Rocky Mountain National Park


A friend suggested I write about what Rocky Mountain National Park has meant to our family.  I doubt I can do it justice but will try.

I have vacationed in Estes Park CO. and RMNP since I was a child.  I fell in love with the mountains, the fresh air and everything Estes Park offers.

My husband and I took a motorcycle trip through the south Rockies and up to Estes for our honeymoon.   There is nothing like viewing the peaks without a car roof blocking your view!  It stormed while we went over the Continental Divide and the lightening and storm clouds we actually straight across from us! It was amazing seeing the lightening shoot out of the clouds into the valley!

As we raised our kids there were no trips to Disneyland or cruises for us. We couldn’t bear to spend our vacation time anywhere but in the mountains. We camped many times because we couldn’t afford to go any other way!  The car was packed with strollers, walkers, bikes etc. My poor husband had to rearrange after every campground! We did progress to staying at the YMCA of the Rockies in Estes where cabins were less expensive than lodges or motels.  We played card games at night and during the day, hiked the trails, played minigolf and took horse back rides through the moraines and valleys. We have plenty of family stories of those days. Once a horse took off with Sam and she swore she’d never ride again! We did breakfast rides over the peaks, hay rides with singing around a campfire. The weather always seemed perfect. Pine scented cool breezes and always close to the sun.

For me personally Long’s Peak (the highest point in the northern Rockies) is my spiritual home. When I see it and it’s sister peak Mt. Meeker from 75 miles away as we approach the Front Range on our drive, I revel in it’s majesty. Every time!  The earliest Native Americans called them the Two Guides, so appropriate!  We have spent many hours picnicking at Long’s feet sitting by a calm pond, absorbing the peace.

I couldn’t count the hours we have spent in the park with binoculars and  long-range lens viewing the elk rut. The bugeling of the bulls and muted squeaky cries of the females carry through the valley meadows.  Seeing the bulls butt antlers is amazing, nothing equals it.
I have a few favorite shops in Estes that I check out everytime we are there.  I go for rustic, natural and beautiful accessories for my house. I always buy a blanket, pillows, jewelry or even a skull of a Big Horn. I adore languishing in the coffee shops or sitting by the rivers (Big Thompson or Fall River). My most special place to eat dinner is The Dunraven Inn. They make bay scallops and mushrooms in wine sauce that I lust for all year! The cabin we stay in enjoys an array of wildlife including black bears, elk, deer and possibly cougars so we are always careful to watch our dogs and keep them out of harm’s way.

The Estes Dog Park is also a favorite. Our dogs can swim in Lake Estes and a fence keeps them from going too far. They get to have one retrieve after another and the weather is always perfect!

When I am not in the mountains I long for them. The fresh air with low humidity, the pine and aspens, the elk bugeling, I always feel free and unencumbered there. It’s Heaven.