12,005 ft.
Friday, June 12, 2009 at 11:42PM Sorry I went missing there for a bit...guessing that my blogging may slow down this summer. :) In any case, I was working on a deadline but am done now so can think again. ;)
So. On Monday, with Nathan's friend TJ here, we headed up to Estes Park and Rocky Mountain National Park. (TJ watched the boys for us on Sunday...they bonded over the Wii...did I mention we finally broke down and got a Wii? The boys have been saving for it for a couple months now and had just enough for the "basics" and we figured it would make it easier for TJ to watch the boys, lol.) Anyhow, after a yummy lunch, we convinced Noah to ride the aerial tram with us to the top to feed the chipmunks. (He'd refused every other time we've asked...insists he's afraid of heights but I'm pretty sure it's a fear of falling, not heights. But. He was also sad to miss out on the fun his brothers had last summer when we went up.) Those chipmunks are pretty darn entertaining:
Yes, they literally eat out of your hand:
Each boy got to feed the thriving chipmunk community a couple scoops of peanuts. They were happy (both boys and chipmunks). :)
After that, we headed into Rocky Mountain National Park and hiked around Bear Lake...a pretty easy hike for the boys and one they've done before. Of course, the other times we've done it, there hasn't been snow still on the path. :) That just added to the fun, right? Micah thought the walk was great fun:
We even managed a group picture using the timer on TJ's camera:
After Bear Lake, we took Trail Ridge Road. It is the highest continuous motorway in the United States, with more than eight miles lying above 11,000' and a maximum elevation of 12,183'. At the Alpine Visitor Center (at, I think, 11, 798 ft), we took the path/steps up:
Yes. It was a bit of a hike given the cold weather and altitude. At least I wasn't carrying Micah, though. (Nathan got that privilege, lol!) At the top, we had about one minute to admire the view before we were pelted with little popcorn snow things that kinda hurt. Fortunately, TJ had the presence of mind to take a picture:
And, in true Colorado style, the pelting stopped by the time we got back to the van. :) On the drive back down, the boys were delighted to actually drive through the clouds (yes, we drove through them on the way up but they were asleep so missed that)...so much so that we had to roll down windows to "let the cloud through the van" and stop once to take a walk in the clouds:
Yup. Fun day. :)
Since then, TJ had to fly back out, the boys have had swim lessons, we met up with friends in Longmont one day, went to a birthday party that was great fun, and other miscellaneous schtuff. :) Busier than I'd anticipated but still off to a good start for summer. How's your summer going?
Oh. And check this out. Cool. :)
Reader Comments (3)
Those are some amazing photos, Amanda! Can't wait to see those on a layout!
Thanks for mentioning my review of your book!!
oh wow what a great adventure!
Looks like a great time Amanda!!! Love your photos!!
Estes is one of my favorite places! We should get the girls together for a crop up there sometime! Rent a couple of cabins and have some fun!