The week before Covid precautions hit, Andy and I booked a vacation for the 5 of us in Estes Park, CO. We reserved a house with a hot tub, close to the mountains, and looked forward to heading west for some quality family time in CO. As the world changed and shut down, we were unsure if we would get to go on this trip. Thankfully, as things began to open up, we were able to see how we could still stay safe, yet get out of town to the open spaces of our planned vacation!
We drove first to Kearney, NE where we were able to catch up safely with Uncle Richard and Aunt Pat. The kids ate up Pat's corn dogs, ice cream cones, and all of Richard's stories. It was so great to get a visit in with them and it was the perfect way to break up the long trip to CO.
The next day we drove the rest of the way to Estes Park. The kids did great in the car as they read, watched movies, and played games.
It was so fun to watch the horizon as we inched closer and closer to the mountains. The kids had fun spotting the ridge line up ahead but not so much fun feeling the elevation and winding roads...good thing we had some car sickness meds along.
Our house was found easily and we were thankful to get out of the car, spread out, and hop into the hot tub!
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| beautiful views from our deck |
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| trying steamed artichoke with lemon butter...a favorite from my childhood |
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| elk outside our cabin |
After a home cooked meal (we were able to cook nearly all our meals), we headed to bed so we were ready for our first day in the mountains!
2nd Day
Our first full day started early with coffee on the deck - my favorite thing, followed by breakfast, packing of lunches, and heading out to the Rocky Mountain National Park.
We chose a family friendly trail to hike the first day. The kids were tired when we called it hiking, but as soon as we called it climbing and allowed them to go off the trail their energy was back!
They loved climbing the rocks and finding beautiful views along with little creatures who wanted our food. The cool temp of the mountain streams and lakes was a highlight.
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| spotted an elk on our way out of park |
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| freezing our feet in the mountain pond |
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| mom and baby mule deer outside cabin |
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| can't get much better than this |
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