Longs Peak

Colorado - part 2 

On Thursday we took a drive up to Estes park and around where the Rocky mountain National Park is. We could not go into a lake that Larry wanted to show us as the road was closed due to snow.  It was very cold up there in the mountains but enjoyable all the same.  We walked around the shops and toured around all the pretty areas and landmarks nearby.

this is in Estes Park where we walked around

                                        

                                                            Some of us rode rocks

There were a couple of huge herds of elk

This is the Historic Stanley Hotel right in Estes Park and approximately 5 mile from the entrance to the Rocky Mountain National Park.  The hotel hosted Stephen King and it served as inspiration for the Overlook Hotel in the Shining.

All around the area and on the drive there Larry pointed out the areas that had had damage and where trees had washed down the hills and washed out bridges and roads. There was a huge downpour of rain in this area and also many others in Colorado 6 years ago.  Also many bridges were swept away and the homes could not be accessed  by the owners. The flood was pretty widespread and many homes were damaged. We drove by a lady's home that Suz and Larry know named Barb.  She has a beautiful home that had a lot of water all around it in the flood. She needed a lot of help to even get to her property.   In fact, her barn is now separated from her home by a stream that used to be on the other side of the barn.

It is a lovely property and she took us on a tour of the one home she rents out.  One of the nicest places I have seen - wish I would have taken photos.

                                                 This is another view from her property.

That night we got invited to go with Suz and Larry to supper at their friend Jon and Gretchen's house. He got a fancy new smoker and treated us to every kind of smoked meat you would want to try.  We all brought sides and it was a lovely meal and wonderful to meet some new people  Jona was also there, she is a friend of Suz and Larry's that we met last year in Mesa - we also celebrated her birthday.  Another couple Patty and Al were there too.  It was a great day all around.

The next day, Saturday, Suz and I  went shopping and to the farmer's market and also to a pretty little bird area nearby. The morning was windy and chilly.  The men stayed home and did chores  Around 3 we went to Boulder.  What an absolutely cool place!  The main street is lined with fun shops and a couple of the blocks there is no cars allowed.  They have it nicely decorated with statues and flowers.  There all all kinds of entertainers out trying to make a buck.

This guy did lots of juggling and what not while perched on top of the chairs.  There were singers and  musicians too.

This guy is called the zip code man.  You tell  your zip code, or in my case the postal code.  He tells you where you are from and some things you may have done there.  Quite an amazing memory to be able to do all that.  He did get that I was from Saskatchewan but could not pinpoint the town other than close to Saskatoon.  Quite amazing really, as half the time I can't even remember my own postal code never mind hundreds of codes like he does.

                                             We needed a few breaks from all the walking

We walked up and down the street stopping in at shops and watching the entertainment.  It is a very interesting area to people watch as well.  The picture above is a rock cut right in half.  We went for a nice supper and then it was time for us to head home. 
The next day we said our good bye's and headed for Colorado Springs.  We went to the Garden of the Gods after it warmed up a little and spent quite a bit of time there.  It was amazing.  A man by the name of Charles Perkins bought the land the Garden of the Gods is in.  He wanted the land to become a public park but died before the arrangements were made.  His children followed their fathers wishes and offered the land to the city of Colorado Springs.  A pretty amazing gift I'd say. There were lots of little birds and the scenery was amazing

After that we went up in the mountains for a drive.  It was very pretty and we could see snow capped mountains - but also windy and cold so not a lot of photos.  We had planned to go up to Pikes Peak on the way back but they closed the park really early and we missed our chance.  The weather was not going to co-operate and a huge storm was forecast with lots of snow for higher elevations the next day by afternoon.   As we had to go through a mountain pass (Raton) we decided it was time to . . .

Colorado was a wonderful state to visit and I can see why Suz loves it so much.  It is beautiful and quirky and downright amazing.