is in sight, we are sad at times and long for more time.  We flip and flop on whether we are ready to be back but we know the flip side is going to give us something we have longed for over the past five months and so we will continue to plan for a June 15th arrival into San Diego and begin to prepare for the next steps in our lives there. 

Peace and Love