Rendevous in the Rockies

Our next stop was Estes Park, where we stopped for a few days to visit my cousin, Frances Marvin, and her husband, Roy.  We arrived Friday afternoon, and parked in Manor RV Park right on the banks of the Big Thompson River.  There is a short walking path alongside the river, which runs swift and clear.  Kota and Rue have gotten their paws wet along the edge, but haven’t been tempted to venture out into the current.  

The campground has trees and grass in addition to the water, and we are told even gets visits from bears on a regular basis.  We didn't see any bears, but a couple of sleek, fat, elk cows visited the campground just at dusk.

On Monday, John and I took the dogs to the Estes Valley Dog Park for a dip in Lake Estes and some spirited ball-throwing.  There were several dogs already there.  They loved running with Rue, but were polite enough not to try to take her ball away.

This handsome fellow, named Wolf, thought Rue was really cute...

but she was less than excited about his attention.

After expending some energy at the dog park, we headed up Trail Ridge Road through Rocky Mountain National Park. 

It is some 20+ miles up to the Alpine Visitor Center, and all the way the views are magnificent.  There is still a lot of snow on the peaks, as the snowfall this year was heavier than usual.  In fact, Trail Ridge usually opens on Memorial Day, but this year we were told it was late June before the snow melted enough to allow people to travel up the mountain.

We had planned to have lunch at the Alpine Visitor Center, but there was a long line of cars waiting to get into the parking lot.  Instead, we opted to drive down through the west entrance of the park and visit Grand Lake Lodge where we had wonderful meals last year.  This year, we split a delicious burger and fries, and had more than enough to eat.

We were able to get into the Alpine Visitor Center on the way back.  The views are spectacular from their observation deck.

Rue kept her eyes peeled for the small critters that whistled from the mountaintop,

and Kota enjoyed the attention of many admirers.  

On Tuesday we hiked the Homer Rouse trail (almost straight up, it seemed) from Fish Creek Way 

up to the Baldpate Inn.  

The inn is a beautiful old log structure that dates to 1919.  It still has guests staying there, and is also reported to have an excellent dining room. 

The 1.5 mile trail is beautiful, even if we had to pause occasionally to empty pebbles out of our boots.  The slopes are mostly wooded, and there are magnificent views of the valley.

(Views are much better on the way down, since we weren’t so out of breath.)

Where we started, the elevation was 8,250 feet, and where we turned it was 8,853.  Fortunately, the morning was mostly cloudy with a nice breeze, so it was a very pleasant hike.  The girls carried their packs without complaint, and cooled off in the many rivulets trickling the slopes and across the road.

Tuesday evening we had dinner with Frances and Roy.  Their beautiful home sits on the mountainside overlooking the YMCA of the Rockies and a great view of the distant peaks, and great sunsets.

Wednesday was our last full day in Estes Park.  We again hiked the Homer Rouse Trail, then had lunch with Frances and Roy at Bird & Jim’s.  All the food was good, but the smoked pheasant chowder was exceptional.  

We marked the beginning of August with a visit to the Estes Park Farmer's Market,

 an easy trip to the KOA RV park in Fountain, just outside Colorado Springs.