Estes/Rocky Mountain National Park

Day 4!!

And now for the major picture explosion: Rocky Mountain National Park!! We'd been seeing mountains from Ft. Collins the whole time we were there, but on Tuesday we got to really SEE MOUNTAINS- like, be up in the mountains, not just the foothills. And it was amazing! Estes Park is a town that is kind of a "gateway" to RMNP; you can drive up into the mountains from there. Mike & Jess were kind enough to rent a suburban for that day, so we could all go together, which was totally worth it (even if I was jammed into the backseat with Mom & a carseat the whole time!). It was really cold on Tuesday, but it wasn't snowing or raining, so it was an amazing day!

Laney: dressed for the weather in her new sweatsuit from Grandma. I mostly packed spring clothes, so I was really glad Grandma bought this for her! Gotta love a self-portrait!

See, I said jammed, and jammed we were! But still really fun, and way better than being in two cars (or jammed all 8 into the minivan).

Needless to say, we have GOBS of pictures. But, as they mostly just look like mountains again and again, I've tried to sort through and just find my favorites. Mike was a great guide, and he didn't even complain when we asked to stop every 50 feet for more pictures! :)

Apparently, it's darn near impossible to go to RMNP without seeing Elk. We were a little worried we were going to be disappointed, since we made it all the way to the turn around and were headed back down before we saw any. Charlie spotted 2 or 3 grazing behind some trees, so Mike pulled a NASCAR pit stop pull-over, and we all raced out to look at them. Only on the way back did I see the "Restoration Area, Stay Off" sign. WHOOPS!

Then we saw this huge herd of elk, which was really neat. There were probably 30 of them, including a big male with giant antlers and this one with a bird sitting on its back. Guess you find good fleas in elk, plus a nice warm seat!

This is probably my favorite mountain shot of the day. The clouds are hiding the highest peak, but there's just a hint of blue sky showing through. Seriously beautiful! You stand up there and just are amazed at the power and creativity of God. To think, He created these AND rainforests, AND everywhere else AND Heaven, which is even cooler. Pretty amazing.

Ok, so there's obviously no way I could pick ONE favorite mountain shot... so here are the rest of them! Love, love, LOVE this first one: if it was black and white it would totally look like Ansel Adams!

So, can you tell I like the ones with a hint of blue sky? :)

Along with tons of mountain pictures, we all wanted to take family pictures at every stop! So, that involved finding a place to set the camera, setting the timer, smashing into the picture, yelling "Where's the truck" so Laney would look in the general direction of the camera, and trying not to blink! It was QUITE entertaining! And here are just a few of the results...

One of the first, and one of my favorites: we tried using the suburban hood to hold the camera the firs couple times. Obviously, didn't work so well!! Although, I like being tall for once... ;)

For this one, we got smarter, and used a post to hold the camera. Unfortunately, the post was in the middle of the road, and to get the right proportion we also had to be in the middle of the road. And, of course, Mike had to dash across two lanes to set the timer and get back into the picture. Everyone together now, "Where's the truck?!"

This one we actually got someone else to take (in exchange for taking one of his family, I love how when you're someplace cool, everyone will do that for total strangers).

And at the park sign on the way out. This is one of my favorites, although it doesn't have quite the story of the dashing across the road one! :) Many thanks to Mike for putting his life in danger for a good family pic!

After driving up and back down the mountain, stopping every couple of feet for pictures from one more "scenic overlook," we went out to lunch, and then wandered around downtown Estes shopping. It was a really cute downtown, with lots of candy and souvenier shops (and one knife & sword shop, where the boys spent most of their time). We bought homemade candy and caramel apples (delicious) and bought ourselves sweatshirts and t-shirts and coffee mugs, like all good tourists do!

We kept Laney happy during the shopping by giving her the core of a caramel apple to chew on. She was quiet content, although her jacket was absolutely COVERED in caramel and sticky afterwards. But she knew what to do with that apple-on-a-stick!

And, back home, another beautiful sunset over the mountains...

Seriously, though, RMNP was probably my favorite thing we did all week. Between being jammed in the truck, piling out every 50 feet, driving with the windows down despite the 30 degree weather (and much to Jessica's dismay) to get good pictures, and just laughing the whole time, it was a true "ferret family adventure." Add to that getting to enjoy the beauty of the mountains, and it was awesome. Definitely a MUST for any trip to CO!

Up next: The last Colorado post, all about pedis & goodbyes!